Random US State Wheel
This wheel picks a random US state from all fifty, which makes classroom state projects and road-trip arguments equally short.
All fifty states on one wheel, in alphabetical order, each with a one-in-fifty chance.
The state report is a fixture of American elementary school, and the allocation is the annoying part. Left to choose, half the class takes California, Texas, Florida and New York, and nobody learns anything about Delaware. Turn on "Remove winner after spin" and thirty students draw thirty different states in about ninety seconds, with no negotiating and no accusations of favouritism.
It works as a quiz spinner too. Land on a state and the class supplies the capital, the abbreviation, which states border it, or which region it belongs to. The suspense keeps everyone tracking instead of counting rows to work out when their turn arrives.
Road trips are the other common use. If you have been arguing about a route for a fortnight, letting the wheel pick a state to aim at tends to end it faster than another map.
Random US State Wheel — questions
How do I give every student a different state?
Turn on "Remove winner after spin". Each state leaves the wheel once drawn, so a class of thirty gets thirty different states in about ninety seconds with nothing to argue about.
Can I add Washington DC and the territories?
Yes. Add DC, Puerto Rico, Guam, the US Virgin Islands, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands as extra slices if your lesson covers them.
Can I narrow it to one region?
Yes. Replace the slices with just New England, the Midwest, the South or the West, depending on the unit you are teaching.