Say My Name. Say My Name: Introducing The Teacher Multi-Tool

I’m horrible at remembering names, which is problematic because each year I have nearly 250 new ones to learn. Yale’s Poorvu Center claims that students feel more satisfied, more accountable, more likely to seek help and more comfortable when teachers know their names. I needed to find a way to compensate for my weakness – so I created this name plate that turned out to be the teacher multi-tool I never knew I needed.

At the beginning of the year, students meet with me during a station activity to fill in their name plate. They add their preferred name and their pronouns. I teach 7th grade and as you may imagine, some of them have no idea what I mean. I explain that my name is Jennifer but I prefer to be called Jen. I let them know that pronouns are what we use in place of a person’s name; so if I was taking their marker would they prefer I say, “I’m taking her marker,” “I’m taking his marker,” “I’m taking their marker,” or something else.

Then I give them a symbol and color to put in the other two spaces. These indicate random groupings that I’ve created. By adding these to their name plates, I can create quick groups all year long. “Ok, let’s group by color.” Or, “Hey everyone! Today let’s form rainbow groups. Find someone with each color of the rainbow.” I can also collect their name plates at the end of class and use them to quickly create new groups for the following class. I find this is much faster than using my roster. At the start of the next class, I can put the groups of name plates on tables so students can find their seats quickly.

One of my favorite uses for these name plates (beyond helping me learn their names) are for quick check-ins and formative assessments. In the photo below, I asked my students, “At what age can you legally consent to sexual activity in New York State?”

Students rotate their name plate to best represent their response. It’s a great way to do a quick review or get a quick read of whether students grasp a topic. For example, when I asked my students a question about which response best shows empathy, I could quickly tell which students got it; and based on which incorrect answers were selected, I could reteach or clarify the concept.

It can also be used as a check in. “How are you feeling today?”

Great
Fine
Tired
Not great

You could use it to get a read of how students are doing on a project. “How is it going?”

I’m almost done
I’m making progress
I’m a little behind
I’m in need of help

You could use the traffic light system for a similar purpose. I give each student a colored paper clip at the beginning of the year. Then, they can simply move the paper clip to indicate their answer – Red, Yellow or Green. If students are working independently, you could use the following system.

Green – I’m ready for my work to be checked
Yellow – I’m working and making progress
Red – I’m stuck and need help

The traffic light system could be used to help students reflect on goal-setting. “How are you doing on your goal so far?”

Green – I’m consistently successful
Yellow – I’ve had good days and not-so-good days
Red – I’ve struggled

Group students heterogeneously. “Triple up with classmates who have marked a different color than you.” Have the students who have struggled share what’s made the process difficult. Have the students who have experienced some success share some of the strategies that have worked for them.

Want to give this teacher mult-tool a try? Click here to get your free Canva template.

Need some other ideas for your classroom? Check out some of these back-to-school activities that help set you up for success all year; or join my mailing list to stay connected.

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Pair this blog post with the following:

Say My Name by Andy Milne

Create, Curate or Cart It? by Jen Mead

Is It Normal? by Jen Mead

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