WheelWhirl

US State Capitals Wheel – Random State Capital Flashcards

About this US state capitals wheel

Memorizing state capitals is a staple of 4th and 5th grade geography. The US State Capitals Wheel turns rote memorization into a fun classroom game show challenge.

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How to use the US state capitals wheel

  1. 1

    Spin the wheel to present a state prompt.

  2. 2

    Students write or shout out the capital city before revealing the answer.

Ways to use this wheel

  • Classroom Geography Bee: Students stand; a wrong answer eliminates them until one geography champion remains.
  • Capital Flashcard Sprint: 60 seconds to name as many spun capitals as possible.

Memorizing capitals with a game

Learning capitals is mostly repetition, and a wheel makes the repetition less dull. The slices pair a state with its capital, for example California and Sacramento or Texas and Austin. Spin, cover the answer, and ask students to say the capital.

Many students mix up the biggest city with the capital. Use the wheel to practice the states where they differ, and talk about why.

Gradual practice

Start with twelve states, then add more as students learn. A team game works well: a correct answer earns a point for the team, and a miss goes to the next one. Keep your own list of troublesome states and save it as a separate wheel.

All 12 entries on this wheel

  • California → Sacramento
  • Texas → Austin
  • Florida → Tallahassee
  • New York → Albany
  • Illinois → Springfield
  • Pennsylvania → Harrisburg
  • Ohio → Columbus
  • Georgia → Atlanta
  • North Carolina → Raleigh
  • Michigan → Lansing
  • Washington → Olympia
  • Arizona → Phoenix

Frequently asked questions

Can I hide the capital name from the label?

Yes, edit the entries so only the state name appears on the wheel segments.

What is on the US State Capitals Wheel?

It opens with 12 entries: California → Sacramento, Texas → Austin, Florida → Tallahassee and 9 more. You can keep the list as it is or replace it with your own entries.

What can I use this wheel for?

People use it in a classroom, a tutoring session or a homework routine. Popular ideas include Classroom Geography Bee and Capital Flashcard Sprint. For example, Classroom Geography Bee: students stand; a wrong answer eliminates them until one geography champion remains.

Is this wheel really random?

Yes. Nothing about it is rigged: the winner is chosen by your browser's secure random number generator, so a list of 12 gives each entry a 8.33% chance until you change the weights. How our randomness works has the full explanation.

Can I stop the same result coming up twice?

Yes. Press Remove winner in the result window, or tick the option under the entries, and that result is taken off the wheel. It is the easiest way to give out several different results from this list of 12.

Can I share or embed this wheel?

Yes. Press Share to copy a link that opens this wheel with your current list, or Embed to get a snippet for a web page or class site. Both are free and need no account.

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