How the loop works
Each card says “I have” an answer and “Who has” a question. The student with the START card reads only its Who has question. Everyone works it out, and the student whose card has that answer reads “I have” and their answer, then their own Who has question. The cards always close into a single loop, so the game ends when the last question is answered by the START card. The maker checks this on every set it makes.
One limit matters before you start: every answer in the set must be different. If 2 questions both have the answer 24, 2 students would both say they have it, so the maker refuses a list with repeated answers and names the questions to change.
Before the lesson
- Print the sheets, 6 or 8 cards a sheet, and cut along the dashed lines. Cutting takes longer than printing: a student helper or a guillotine saves time.
- Print the teacher key too. It lists the cards in loop order, from the START card round to the end.
- The number in the corner of each card is shuffled, so it does not give the order away. Use it with the key to find a card quickly.
- Shuffle the cards before you deal them, so students sitting together do not hold neighbouring cards.
Matching the cards to 30 students
30 cards, 1 each
The simplest game. With 30 questions at 6 cards a sheet, you print 5 full sheets. At 8 a sheet, 30 cards need 4 sheets with 2 spaces left over. If you turn on blank cards, those 2 spaces print as blank cards marked “not in the game”, so every sheet cuts the same way. Keep them as spares and do not deal them.
Fewer cards than students
A list of 24 questions makes a loop of 24 cards. Give 18 students a card each and 6 pairs a card to share. Pairs work well for students who need support, because they can check the answer with each other before reading.
More cards than students
A list of 36 questions makes 36 cards, so 6 students take 2 cards. Give the second card to students who are quick and confident, and check on the key that their 2 cards are not next to each other in the loop, or they will have to answer their own question.
Worked example: a loop of 24 with 30 students
A class of 30 students practises the 8 times table and division facts. The teacher types 24 questions on the maker, such as 8 times 7 and 64 divided by 8, with all 24 answers different, and prints 4 sheets of 6 cards. In class, the teacher deals 18 single cards and 6 shared cards, and gives the START card to a pair near the front. The START pair reads “Who has 8 times 7?” Everyone works it out on scrap paper. The student holding the 56 card reads “I have 56. Who has 64 divided by 8?” and so on round the room. The teacher follows on the key and ticks each card as it is read. The loop ends when a question is answered by the START card, which reads “I have” its answer. You can see a full card set on the examples page.
Pace and listening
The loop only checks the class if everyone listens to every question, not just the student who thinks they hold the answer. Ask everyone to work out each answer, on scrap paper or a mini whiteboard, before the holder reads. That way every student answers every question, and the holder is checking their card, not guessing from it.
- Ask readers to read the question twice, clearly, and wait before the next card is read.
- Go slowly the first time. Speed comes once the class knows how it works.
- Keep the room quiet enough to hear a reader at the back.
When the loop stalls
A stall means nobody has said “I have” for the question just read. Usually a student has worked out the answer wrongly, or not noticed it is on their card. Read the question again and give the class time to work it out. If it is still quiet, look at the key: it lists the order, so you know the answer that comes next and the number on that card. Ask “Who has card number 17?” and carry on. If 2 students stand up, the key shows which answer is right, and the other student has a question worth going over afterwards.
Absent students
Every card must be in play, or the loop breaks at the missing card. When students are absent, deal their cards to others so some students hold 2, or hold the spare cards yourself and read them when they come up. Never take a card out of the set.
Running it twice to beat a time
Once the class has finished one round, time the second. Collect the cards, shuffle them, and deal again, so most students get a different card and different questions to listen for. The class tries to beat its own time. Keep it low stakes: it is practice, and a mistake costs seconds, not marks. The maker can keep your list order or mix it from the card code, if you want a new loop for a later lesson.
Common mistakes
- Starting without the teacher key, so a stall has no quick way out.
- Leaving out the card of an absent student, which breaks the loop.
- Giving one student 2 cards that sit next to each other in the loop.
- Letting only the card holders work out the answers, so most of the class is waiting, not practising.
- Dealing the blank cards, which are not in the game.
The how it works page explains how the loop is built and checked. Your questions stay in your browser.
Sources
- Principles of Instruction: Research-Based Strategies That All Teachers Should Know, American Federation of Teachers, American Educator, Spring 2012. The more effective teachers in the studies it summarises checked for understanding often and required responses from all students. Last reviewed 19 October 2026.
- The Science of Learning, Second Edition, Deans for Impact. Retrieval practice does not have to look like a test and should not be high-stakes; teachers can use low-stakes practice and frame it as practice. Last reviewed 19 October 2026.
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