Say Anything: A Strategy to Engage Every Student with Structure & Choice
It’s the 35th anniversary of the movie Say Anything. Remember that famous scene where John Cusack’s character Lloyd Dobler grabs his friend by the lapel and commands him, “You must chill! You must chill!”
As educators, we know that’s no way to support students! Not only is it a terrible self-regulation strategy… but we also know that meaningful engagement doesn’t happen when students are pressured or put on the spot. Instead, engagement increases when we provide students with clear structure and choice.
Enter Say Anything: a simple, low-prep strategy that invites every student to contribute a thought about class content in a small group.
Here’s how you can use it in your classroom.
Why Don’t Students Say Anything?
You know how it goes:
You give a compelling prompt for discussion… and get crickets.
You pose an important question for review… and only two hands go up.
You display a Do-Now or Bell Ringer… and students just stare at the screen.
There are plenty of reasons students may not respond to a prompt:
😬 Anxiety: Students may be hesitant to answer in front of classmates
🫤 Confusion: Students might not feel confident they know the answer
🤔 Language processing: Some students need more time to think before speaking
Say Anything is a flexible strategy that overcomes these barriers by creating a safe, low-pressure structure for students to share their ideas. It gives them options and time to process their thoughts, while still encouraging participation.
By providing structure and choice, Say Anything prevents the predictable problems of paltry participation.
Best of all? It’s easy to prep, can take as little as five minutes, and it makes a big impact.
How to Get Students to Say… Anything!
To use Say Anything effectively, it’s best to use a SmartBoard, projector, or chart paper to display something visual for students to respond to.
Say Anything, Step-By-Step:
Display four options related to class content (concepts, quotes, vocabulary words, etc.) and assign each a number (1–4)
Ask students to select one option and raise the corresponding number of fingers (e.g., three fingers for #3)
Give students think time to come up with one thought about the option they chose
In small groups, students take turns sharing their thoughts. Here’s the rule: They can say anything about their choice (as long as it’s related to the content…)
Students might share a fact that they remember, an important idea, a strong reaction or opinion, or pose a question they still have.
Listen in to students’ conversations in their groups. You may hear voices you don’t typically hear in a whole-class discussion. Then, once groups have shared, you can bring the discussion to the full class:
Ask for volunteers: “Anyone who picked #3… say anything!”
Highlight a student: Ask one student to share something you heard them say (be sure to prime them first)
Invite partner sharing: Choose a student to share what their partner said
Open it up for further connections, reactions, or clarifications
Bonus: Want to give kids another option? Let them know they can hold up five fingers and they can “say anything” related to the content that’s not shown as one of the four options.
The What and When of Say Anything
What you display is up to you. The four options you show can come from a variety of sources, depending on your lesson goals. For example:
Four slides from previous lessons
Four recent vocabulary words you’ve studied
Four images connected to your current topic
Four examples of concepts, characters, or ideas
What else can you imagine using Say Anything for?
When you use Say Anything is incredibly flexible. Try it when you want to:
Activate prior knowledge at the start of a lesson
Review content before moving on to new material
Get students to hear explanations from their peers
Replace a Do-Now or Bell Ringer with a more interactive alternative
It’s especially powerful when you notice lagging engagement, low energy, or a lull in participation. Say Anything lowers the stakes, gives students options, and gives a clear structure that makes sharing feel manageable.
Why It Works
The beauty of Say Anything lies in its simplicity. It removes the pressure of having a "right" answer and instead prioritizes thoughtful participation. By offering structure (four clear options) and choice (students pick what they respond to), this strategy builds confidence and reduces anxiety.
Ready to Try It? Get a Free Resource!
Want to give Say Anything a try? I’ve created a free Google Slides template to help you get started. Just pop in your own four options, and get your students talking.
Download the template by signing up for my newsletter — it’s quick, free, and you’ll get even more practical strategies delivered to your inbox.
Let’s Connect!
Say Anything is just one of many strategies I model in professional learning with teachers. Not only do we use it to review important ideas we’re learning, but we discuss how to apply these tools directly into the classroom.
Interested in hosting a workshop for your school or conference?
Remember: Structure, choice, and a little flexibility can go a long way. So give it a try—and get your students to say anything!
