Card
Group Shuffle
To promote diverse student collaboration, use a deck of cards to randomly divide students into groups.
Group Shuffle
Summary
Group Shuffle allows for a quick way to randomly group students or assign them a topic. You can use any deck of cards, or print our culturally diverse card set (attached). Consider using this strategy with other strategies like Jigsaw, Round Robin, or 8-Up. This strategy can be used in a variety of subjects and across all grade levels.
Procedure
Provide students a prompt with a list of categories, such as different texts or questions.
Assign each category a set of cards. For example, all Aces answer question 1, all Kings answer question 2, etc.
Example: Use the Jigsaw strategy where you have multiple texts or questions you want students to examine, and organize them by suits or card numbers.
Pass out cards to students and have them group with students holding like cards to answer your prompt/question.
For more resources and unique uses for using cards to group students, check out the linked article: 5 Ways to Use Playing Cards for Cooperative Learning or our Pick A Card, Any Card strategy.
Bergman, D. (2024, March 13). 5 ways to use playing cards for cooperative learning. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/creating-random-groups-classroom-elementary-school/
Publisher
Downloads
Placement In Lesson
- Explain/Closing
- Explore/Learning Activity
- Extend/Additional Learning Activity
Intention/Purpose
- Collaborate
- Conversation Starter
Related Resources
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