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A deck of strategy cards for teachers

Make every lesson more active in 5 minutes or less

Lesson Shuffle is a deck of classroom-tested strategy cards that help you talk less and help learners do more. Pick one on the spot, or plan with it ahead of time.

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  • 52 strategy cards
  • 4 suits
  • Made by an educator
Lesson Shuffle logo: a fan of colorful cards above the words Lesson Shuffle, Shuffle Pick Grow
A Lesson Shuffle card titled Change My Mind, with a hook line, a short description of the move and a level up.
A sample card from the deck

The deck

One card. One strategy. One better lesson.

Each card gives you one move you can run tomorrow: a clear student action, setup in plain language, and a way to push it further when you are ready.

  • A short title and a one-line hook so you can spot the right move at a glance.
  • The move, in a few sentences. Run it once and the card is all the reminder you need.
  • A level up for when the basic version starts to feel easy.
  • Difficulty shown in apples, from one to three, so you can match the move to your day.
  • A QR code on every card opens a step-by-step guide. The online guides come with the deck.

Four suits for every kind of teaching problem

Thirteen strategies in each suit.

Instructional Delivery

Open lessons, explain ideas and model thinking without lecturing the whole period.

Collaboration & Discussion

Get every student talking, listening and building on each other's thinking.

Assessment & Retrieval

Check what students know, and help it stick, with quick low-stakes moves.

Systems & Equity

Routines and moves that make the room work for every learner.

The deck also holds a few wildcards: well-being breaks for the teacher, a game twist, and a card for sending in your own idea.

How it works

Pick a card. Run the move. Reflect.

Use the cards on the spot when a lesson needs a boost, or during planning to design more engaging routines, discussions and checks for understanding.

  1. Pick a card

    Flip one over when a lesson needs a lift, or lay a few out while you plan.

  2. Run the move

    Most take about five minutes and need little prep. Students do the thinking.

  3. Reflect and level up

    Use the built-in reflection prompt to see what worked, then raise the challenge.

What we believe

Built on four ideas about good teaching

High impact, low prep

Easy to understand, with no elaborate materials.

Instruction first, tool second

Technology shows up only when it adds real value. If paper works as well, use paper.

Student thinking over teacher talk

Keep the explanation short, then let students do the work.

Research-informed, not research-decorated

Practical moves first. We only claim what we can back up.

Tools

Simple tools for the classroom

Lightweight, ad-free tools built by a teacher, to work where you already teach.

More on the way

New tools are in the works. Join the list and you will hear about them first.

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All apps All Chrome extensions
Patrick McMillan, creator of Lesson Shuffle

About

The deck I wish I had earlier

I created Lesson Shuffle after realizing I was doing most of the talking while my learners did most of the listening. They were compliant, but not really thinking, discussing or applying what they knew.

I started collecting simple strategies that helped me talk less and helped my learners do more. Over time, those routines turned into a stack of cards I kept on my desk to plan lessons and save tired days.

Lesson Shuffle helps busy educators pick a strategy quickly, get learners moving and thinking, and build more consistent, student-centered learning experiences.

Patrick McMillanCreator of Lesson Shuffle

Get the launch email

Join the list for one email when the Lesson Shuffle deck is ready, plus occasional updates about new strategies and tools. No spam and no weekly newsletter.

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