Hey Friends! Are you using Boom Cards in the classroom? If not, I’m fixin’ to change your world! Are you wondering, “What are Boom Cards”? You can learn a little more here.
When COVID-19 threw a global pandemic at us, I searched the internet high and low for distance learning resources to keep my first graders engaged during distance learning. When I stumbled upon Boom Cards, I had no idea how much they would change the distance learning experience.
What are Boom Cards? They are digital, interactive learning tasks that give students a game-based experience. One minute, I was doing everything I could to keep students invested in online learning. The next minute, they were begging me daily for more Boom Cards. Now I’m a true believer. Whether you are in full distance learning mode, teaching completely in-person, or something in-between, Boom Cards are sure to help.
Here are the top 5 reasons I love using Boom Cards!
1. There is a Boom Card for Every Standard skill imaginable.
Just a quick look at the Boom Learning store will yield everything from math, literacy, and phonics practice to life skills activities and speech games. With hundreds of thousands of decks in the Boom Learning store, you are sure to find exactly what you need to complement your lesson.
2. Boom Cards Provide Immediate Feedback for Students!
Boom Cards are not just a fun game-based experience for students; they are self-correcting. Students answer questions and receive immediate feedback to ensure that they aren’t practicing incorrectly! If that’s not a reason to be using Boom Cards, I don’t know what is!
3. Boom Cards give you real-time data about your students’ skills.
You know those cookbooks that specifically teach you how to slip vegetables into your kids’ food without them knowing? Consider using Boom Cards as a way to slip assessments into your students’ centers without them knowing! The decks you assign will gamify the assessment experience for students, keeping them engaged, and having fun. I use Boom Cards in my classroom to monitor progress towards the Common Core State Standards. I can use the reports within Boom to see how my students are doing toward mastery of a specific skill.
4. Boom Cards can be differentiated!
You can customize the setting in each Boom deck, allowing you to differentiate and meet the varied needs of your classroom. Teachers can assign decks to students individually or to your whole class. Additionally, you can hide cards that you don’t want students to see in a specific deck. Furthermore, you are able to differentiate the user experience for students using the custom play settings in each deck. This allows you to assign a specific number of cards you want students to complete.
5. Boom Cards are NO-PREP and Self-Correcting!
Last, but certainly not least! Boom Cards will save you tons of time. I have spent hundreds of hours laminating, cutting, and velcroing centers for my elementary school classroom. While I enjoyed binge-watching Bravo shows while doing all that work…I love that Boom Cards are a no-prep addition to my classroom. BONUS?! They are also easy to leave for a substitute teacher during reading and/or math centers–this means I don’t have to worry about leaving detailed instructions!
Without a doubt, Boom Cards have been the best addition to my classroom in years. Because Boom Cards are self-correcting, I don’t have to wade through piles of center recording sheets at the end of each day (let’s face it, they are more for accountability than anything else…). One quick look at my Boom reports tab and I can see who has completed the assigned decks and who needs some more individualized instruction. I call that a win-win!
Here are some examples of decks that I use to teach phonics and math in my classroom! You can find them in my TPT store if they would be a great fit for your classroom!
What do you love about Boom Cards? Drop a comment below! I’d love to hear how you use them in your classroom! You can also connect with more teachers using Boom Cards in their classroom by joining our Facebook group here.
Have I piqued your curiosity? You can check out my Boom Cards here!