In my personal opinion, Boom Cards were one of the best “silver linings” to come out of distance learning/virtual learning. Just because many teachers are returning back for in-person, face-to-face learning, doesn’t mean that you can no longer use Boom Cards in your classroom.
4 Ways to Use Boom Cards in the Physical Classroom
Now that many schools have gone back for face-to-face instruction, or at least are planning to, I can see why many teachers think that their Boom Card days are over.
Y’all, that is NOT the case.
There are so many amazing ways to incorporate Boom Cards into your in-person classroom! Today I’m sharing four of my favorites.
(If you don’t know what Boom Cards are, you can start with this post!)
Oh, and don’t’ stop until you’ve read all the way to the end. I’ve saved the best for last. 😉
1. Use Boom Cards for Whole Group Practice
If you have a computer with a projector (regardless of the brand), you can use Boom Cards whole group!
This is a great way to incorporate guided practice into your lesson.
Use your computer to display or project Boom Cards so that everyone can see.
Students can share their answers on a white board, using their fingers, thumbs up/thumbs down, etc. You will click the answer the class has chosen and everyone will get to see and hear the feedback.
You can also select a student to be the “teacher” and have them click the answers on the computer/laptop/smartboard. They can even take turns doing this. What student doesn’t love acting as the teacher!?
You can also use Boom Cards whole group when you have that extra 5-10 minutes where you’re ready for the next outing/activity/lesson, but it’s not quite time.
To students, it’s a game. To you, it’s meaningful practice in a short period of time. Win-win!
2. Use Boom Cards as an Assessment
If you have a paid Boom Learning account, you know that when your students play, the scores are automatically sent to you.
Whether you have one device per class, or one device per student, you can use Boom Cards to conduct a quick assessment of where your student(s) are at with a particular skill.
Have students play the Boom Cards independently, either one or a few at a time, or have the whole group complete the Boom Cards at once (without discussing answers, of course).
You’ll be able to sign into your teacher account and, at a quick glance, see how every student scored on the particular skill.
For example: Not sure if your students have mastered the SH digraph?
Have them complete the SH Digraphs Blend and Read Boom Cards. You’ll get a score immediately and know who needs more practice with SH, and who has mastered SH and is ready to move onto the next skill.
3. Use Boom Cards for One-on-One Learning and Practice
Do you have a student who missed a day (or more) of school?
Maybe the rest of your class is reviewing the letter B, but Jane who was absent, has yet to learn the letter B.
No problem!
Have Jane complete the Letter B Lesson & Practice Boom Cards independently while the rest of your students work on their letter B review activities!
Click HERE for a playable preview of the Alphabet Letter Lessons & Practice Boom Cards(You can do this in small groups too, depending on how many devices you have available.)
4. Use Boom Cards for Homework
This is my favorite way to incorporate Boom Cards into your in-person classroom.
Many schools now have distance learning protocols in place; where they ensure every student has access to a device and Internet.
Because of this, many teachers, parents, and students now know how to access and use Google Classroom, Boom Cards, Seesaw, etc. from home.
What I love about Boom Cards is that they can be used on ANY Internet-connected device. The student doesn’t even have to log in, as long as you use the Fast Play feature.
This means that students can “do their homework” on a parent’s phone, on a tablet, on a laptop, or on a computer. Amazing!
When you assign Boom Cards as homework, you know that:
- You’re saving paper! No need to print anything, and there’s no need for the student to carry anything. Their homework (at least that assignment) is 100% digital.
- The student will get instant feedback…and you have nothing to grade. I mean…WINNING! The last thing we want is for students to practice something incorrectly. With Boom Cards they know when their answer is incorrect and they get multiple chances to correct it.
- Audio is included. There are many students whose parents are not fluent in English. For this reason, I love the fact that Boom Cards include audio directions. In fact, on many of my Boom Cards, I have audio clipart. If a student doesn’t understand a clipart image on the card, they can click on the picture and hear me tell them what it is.
- Students can complete their homework from anywhere. Because they just need an Internet connected device, they can complete their meaningful homework (AKA “play” Boom Cards) on the go. I love that they’re not limited to the kitchen table! They can play in the car, at the ball field, in the grocery store, etc.
What do you think? How are you using Boom Cards in your in-person classroom? I would love to know, so please share with us in the comments below! 👇🏼
Boom Cards for the Classroom
If you’re looking for Boom Cards to use in your classroom, check out all the bundles I have available below! All of these Boom Cards make amazing whole group practice, assessment, one-on-one practice, or homework!
Click HERE to shop all of my Boom Cards on Teachers Pay Teachers
