If you’re looking for low-prep, high-engagement review activities, you need to meet Boom Learning cards! Boom cards are interactive digital task cards that can be used with any device. They’re fun for kids to use, easy for teachers to assign, AND they give you automatic progress monitoring!
Let’s jump in! And be sure to read to the end to grab some free Boom cards!
What are Boom Cards?
Boom cards are digital task cards hosted on the Boom Learning platform. Students can use them in a browser or with the Boom app. You can find “decks,” or sets, in the Boom store, on Teachers pay Teachers, or you can make your own.
When you assign decks to your students, they complete them by clicking on answer choices, typing answers, dragging objects, etc. It’s great TEI skills practice and you get automatic feedback as they play!
Check out the video below for an idea of how Boom cards work.
Setting Up Your Boom Classroom
First, you’ll need to sign up for a Teacher account. Then you can create a Classroom for your students via the Classes tab on the dashboard.
On the Students tab, you can add students, assign passwords, customize your avatar/name/info, and change privacy settings.
After adding all your students, you should see their names and avatars listed. Now it’s time to find Boom cards!
Buying Boom Cards
You can browse the Boom store or buy Boom cards on Teachers pay Teachers. When you find a deck you want to buy in the Boom store, click “Buy Now” (to purchase) or “Add to library” (if it’s free).
If you want to try before you purchase or download them, each set has a free 4-card preview.
You can also create your own sets by clicking the “Studio” tab on the dashboard.
Assigning Decks to Students
You can see all the decks you’ve purchased/downloaded in the Library tab. Click on the Action drop-down button next to the deck. You have a few choices:
- assign: assign the deck to a class
- fastpin: use this if you don’t want students to log in to play (this option will NOT track student data – choose this if you’re not allowed to create student accounts or if you want to play whole-class)
- hyperplay link: grab a link to the deck to share elsewhere (students log in with a pin and then play)
If you want to assign the deck through Google Classroom (or Canvas, Schoology, etc.), just grab the hyperplay link and add it to the assignment you create there.
Another way to assign decks is through the Classes tab. You can do this by clicking on a particular student or through the Assignments tab. This is the way to go if you want to assign multiple decks to your class.
Progress Monitoring
If you assign decks through Assign or a hyperplay link, you can track students’ progress. You can do this from the Classes tab (click on Reports) or the Library tab.
As students start to play, data will automatically show up. You can track whether a deck is incomplete, the length of time someone spent playing, the number of cards answered correctly, and more.
Are You Ready to Try Boom Learning?
I hope you’re feeling EXCITED to start using Boom Cards with students! They’re at the top of my list for engaging virtual activities and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
Be sure to grab my FREE Boom card decks below. Each has a free 4-card play preview to give you a feel for how the cards work!
- decimals on the number line
- multiplication facts (summer theme)
- interpreting remainders word problems
- Virginia’s geography
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