Are you familiar with Boom™ Cards from Boom™ Learning? Boom Cards are digital task cards, and they are one of my favorite digital teaching resources to use in my primary ESL classroom! Boom Cards are engaging, easy to use, and accessible with a FREE account. Here is a little bit of info about how to use Boom Cards, and 3 ways I use Boom Cards with my English language learners.
How to Use Boom Cards
If you already know how to use Boom Cards, you can probably skip this section! Boom Cards are super easy to use. They do require an internet connection, as well as a Boom Learning account to assign Boom Card decks. The basic account is free, and for many teachers that is all that is needed. After creating an account, you can shop in the Boom Learning online store for Boom Cards. There are MANY free decks to try out. Once you purchase a deck (free or paid), the Boom Card deck is added to your library. I think the easiest way to utilize Boom Card decks in your library is to create “fast pins” with your Boom Learning account. A fast pin is a Boom Learning website link that can be used to access a Boom Card deck. It sounds complicated, but it is actually quite easy after you have done it a time or two. Fast pins are valid for two weeks. These fast pin links can be shared, and no login is required to use a fast pin link. A fast pin is a quick way to instant game play!
Note: With a paid account, teachers can assign Boom Card decks to individual students and track their progress. I will share below a way to assign Boom Cards to students with a free account, but for data tracking you might want to consider one of the paid subscriptions.
Using Boom Cards with Large Groups of Students
As a kindergarten ESL teacher, or ENL (English as a New Language) teacher as we’re called in New York, I spend a lot of time collaborating with my regular classroom colleagues. I often do whole group lessons with both ELLs (English language learners) and monolingual speakers. I love using Boom cards as part of whole group lessons!
So what do these whole group lessons look like? Since I work primarily with kindergarten, I generally focus the lesson on a theme (such as our social studies holiday theme, or the recent Winter Olympics) along with a reading or language objective to support both my ELLs and the monolingual students. Using a fast pin, I display the Boom Card deck. In our school, we have large interactive SMARTboards and Promethian board display screens. (However, I have to admit that the interactivity portion is not always reliable. Sometimes I have to have students point and I click!) Either way, I have the students take turns answering questions or finding words. Boom Cards give immediate feedback. Most of all, the kids love learning in this manner! Here is an example of a free deck that I used with some of my classes as we talked about the Olympics and practiced sight words:
The fast pace of Boom Cards make this type of activity especially good with a group.
Using Boom Cards with Small Groups of Students
With my small pull-out groups, I use Boom Cards in a similar manner. I create fast pins before the class begins, and I display the Boom Cards so that all of my students can see and participate. My new English speakers especially enjoy Boom Cards. Some of my students have a large receptive vocabulary, but are still hesitant to speak. Boom Cards are a great way for the children to show what they know! I also love Boom Cards for practicing sentence structure, or for pre-teaching vocabulary that they will encounter in the classroom. Here in the United States, many classrooms spend a lot of time focusing on St. Patrick’s Day. Here is a free Boom Card deck that I will be using to pre-teach St. Patrick’s Day vocabulary:
Assigning Boom Cards to Individual Students
Although it is possible to create accounts for individual students and then assign Boom Cards (and track their progress), this capability requires a Boom Learning account with a paid subscription. (At the time of this writing, the free subscription allows for 5 student accounts for free.) I have found that for extra practice, it is just as easy to create fast pins and assign the weblink through a more familiar online platform. Our school happens to use Seesaw, but you could give students the fast pin weblink with the online platform that your school uses (such as Google classroom or Schoology).
When I assign fast pins to my students, I share the fast pin in a Seesaw Activity. I also share a feedback form with emojis or pictures so that students can let me know if the Boom Cards are too easy, too hard or just right. The fast pins expire in two weeks, but I find that is more than enough time for my students to complete an assignment.
Whether it is in a large group, small group or as an individual assignment, my students love Boom Cards! I hope your students will love them too!
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