Have you heard of Boom learning but you don’t know how to use Boom cards to improve language skills of students? You are in the right place, my friend! Some years ago I learned about Boom cards, and my mind was blown. I loved that they were self-checking, because I was doing way too much grading. I loved that there were so many sets available, because I didn’t want to give myself yet more work to do. And I loved that they have such a professional, pretty layout that students think is so cool!
Check out this free deck to see what I mean!
Do these sound like things you want in your teaching as well? Then follow along as I tell you why you should absolutely start using Boom cards in your lessons asap, and how to do it. If you want to know why you should use them in the first place, check out this article!
What are Boom learning cards
Boom cards are basically online task cards. Students get a digital card with one or more questions on it. They have to answer the question correctly in order to move on to the next card. Cards may contain multiple choice questions, drag and drop questions, fill in the blanks questions, or choose the correct answer questions. Teachers can make their own deck of cards. Or they can use decks from other teachers: free of charge or paid ones, depending on availability.
Boom cards get students to practice a skill, and they are self-checking. Most of the time, I use them to test students on their knowledge of vocabulary or grammar points. I also make decks for reading or listening skills. For these, I will have them read a piece of text and I give them comprehension questions, as well as response questions to the text. I do the same thing for listening skills, when I have audio fragments for them to listen to, or even a video to watch. Boom cards are ideal for checking comprehension. You can also use Boom cards to practice writing skills, as you can have students type larger pieces of text as an answer on a Boom card. However, you do need the option to see stats then, because otherwise the students’ answers are lost.
How to use boom cards with your students?
As an introductory activity
Boom cards may be used to ignite the imagination of students, to unlock prior knowledge, to enthuse them for the topic, or to simply show them what they are going to learn about that day. I’ve used them for vocabulary: to test whether they remembered a set of words they learned the year prior. And I’ve used them for grammar: to test whether they could fill in the correct participle of irregular verbs they had learned in the previous lesson.
As a review activity
You can use Boom cards to check students’ understanding at the end of the lesson or even the unit. Enter a few questions that relate to what they should have learned and see how well they answer them. I’ve also used Boom cards as a quick quiz, because I have an account that also gives me stats after the fact. And it’s really helpful that the deck is randomized each time, so students will never get the ‘same’ deck.
As a brain break
Sometimes it’s just good to take a break in your teaching, and Boom cards may provide a welcome diversion. Whenever you’ve done a bunch of serious things for a long time, throw in a Boom deck that looks pretty and that is fun for them to do. (Maybe not a topic that is hard or boring..) I would choose vocabulary decks about interesting topics, or even decks that are related to upcoming holidays or festivities.
For remedial teaching or providing a challenge
Students that need help may also benefit from getting assigned some extra decks of cards to practice topics or skills they have trouble with. The same goes for students that need an extra challenge and can take on more difficult topics or skills. Once you input your students, you can assign decks individually, so you can easily cater to different needs.
How to use Boom cards free of charge
You can use Boom cards for free! You can make up to five of your own decks for free, and you can see stats for five students. That isn’t a lot, but you may not even need those stats. I don’t often, actually. If you don’t need stats, but just want students to practice, you can use Fastplay for an unlimited number of students. You will have to either use free Boom decks from other teachers, or stick to your own five. You will have to delete decks that you don’t need anymore, if you want to create new ones after the fifth one.
If you don’t mind paying in order to find amazing decks made by other teachers, you can buy decks in the store. For any decks that are over 0 points, you must buy credit to purchase. It’s up to you to decide how much you want to spend. This also goes for memberships. The more you pay, the more students’ stats you will have access to.
How to use boom cards in Google Classroom
Assigning Boom cards is easy: you copy the link that Boom gives you on the deck, and you insert it into the link box in an assignment in Google Classroom. Or you can simply enter it in a message on the Stream page. Simple! Just check beforehand whether you want the Fast Pin link (the one that gives no stats) or the Hyperplay link (for stats afterwards). All students have to do is click the link and they get taken straight to the deck!
So this is how to use Boom cards with your students. I hope that I’ve convinced you to try out Boom cards for your lessons, because they are seriously awesome! I promise you that your students will love them, no matter how old they are. Mine do, and their ages range from 11 to 18.
If you want to check out some of them, go browse my store by clicking here. I have a bunch of grammar decks on different topics available. These include decks on pronouns, prepositions, irregular nouns, and coordinating and subordinating conjunctions.
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