BOOM! Our Interventions are Intentional
- Casey Boehm- Organize and Educate
- Feb 11, 2019
- 3 min read
Boom Learning is a revolutionary way to differentiate and meet the needs of your students. Boom Cards are self-checking digital task cards on the site that allow students to practice a variety of skills. Decks of Boom Cards can be assigned to your whole class, or to individual students. When students are working on their task cards, they receive immediate feedback for their work and opportunities to try again when errors are made. In addition to this great student feedback, teachers are provided with individual student and whole group data. This data can be used to plan future interventions, and see more specific areas of need. The data allows you to see exactly what question students are missing, how long students are spending on each question, and more.
Boom Learning can be used on any device! Access the website on a ChromeBook or computer, or download the app for a tablet. It is so easy to use!
I use Boom Cards during centers time, as a response to intervention (RTI), and a way to introduce or reinforce skills whole group. Boom Cards are also a tool that your students can use at home.
My students LOVE using Boom Cards because they are notified that their answer is correct. They also enjoy the variety of ways they you can respond to questions. Depending on the deck, you can click an answer, drag and drop, type, sort, and more. These provides students with a tactile experience and a good variety.
Drag and drop pieces, submit, then retry if needed. Sound cues "whoops" and "ting" let students know if an answer is correct or not.
During our individual work time, students log in to our class. I keep a simple classroom name and password to make it easy for my students. After that, they choose their name and enter their unique password. Once logged in, students can view all the decks assigned to them, how many cards they’ve completed total, and their progress. This allows you to quickly check in with students too- you can set goals for students to keep decks of cards at a certain number or in the “green”. You also have the power to set the number of times students can complete a deck (or set it to unlimited!).
Students can also answer cards with a single click. Students can star cards with the blue star button and return later.
We complete Boom Cards whole group too. I also introduce a new set to the whole group so that the directions are clear. I use the Fast Play button on the home screen to log in to a Boom Card deck. Fast Play codes can be generated when you click a deck in your deck library, codes are temporary. I create a new code and then use it for the week. When we work whole group, I model the first card and show students the features on the card. After that, we pull popsicle sticks to give a variety of students an opportunity to model the card for the class. We work on ways that we can participate from the audience. We work on keeping our eyes on the speaker, thinking of the answer in our brain, finding and “moving” the letter tiles in the air with our finger, and repeating the sight word after the student up front so that we all stay engaged. Fast Play does not collect any data.
My students enjoy new opportunities to use technology in the classroom, so Boom Learning has been the perfect way for us to incorporate a new site, as well as intentionally practice skills. I love being able to assign decks to students on an as needed basis AND check up on their work. The data and growth that is visible to you and your student is so valuable. My students are proud of the work they are doing and so excited to grow!
Want to see some of my favorite word work Boom Cards? Click here to check out my Boom Cards. Download the preview for a tester link.
I would love to send you a set of Boom Cards to try out completely free. Sign up for your FREE set here! Your free set will be my brand new number pattern cards. This set is exclusive and will be send straight to your email!
