As I have explained in the previous blog, when it comes to teaching English effectively, gamification stands out as one of the suitable ways in which to engage and support our pupils in the accomplishment of their learning objectives. Bearing this in mind, and knowing how important it is to keep our students interested, I have decided to introduce you to the fascinating world of Boom Cards.
What are Boom Cards?
Boom Cards are a relatively new type of game I use on a daily basis to include gamification in my ESL lessons. This tool is hosted at https://wow.boomlearning.com where you can find free and paid decks pertaining to a wide range of subjects and themes. A relevant characteristic of these amazing cards is that most of them are designed by teachers who apply many of the gamification principles that create not only an attractive but also a challenging experience for the players.
The use of Boom Cards allows you to choose and assign the tasks based on your students’ needs and levels, which is extremely useful during the differentiated instruction lessons. In addition, Boom Cards usually enhance students’ motivation, excitement and participation in class, especially when tackling more tedious or advanced grammar points. In my experience, this resource has become one of my children’s favorite part of English class, since they can actually see and celebrate their progress. However, for me, the best thing about this resource is that it supports the teacher while instructing, reinforcing or assessing their students. And yesssss, it automatically helps you to score your students’ work, a fact that reduces your stress and saves you time and energy.
“But Adriana, I need this TIME SAVING TOOL RIGHT NOW!” you might be saying…
Hold your horses! I’ll get there, I promise!
How to use Boom Cards
In order to start using Boom Cards you need to:
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Create a free or paid Boom Learning Account: There are 4 types of Boom Cards Memberships. If you have just one group of students you could obtain the FREE membership, on the contrary if you have more than one, I would suggest purchasing the 25 dollars ($2.09 per month) annual membership which, in my opinion, is very affordable.
To create an account, you need an e-mail address and a password. You may also consider using the one provided by your school if you prefer. Watch the following videos to see how easy it is:
1. How to create an account and find decks in Boom Learning
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2. How to create a class and add students in Boom Learning
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3. How to assign decks
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You can always create your own decks, but if you don’t have the time or an extended membership, you can also get them directly at Boom Learning or at Teachers Pay Teachers. If you purchase them directly from Boom Learning, they will be automatically added to your library. On the contrary, if you get them on TPT, you will receive a PDF document containing the link that allows the addition of the deck to your Boom Cards Library.
Are you ready to set-up your free account? Hurry up! Because I’ll see you there!
The following are some of the BOOM CARDS FREEBIES that might be useful:
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