Getting Started with Boom™ Cards In Your Science Class

Remember the good ol’ days? You know, that one good ol’ day when the world just stopped, and we all locked ourselves in our homes? Yeah, the COVID lockdown days. Teachers scrambled to learn new ways to teach our students from a computer screen. We all learned new tricks!

Since then, teachers and students have returned to the classroom, but things have changed. How we teach and how students interact with content and learn are different. We all have some version of a blended online and in-person course. If you’re anything like me, you are always searching for new and fun ways to use technology in the classroom.

Enter Boom™ Cards! Teaching science online is not always straightforward. Still, since I discovered Boom™ Cards, I have been amazed at how easy it is to incorporate this wildly effective and fun use of technology in the classroom.

I’m here to help you navigate the Boom™ Learning Platform so that you can use these interactive task cards in your science classroom, both face-to-face and online!

Boom™ Learning Memberships

For new users, Boom™ Learning offers a free trial of the Essential Membership. During the trial period, you can set up Classrooms within the platform, assign decks, and receive live performance reports. You can also add free and paid decks to your library for use with your science students.

You will receive an email midway through your trial period to remind you of its expiration date. When your trial ends, you can continue with the Essentials Membership for $25 a year, upgrade your plan to one with more features, or downgrade your plan to the free membership. With the free membership, you can set up one Classroom to use Boom™ Cards with your students.

What are Classrooms? First, Boom™ Learning is an entirely cloud-based platform on which all the decks are sold, stored, and assigned. Classrooms are a way to group your students. Students are individual accounts (created by you) for each student on your class rosters. Students can be grouped by class period, course, grade level, or team. You can even create a group for students needing additional support or tiered interventions for a concept.

Once you’ve signed up with the membership that fits your needs (I may earn a small referral prize when you use my discount), you can start looking for Boom™ Cards to use! You have plenty of options. You can download free or purchased decks to add to your library through the Boom™ Learning website or from Teachers Pay Teachers.

Purchasing Boom™ Cards

Purchasing from the website:

Boom™ Cards are easy to purchase on the Boom™ Learning website. To begin, click on the ‘Store’ tab at the top and enter the subject or topic you are searching for. You can refine your search by grade, subject, or even by sellers you follow.

Please note that the Boom™ Learning app only allows wishlist decks. Purchases take place on the website.

You may also notice that the cost per deck is listed as points instead of dollar amounts. Boom™ Card decks can be purchased using US dollars or points. To clarify, 300 points is equal to $3.00. There’s a reason for that! A point system allows you to make small purchases ($0.50) without incurring additional fees, and points are easy to purchase. All you have to do is buy a points package, and you’re good to go.

Before you purchase decks, you can “play” some of the cards within them. The Boom™ Learning previews are interactive and allow access to the first four cards of the deck you are interested in. You can preview any deck by clicking “full-sized preview.” Always be sure to read the deck’s description to see all the activities included within the deck.

Purchasing from TpT:

You can find a ton of Boom™ Cards on Teachers Pay Teachers! Search for the topic or subject and include “boom cards.” If there is a seller on TpT that you follow, you can also search within their store to see if they’ve created any Boom™ Cards.

Look in the product’s description or preview for the full-sized Boom™ Cards preview link. Try before you buy.

When purchasing Boom™ Cards from TpT, you will add the product to the cart (as you typically do) and pay. You will download a PDF with instructions on how to access your deck. Look for phrases like: “Click image to redeem purchase.” After clicking the image, you will be automatically directed to the Boom™ Learning website. You will need to log in to your account and confirm. Once you’ve confirmed the account, your purchase will be added to your library.

Using Boom™ Cards in the Science Classroom

Now that you’ve purchased the Boom™ Card decks you want let’s walk through how to assign and use them with your science students. You can find all your purchased decks in the ‘Library’ tab.

Next to each Boom™ Card deck, you’ll find an ‘Action’ drop-down menu. You can assign to a class (choose from the ‘Classrooms’ you set up) or access a hyperplay link to assign remotely.

Another feature in the ‘Action’ drop-down menu is ‘Start Boom Live’. You can invite students to join using the provided link. Students have mouse control and access to the assigned deck. This would work great for remote learning through Zoom or Microsoft Teams! You could even open this option up for real-time assessment of student work.

And there you go—a quick, straight-to-the-point read to help you start with Boom™ Cards in your science classroom.

There is so much versatility offered through Boom™ Cards that you’ll be sure to find a perfect fit into your lesson plans.

Find new decks here on Boom™ Learning and here on TpT and learn how to assign Boom™ Card decks to students!

Boom™ is the trademark of Boom. Used with permission.