task cards – MrsJennings.com

Why I Love Boom Cards

This year, I’ve been teaching entirely virtual. Our district decided to open with distance learning and we’ve stayed that way all year so far. There are rumors about going back into the classroom, but at this point, they are just rumors with no return date in sight. Our district purchased all kinds of technology for us, which is great, including Seesaw. But, a site that I love, and our district didn’t purchase, unfortunately, is Boom Cards (wow.boomlearning.com). Basically, they are auto-correcting task cards. A no-brainer, really!

The Gist

Boom Cards are auto-correcting task cards.
With an upgraded, low-cost membership, you can view student reports.
Affordable and free decks are available (decks are the equivalent of a set of task cards.)
Easy for the kids to use (they need a username and password that you, the teacher, create).
Free play is available for free accounts, but there are no reports with that option.

Distance Learning

How Distance Teaching Is Going So Far

We are finally on spring break this week, which gives me time to catch my breath a bit. For the past three weeks, we transitioned from the classroom to distance learning, or e-learning. Distance teaching at the elementary level is tricky and a bit of a struggle, but here’s how I’m making it work:

The Gist

I absolutely love Seesaw more than ever!
Task cards work great for a grammar and math warm-up.
Chunking learning activities works best for the students.
Sticking to a schedule Monday thru Thursday and having a flexible Friday is working.

Organization

Why I Love Task Cards

I first started using task cards when I became a resource teacher. They were a great way to quickly review topics, get the kids up and moving by playing Scoot with them, and I could have the students work independently on specific sets. When I moved to kindergarten, I used kinder task cards in center activities. And this year in fourth grade, I’m using them as a “May Do” activity and when I want to review a topic.

The Gist

Task cards can be used in many ways: playing Scoot, a May Do independent activity, or as a review.
I organize them in a task card bin with rubber bands and pull out the ones that match topics I’m teaching and put them in document cases. The answer sheets are kept in a binder.