MINDS IN BLOOM BLOG

Yes, You Can Use Task Cards for Distance Learning!

When you think of task cards, you probably think about centers, games, and other hands-on activities. You might not think you can use them with distance learning, but there are actually several ways to use task cards when teaching remotely. Here are some ideas to get you started: If you send home packets for students to work on at home, you could also send home

5 Main Ideas to Teach Main Idea in Elementary

It may seem silly to read about ideas to help you teach main idea! It seems like such a simple… well… idea! But, even though the main idea of a text is the most central and important underlying idea, it can often be difficult for young students to recognize. Most main idea practice is just that – practice. Many textbook worksheets have students read a

how to teach parts of speech to elementary students

8 Exciting Ways to Teach Parts of Speech to Elementary School Students

You may remember learning about parts of speech oh, so long ago in your own elementary school days. Perhaps your teacher just discussed the different parts of speech and then handed out a worksheet or Daily Oral Language (DOL), expecting you to figure out how to use the parts of speech in an actual sentence.  How intimidating is that? But learning about the different parts of

Mental Math Activities Every Math Teacher Needs

Mental math may seem like an ingrained skill that doesn’t require practice or development. But, elementary students who are still growing may lack the capacity to solve math problems in their head. Practicing mental math prepares students for harder math equations and also helps them to solve equations more quickly and accurately. Without the help of a calculator or scratch paper, students have to rely

Reading teachers never stop working on reading fluency skills, even in the middle of winter! Our guest blogger wrote a fantastic post about how she uses Rachel Lynette's reading fluency task cards in her 2nd grade classroom. Click through to get all of her tips for encouraging fluency fun for students!

Fluency Fun in the Classroom

We are so excited to welcome a new guest blogger today, Terri Maples! Terri is a second grade teacher and spends a lot of time teaching reading fluency in her classroom. Her post today is all about fluency fun in her classroom and how she uses Rachel’s winter-themed reading fluency task cards to engage her students in practicing their reading skills. Keep reading to get

how can I make teaching vocabulary fun for my students

5 Fun and Effective Ways to Teach Test-Taking Vocabulary

The standardized testing season will be here before you know it.  Whether this time of year excites you or frightens you, it’s time to prepare your students for the big test. Teaching them test-taking vocabulary can really help. Not only will your students perform better on the text, they will also gain confidence in their abilities to understand and respond to difficult questions. Read on

Putting the BOOM into Differentiation!

Minds in Bloom is excited to have Belinda Givens on the blog today! Belinda is sharing a great post with us all about differentiation using Boom Cards™ from Boom Learning, Inc. Enjoy her post below! We’ve all been there: small group intensive instruction and every student in the group is on a different level.  You have a student who is answering all the questions, eager to

Boom Learning and Teachers Pay Teachers have agreed to allow Boom Cards to be sold on TpT! Boom Cards are digital interactive task cards that you can use in your classroom - save time on printing and laminating! Click through to get more information!

Digital Task Cards from Boom Learning Now on TpT!

I am so excited because Teachers Pay Teachers and Boom Learning℠  have both given us the green light to sell Boom Cards™ on TpT! What this means for you is that there is a good chance you already have access to several Boom Card sets! That is because I have bundled access to the Boom Card version, along with the printable task card version, for over

You have a go-to resource, but sometimes you're not sure which is better: task cards or worksheets. This chart will help you determine best times for use.

Task Cards vs. Worksheets

I love task cards! I have made a ton of task cards, and I feel really good about having them in my TpT store because I know they are effective and can be used to get kids actively involved in their learning. But sometimes, I make worksheets (currently rebranded as “printables“), and then I don’t feel so good. Worksheets are often not the ideal way

Have you heard of Boom Learning? Boom is an interactive task card app that allows your students to learn using technology in authentic ways!

Get Task Cards on Your Tablet, Smart Phone or Computer!

I am so, so excited about the Boom! Cards app, which allows students to use task cards on any mobile device or computer! You and your students are going to love them! You’ll love Boom because… It’s so easy and so effective! Boom comes with a suite of teacher tools. You can assign specific decks to individual students or the whole class. You can also

Task cards are an incredible instructional tool, but they're really taken to the next level when you're intentionally lesson planning with task cards. This post guides you through five questions to ask yourself when you're planning to incorporate task cards so that both you and your students get the most out of using them in class.

5 Questions to Ask When Lesson Planning with Task Cards

One of the nice things about task cards is that they can be used without a lot of preparation or planning as a filler activity, at centers, or when you have a sub. Those activities can be real lifesavers (especially when you are having one of those weeks), but by taking a more intentional approach, you can use task cards for so much more. You’ve

Spring ELA Task Cards

Teacher Appreciation Freebie!

Hey there! I hope you are having an amazing Teacher Appreciation Week! Whatever they are doing for you (and I hope it is a bunch), it isn’t enough. If you got the appreciation you deserved, you would be treated like rock stars and professional athletes. So, two things. First off, TpT is throwing its annual Teacher Appreciation Sale on Tuesday and Wednesday this week. Of

Try out a combined reading and writing unit with a mysteries theme in your classroom! Students will love opportunities to solve mysteries and expand their comprehension skills!

It’s a Mystery to Me!

Today, we’re welcoming Sharon from Classroom in the Middle! She’s sharing her ideas on a combined reading and writing unit with a mysteries theme. Are the finer points of reading comprehension and written composition still an elusive mystery to your students? To one degree or another, reading and writing can be a bit mysterious to all of us, so why not play up the mystery theme with

How to use Task Cards in your classroom

31 Terrific Ways to Use Task Cards with Your Students

Using Task Cards with Your Students Lately, a lot of teachers have been asking me about how they can use task cards with their students. One of the things I love about task cards is that they are a very versatile teaching tool – there are tons of ways to use them! So, I decided to do a round up of all of the ways I know

Teachers can use task cards for reinforcement, for enrichment, in groups, and more. Learn more about my recommendations for ways to use task cards in your classroom inside this blog post. I also give tips for implementing my recommendations!

Ways to Use Task Cards in the Classroom

Task cards are a great option for reinforcing skills and offering enrichment because, unlike worksheets, they can be used again and again. You can make your own to target specific areas and, of course, there are many for sale, including mine (pictured above). Print on card stock, ideally in color, but grayscale will work, too. If you laminate them, they will last for years. You

9 Ways to Use Task Cards

Our guest blogger today is Mary, who comes to us from M Moore Educational Resources. She’s sharing nine ways to use task cards, which have been highly successful in her classroom. Task cards are so versatile, even in middle and high school! They are great because students feel they have a choice in which task they do first, and in middle school this is a great

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