50 Word-retrieval Prompts
Definition
Visual or verbal cues that help students remember particular words necessary for a given context or activity.
In action
Teachers can use resources (e.g., cue cards, vocabulary sheets) to remind students of a certain word.
Support Strategies
- Provide a brief summary sheet with key definitions required to understand a text (e.g., novel, science chapter)
- Display written or illustrated definitions for classroom expectations (e.g., classroom rules, proof-reading steps, instructions for work submission)
- Model and practice use of online or physical dictionary and thesaurus
- Provide access to dictionary pen
- Begin lessons/ units with discussion and hard copy of key definitions
- Incorporate representative imagery in shared or individual reading of difficult texts or unfamiliar topics
- Provide pictures, definitions, or other cues to help students think of a particular word
- Create mnemonics to aid in memory of a string of important words or phrases
Case Study
Student: Grade 9 student in an English class.
Content: The class is writing a quiz on a novel they finished.
Problem: The student is struggling to recall the major themes in the novel despite understanding what the novel was about.
Solution: The teacher adjusts the test format so the student with the accommodation can answer questions by filling in the blanks, helping them to recall the names of the themes.
Additional Resources
- Tips for supporting students’ memory using word retrieval prompts from Reading Rockets
- Examples of accommodations that support student responses from the IRIS Center
- Tips for using retrieval practice in the classroom from EducationWeek
- Detailed overview of how to use dialogic reading to prompt students to use particular vocabulary from Reading Rockets
- Ideas and strategies for using mnemonics from Brookes Publishing
