Retrieval practice and spacing for English vocabulary
Children quickly forget many new words unless they meet them again. Two simple habits make the biggest difference: getting children to pull words out of memory (not just look at them again), and spreading that practice out over days and weeks.
The short version
- Retrieval
- Recalling something from memory, for example a quick quiz, strengthens it more than rereading it.
- Spacing
- The same practice spread over several days is remembered longer than one big session.
- Evidence
- Among the best supported ideas from cognitive science, especially for facts and vocabulary. Classroom-based evidence is thinner than lab evidence.
- Key rule
- Low stakes: no marks that count, no ranking, just practice.
What retrieval practice is
Every time a child successfully remembers a word, the memory gets stronger and easier to find next time. Looking at a word list again feels productive but does much less. Retrieval practice means asking children to produce the answer: say the word for the picture, write five animals from memory, translate a sentence, fill a gap.
It is also a check for you. A two-minute recall quiz shows exactly which words have stuck.
Spacing: little and often
Spacing means returning to the same words after a gap, so a little has been forgotten and remembering takes effort. Rosenshine's principles of instruction include beginning lessons with a short review of previous learning and engaging students in weekly and monthly review. A simple pattern that fits school weeks: next lesson, end of the week, two weeks later, about a month later.
Spacing and retrieval work together. The EEF's review summarises that spaced practice is effective whether pupils restudy or retrieve, and retrieval is the more effective of the two.
How strong is the evidence?
Honest summary: the Education Endowment Foundation's 2021 review of cognitive science in the classroom, which analysed nearly 300 classroom studies, found the most support for retrieval practice and spacing. But it also warned that many studies were run by researchers in tightly controlled lessons, that it is less certain retrieval practice helps beyond factual recall and vocabulary, and that evidence on how to apply these ideas in ordinary classrooms is still limited. Vocabulary is exactly where the evidence is strongest, which makes it a good fit for English teaching.
Five-minute retrieval routines
- Brain dump. "Write every food word you remember. Two minutes." Then pairs compare and add.
- Picture flash. Show a picture for two seconds; whole class says or writes the word.
- Three, two, one. Three words from last week, two from last month, one from last term.
- Mixed-up sentences. Words of a sentence from last lesson in the wrong order. Put them right.
- Quiz your partner. Each child has a card with five words and pictures; partners test each other, then swap cards.
- Spot the gap. A short text from earlier in the term with key words missing.
Common mistakes
- Making it high stakes. Scores on the wall create anxiety. Keep it private and quick.
- Only testing this week's words. The point is to go back further.
- Giving the answers too fast. Let them struggle for a few seconds first.
- No feedback. Always show the right answers so mistakes are not practised.
- Recognition only. Ticking the right picture is easier than producing the word. Do both.
Try it tomorrow: a spaced-retrieval lesson start (8 minutes)
Use this as the first part of any lesson, every lesson.
| Minutes | Step | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 1 | Settle | Five numbered prompts are already on the board as children come in. |
| 1 to 4 | Recall | In silence, children write answers: 2 from last lesson, 2 from last week, 1 from a month ago (use the planner below). |
| 4 to 6 | Check | Reveal answers. Children tick their own work in a different colour. |
| 6 to 8 | Respond | Hands up for each question: who got it? If fewer than most, that word goes back into next week's review. |
Free spacing planner
Plan when to review this week's words
Review points follow a simple rule of thumb (next day, about a week, about two weeks, about a month), not an exact scientific schedule. Weekend dates move to Monday.
Frequently asked questions
What is retrieval practice?
Bringing information back to mind from memory, for example through a low-stakes quiz, which strengthens memory more than rereading.
What is spaced practice?
Spreading practice of the same material over time, with gaps, instead of doing it all in one session.
Is retrieval practice backed by evidence?
Yes, it is among the best supported ideas from cognitive science, but the EEF notes classroom evidence is more limited than lab evidence, and strongest for facts and vocabulary.
How often should children review new English words?
A simple pattern is the next lesson, the end of the week, two weeks later and about a month later, then mixed into later reviews.
Should retrieval quizzes be marked?
Keep them low stakes: children self-check, scores are not recorded or ranked, and the aim is practice, not grading.
Review built into every week
Our free Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 programmes revisit vocabulary across the year. Litlings adds homework practice and a class tracker, free for up to 40 pupils.
Try Litlings freeRelated
- Cognitive science approaches in the classroom: a review of the evidence (Education Endowment Foundation, 2021)
- What do we really know about cognitive science in the classroom? (EEF news, 2021)
- Principles of Instruction (Barak Rosenshine, American Educator, 2012, PDF)
- RetrievalPractice.org (free guides for teachers)