Retrieval Practice in Primary Languages: 8 Low-Prep Ideas for Better Recall

Retrieval Practice in Primary Languages: 8 Low-Prep Ideas for Better Recall

Retrieval practice in primary languages is a powerful strategy. It is useful in any curriculum area but in primary foreign language teaching and learning in particular, as it can significantly support and improve working memory and long-term memory skills. These in turn can support faster memory and recall in primary MFL as well as retention and general learning outcomes. Having some low prep strategies at hand can be useful and the following ideas are easy to use in class with younger language learners:

1. Draw and say what you remember
2. Vocabulary interactive games
3. Flashcards
4. Quick fire questioning
5. Translation
6. Low stakes testing
7. Brain dumps
8. Plenaries

         1.    Draw and say what you remember

Retrieval practices such as drawing pictures for many people can be almost twice as powerful a memory tool as reading and writing. It involves an element of creativity and has a different yet very powerful relationship and influence on memory. Some researchers have suggested a quick sketch is far superior to just viewing pictures and associating them to a word. Teachers could take a topic (the one currently being taught or a previously learnt one) and ask pupils to draw as many things from that topic as they can remember learning on a piece of paper or on a mini white board. It could be a timed activity where pupils work in silence  – but give their feedback after the allocated time in the foreign language. Pupils share what they can reproduce in the foreign language to a partner by pointing to the sketch and saying the foreign language. Then a few can be picked to give feedback to the whole class. Any recall of the foreign language is to be praised. This is a very open-ended task that allows pupils to feel safe, not judged and any production of the foreign language is accepted and valued! The quality of the drawing, good or bad (often scribbles) doesn’t even matter. It is the brain process that counts!

     2.    Vocabulary interactive games

Ask any child and these will be the favourite primary languages retrieval practice. Ideally these should match the content of your SoW and Language Angels, for example, provide a wide variety of these as standard in every unit so they are created, interactive and ready to be used at any time. With the advantage of including sound/foreign audio too. Any gamification will enhance the learning experience for the children as it improves engagement but most importantly it will boost memory retention as pupils constantly participate by trying to understand and recall what they hear and see. Young learners love to play games, especially if the games are timed and scored. Passive memorisation becomes a more active task as pupils engage in a fun activity that often involves their peers which in turn recalls previously learnt language and boosts retention. Very suited to pupils with additional needs or prefer visual learning methods. Popular options are ‘What’s missing?’ as images on the screen disappear (pupil recalls the foreign word for the image) or ‘Listen and Match’.

    3.    Flashcards

Similar to digitalised vocabulary games, flashcards are also a highly effective fun repetition strategy. As well as being a fun and visual method of encouraging retrieval, they actively remove the ‘forgetting curve’[2]  by ensuring active recall alongside spaced repetition. By encouraging the brain to retrieve information quickly previously learnt, the memory connections and neural pathways are strengthened. Popular options are having sets of cards for each topic and allowing pupils to play games at their desks such as snap or memory matching foreign word to picture or foreign word to English.

4.    Quick fire questioning

This can take various forms but my personal favourite is rapidly asking pupils questions based on previously learnt language, represented by an image they have already seen in lessons on flashcards or interactive presentations. Questions can be super easy and build quickly. Start with pointing to an image and saying a word in the foreign language (ideally linked to that topic) and asking ‘yes or no?’ Then offer the ‘either/or’ option, offering pupils two words in the foreign language and pupils repeat what they believe is the correct word that matches that image. Then finally ask the pupils ‘What is this?’ and they give the answer directly without support. This allows all pupils to take part as the first questions can be replied to with a simple thumbs up, thumbs down. Teachers could also allow a ‘Think, Pair, Share’ moment for older pupils being tested on more complex language such as ‘What is your favourite subject at school and why?’ Teachers could create a question box/bag with a range of suitable questions for that class and create questions on content that pupils should have encountered thus far. Ask a handful of pupils to answer a few questions from the box/bag at the start of a lesson to help keep previously covered language in use. Almost like a lucky dip!

5.    Translation

Translation is often overlooked and undervalued but it is excellent for retrieval and low prep language starters - even with young language learners as it is a form of CLIR (Cross Language Information Retrieval). It helps cognitive development as well as communication as pupils start with nouns and determiners, move to phrases and then translating text. Teachers could start lessons with three things from the previous lesson or even from a previous unit. The three items could also increase in challenge and pupils could be given a few minutes to translate. For example, teachers looking for retrieval activities French KS2 could be asked to translate into French:

A dog

I have a dog

I have a dog that is called Fido.

Or the French is displayed and pupils translate into English.

Un chien

J’ai un chien

J’ai un chien qui s’appelle Fido.

     6.    Low Stakes Testing

Short frequent tests on previously learnt foreign languages can reduce anxiety and help build memory, especially when this form of diagnostic testing does not require teachers to collect or store any form of data. There could be five - ten short questions and pupils have 2-3 minutes to try and answer as many as they can based on previously learnt language. Answers provided orally to a partner or jotted down on a mini whiteboard.

     7.    Brain Dumps

Allowing pupils just to recall almost randomly words, structures or grammar from a particular topic can be very liberating for some pupils and can really help liberate previously covered language that may not be organised in a particular way. Just a timed exercise of 2-4 mins where pupils jot down – in any particular order - what they learnt in the last lesson or in a previously learnt topic.

     8.    Plenaries

Similar to a brain dump but with a little more focus! I would recommend teachers asking their pupils to recall 2 new things they learnt in that lesson. Allow a minute of silent thinking time, time to share with their partner and then to the whole class if asked by the teacher.

Pupils can try and do all of the above from memory or use reference tools to support them. Reference tools take different shapes and sizes but tools that are closely linked to the SoW and ensure pupils are reminded and use the language taught often. Tech tools like the Language Angels audio visual dictionary Pronunciation Pal are idea and also support our EAL and SEND learners who as we know, often excel in this curriculum area.