LS003: Vocabulary pre-teach loops

Implementation steps

1. Select high-leverage terms for each unit.
2. Teach meaning, morphology, and context before first encounter.
3. Use examples and non-examples.
4. Revisit terms in guided and independent phases.
5. Schedule spaced retrieval across lessons.
6. Create a whole-class glossary for each unit (10-20 terms), plus a lesson word bank for the day's task.
7. Teach 'use it in context' explicitly: students must write one accurate sentence using each target word.
8. Pre-teach command/task language and hidden classroom words as well as subject vocabulary when these block participation.
9. Plan where visual word banks remain visible during independent work, not just during teacher input.

Classroom routines

• Start lessons with quick vocabulary retrieval.
• Maintain a visible term bank.
• Use sentence frames with target words.
• Reinforce precise terminology in feedback.
• Bridge spoken rehearsal to written use.
• Recycle terms across departments.
• Keep a visible word bank during independent work (board or handout) and reference it in feedback.
• Use 'example/non-example' quickly for tricky terms (30 seconds).
• Revisit vocabulary just before independent work starts and again at checkpoint review.
• Use literal explanations first, then teach figurative or abstract use explicitly when needed.
• Build in short processing pauses before expecting oral use of new vocabulary.

Adaptation guidance

• Use images and gestures for abstract terms.
• Teach one or two terms deeply rather than many shallowly.
• Pre-teach to selected students before whole class.
• Use pronunciation scaffolds for speaking anxiety.
• Link new terms to prior secure concepts.
• Use simple visual cues and concrete examples for inferential or socially loaded vocabulary.
• Reduce oral performance pressure by allowing written-first vocabulary rehearsal in talk-heavy tasks.
• Teach and revisit command words alongside subject vocabulary for dyslexia and processing-speed barriers.

Staff language prompts

• Use this word in a full sentence about the task.
• Give one example and one non-example.
• Revisit this term when explaining your method.
• Use the word bank and choose one word that best fits your idea before you answer.
• Take thinking time, then use the target word in your sentence.

Impact checks

• Track accurate term use in responses.
• Monitor written precision of terminology.
• Check one-week and three-week retention.
• Review transfer into unfamiliar contexts.
• Track whether pre-taught vocabulary is used accurately in independent work without repeated prompts.