Basic Flashcard Technique

When Vocabulary is the Goal

By James A. Tucker

1. Assess "Knowns" and "Unknowns" and Words-Per-Minute

A. Have the student "read" the first page (or paragraph) of a story*. Using a photo-
copy of the page, mark the words missed. NOTE: Before reading, inform the
student that you will tell him/her the words he/she doesn't know, and then when
the student comes to an unknown word, after an appropriate pause (two or three
seconds--use your judgment) tell them the word and let them go on reading the
passage.

B. Time the student for one minute to obtain the words per minute PRIOR TO
INTERVENTION. This is a pre-test or baseline. This measure is not considered
heavily as evidence of reading ability--it is just a measure of current performance
and will be heavily influenced by the number (%) of unknown words in the
selection.

2. Prepare Flashcards

A. Select at least 8 KNOWN words (if there are 8, if not, then select as many as there
are) from the page (paragraph or story) and place them on flash cards. You now
have at least 8 flash cards with KNOWN WORDS.

B. Now make a flash card for each of the UNKNOWN words on the page. You now
have 8 flashcards with known words and as many additional flashcards as there are
unknown words.

3. Present Flashcards in Drill

A. Select ONE unknown word. Teach the one new word in the following manner:
1. Present it.
2. Pronounce it.
3. Define it.
4. Use it in a sentence.
5. (Optional) Spell it.
6. Ask the student to pronounce it.
7. Ask the student to define it in his/her own words.
8. Ask the student to use it in a sentence.
9. (Optional) Ask the student to spell it.

B. Select eight known-word flashcards.

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*Whether it is a page, paragraph, or entire story is determined by what maximum
length can be presented at the Instructional Level--See Section No. 5.
C. Present for recognition (word-calling) in the following order. In the beginning, as
the technique is being learned, it is best to follow the procedure exactly, but as you
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get used to it, you will automatically see how you can vary it for each individual if
the need arises.

1. THE NEW WORD (N1) 1st presentation

2. A known word (K1)
3. The New Word (N1) 2nd presentation
4. A known word (K1)
5. A known word (K2)
6. The New Word (N1) 3rd presentation
7. A known word (K1)
8. A known word (K2)
9. A known word (K3)
10. The New Word (N1) 4th presentation
11. A known word (K1)
12. A known word (K2)
13. A known word (K3)
14. A known word (K4)
15. The New Word (N1) 5th presentation
16. A known word (K1)
17. A known word (K2)
18. A known word (K3)
19. A known word (K4)
20. A known word (K5)
21. The New Word (N1) 6th presentation
22. A known word (K1)
23. A known word (K2)
24. A known word (K3)
25. A known word (K4)
26. A known word (K5)
27. A known word (K6)
28. The New Word (N1) 7th presentation
29. A known word (K1)
30. A known word (K2)
31. A known word (K3)
32. A known word (K4)
33. A known word (K5)
34. A known word (K6)
35. A known word (K7)
36. The New Word (N1) 8th presentation
37. A known word (K1)
38. A known word (K2)
39. A known word (K3)
40. A known word (K4)
41. A known word (K5)
42. A known word (K6)
43. A known word (K7)
44. A known word (K8)
45. The New Word (N1) 9th presentation

At this point the "NEW WORD" is considered a "known word," assuming, of course,
that the new word was correctly called most, if not all, of the times in the routine
(and certainly the last few times that it was presented). If the word is STILL not
known, start the routine over and complete it again.
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D. Now that the new word is known, LEAVE IT IN THE PACK as one of the known
words. This is an absolutely vital part of the process, because the student now
needs many more presentations of practice before the word is automatic.

E. Select a second new word, if there is a second, and continue the routine in the
following manner. Remember that N1 is now a known word. And do not discard
any of the original known words YET.

46. 2nd New Word (N2) 1st presentation of N2

47. First New Word (N1) 10th presentation
48. 2nd New Word (N2) 2nd presentation of N2
49. First New Word (N1) 11th presentation
50. A known word (K1)
51. 2nd New Word (N2) 3rd presentation of N2
52. First New Word (N1) 12th presentation
53. A known word (K1)
54. A known word (K2)
55. 2nd New Word (N2) 4th presentation of N2
56. First New Word (N1) 13th presentation
57. A known word (K1)
58. A known word (K2)
59. A known word (K3)
60. 2nd New Word (N2) 5th presentation of N2
61. First New Word (N1) 14th presentation
62. A known word (K1)
63. A known word (K2)
64. A known word (K3)
65. A known word (K4)
66. 2nd New Word (N2) 6th presentation of N2
67. First New Word (N1) 15th presentation
68. A known word (K1)
69. A known word (K2)
70. A known word (K3)
71. A known word (K4)
72. A known word (K5)
73. 2nd New Word (N2) 7th presentation of N2
74. First New Word (N1) 16th presentation
75. A known word (K1)
76. A known word (K2)
77. A known word (K3)
78. A known word (K4)
79. A known word (K5)
80. A known word (K6)
81. 2nd New Word (N2) 8th presentation of N2
82. First New Word (N1) 17th presentation
83. A known word (K1)
84. A known word (K2)
85. A known word (K3)
86. A known word (K4)
87. A known word (K5)
88. A known word (K6)
89. A known word (K7)
90. 2nd New Word (N2) 9th presentation of N2
91. First New Word (N1) 18th presentation
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92. A known word (K1)

93. A known word (K2)
94. A known word (K3)
95. A known word (K4)
96. A known word (K5)
97. A known word (K6)
98. A known word (K7)
99. A known word (K8)
100. 2nd New Word (N2) 10th presentation of N2
101. First New Word (N1) 19th presentation

F. At this point there are 10 flashcards in the deck. There should never be more than
TEN flashcards in the deck at one time, so before another new word flashcard is
added, one of the known word cards must be discarded. As a rule it will be K1, but
you can let the student select the one to discard so long as the discarded flashcard
is one of the original cards--K1-8). For the purposes of this demonstration, we will
discard K1.
G. It is time to add the third new word (if there is one). The presentation schedule
will continue as follows:

102. 3rd New Word (N3) 1st presentation of N3

103. 2nd New Word (N2) 11th presentation of N2
104. 3rd New Word (N3) 2nd presentation of N3
105. 2nd New Word (N2) 12th presentation of N2
106. First New Word (N1) 20th presentation
107. 3rd New Word (N3) 3rd presentation of N3
108. 2nd New Word (N2) 13th presentation of N2
109. First New Word (N1) 21st presentation
105. A known word (K2)
106. 3rd New Word (N3) 4th presentation of N3
107. 2nd New Word (N2) 14th presentation of N2
108. First New Word (N1) 22nd presentation
109. A known word (K2)
110. A known word (K3)
111. 3rd New Word (N3) 5th presentation of N3
112. 2nd New Word (N2) 15th presentation of N2
113. First New Word (N1) 23rd presentation
114 A known word (K2)
115. A known word (K3)
116. A known word (K4)

H. By this time, the system should be obvious. The New words (N-words) replace the
original known words (K-words). By the time N1 reaches the K-8 location in the
system, then it will be the next flashcard discarded. Obviously, this process can be
an ongoing one where new words are added to the flashcard deck as needed. Also,
it should be noted that the number of practice presentations used in this system is
based on the research tied to the number of practice repetitions to learn new facts.
For further information see Hargis (1987).

Now it is time to read!

4. Reading and Recording Results
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After all unknown words are known in drill, have the student read the page (or
paragraph) or story, recording the number of unknown words and the words per
minute. Record these amounts and go on to the next unit of reading. Note: unit of
reading here means unit of instruction, not unit in the book. When teaching reading in
this way, the next unit of instruction can vary from a phrase to a chapter in a reading
assignment.

5. Maintain Instructional Level

The unit length to be presented is largely determined by the maximum amount that
can be presented at the instructional level. The instructional level is set at about 93%
known words, with 3-7% unknown words representing an appropriate challenge.

If the reading material desired has a high percentage of unknowns, cut back to as little
as a paragraph or a page so that the total number of unknown words does not exceed
7, plus or minus 3 (Ref.). Ideally, there should be a ratio of one unknown to 9
unknowns, but that is not always possible.

If the total number of unknown words on a page is fewer than 3% of the words (1 in 30
words) then include two pages, or three pages, or the entire story--whatever among is
necessary to get to the instructional level. If the total number of unknown words in the
entire story is less than 3%, then, from the word-recognition standpoint, the story is
too easy and not at the instructional level. BUT, before going too quickly to that
conclusion, check the fluency and comprehension. I have listen to students read with
100% accuracy but very slowly and with very little comprehension.

But if there is not problem with fluency and/or comprehension, and the total number of
unknown words in the story is less than 3%, assign the story for silent reading with the
understanding that the unknown words will be dealt with in some manner. Then find a
reading passage that is at the instructional level. This is not usually the problem, but
sometimes it is THE problem--the work is too easy, and the lack of challenge creates
learning problems.

Copyrighted - 1989 - by James A. Tucker, P.O. Box 536, Harrisburg, PA 17108.