The Retrieval Practice Notebook: Part 2

Welcome back to the second installment of the Retrieval Practice Notebook. Since the beginning of school, I’ve used a variety of retrieval practices daily. While certain retrieval practices are embedded in every unit since the beginning of school, 3-2-1 Prompt is a more recent addition. During my Andrew Jackson unit back in November, I added the 3-2-1 Prompt to my retrieval practice arsenal. Thank you Google.

Now, the 3-2-1 Prompt google search explains this recall practice by students writing down 3 facts, 2 questions, and 1 interesting aspect of the lesson. That was rather mundane for what I wanted to see and know about my students’ thinking. While most of my prompts do ask my students to list 3 facts, I drop the questions and an interesting fact. Instead, I’ll ask students for 2 outcomes or 2 arguments about a topic, event, or person. Finally, my last prompt will ask students to explain the significance or consequence of a topic. These prompts better reflect the type of questions that students will see on the STAAR standardized test later this spring. Students always respond on mini-whiteboards, but I don’t have them write the 3-2-1 responses all at once on their board. With their cognitive load in mind, I always chunk their responses. Students will list 3 facts, and then share with me for feedback. The same process is followed for the 2 and 1 prompts.

The planning aspect is not that hard once you get the hang of it. That said, I’m not above asking ChatGPT for help with a few examples if time is short. Here are a few samples of my planning for 3-2-1 Prompt:

Sadly, I’ve done a poor job of taking pictures of my students’ answers with this activity because when I’m in the middle of it and under a time crunch, it’s the last thing I think of doing. (I know most of my fellow teachers can relate.)

I appreciate the flexibility of the 3-2-1 Prompt retrieval practice. The variety of this activity gives me a key insight into my students’ thinking and understanding beyond rudimentary comprehension.