I know it might make me seem old fashioned, but I am championing the returning of the word bank and weekly vocabulary quiz. In Science, we learn as many new vocabulary words in school as we do when learning a foreign language. I think we all too easily forget that, as well as teaching scientific concepts, we are teaching a whole new way of communicating. Almost all students would benefit from creating a glossary and the accountability for regular review that a low-stakes quiz each week (or fortnight) provides.
I know, old news and not the most inspiring idea, but I really do think that sometimes, a back-to-basics foundation can be beneficial to build better outcomes from the more extravagant strategies. In my classes, the students have permanent access to a blank glassry template with three columns. One for the word/phrase, one for the definition, and one for a way to remember. By getting students to fill this in themselves, they have to actively engage with the words, and it gives me a chance to verify that I know what they mean before we start. I give them this list before we start any new topic so that they have initial exposure to the words we will go on to learn. Once they have the list, I use Google Classroom each week to give them a low-stakes vocabulary quiz. I record the scores, but they don’t go out to parents or on any reports; they are just used to track progress by myself and the student.
Since doing this with my classes, the confidence and quality of using key vocabulary (particularly amongst my younger students) have increased drastically. It has been a simple and low-effort way to create accountability for spaced repetition and quickly identify students who may be struggling to keep up with the vocabulary used in class.