Index Cards - Vocabulary

Index cards are usually 3 inches by 5 inches (3x5) or 4 inches by 6 inches (4x6). They are made of paper that is heavier than notebook paper. This page describes how you can use them for learning vocabulary (and other things, too!).

Flash Cards

• Write the English word on one side and the word in the language you are learning on the other.
• This is very helpful in learning a foreign language.
• Write a specific subject's vocabulary on one side and the definition on the other.
  • You might have a stack of biology vocabulary index cards and a separate stack of social studies vocabulary index cards.
• Spend ten minutes every day (or longer) reviewing the words you need to learn.
• Have someone quiz you often.
• You can put aside (but do not throw out) the word and definitions that you have mastered.
• You can also use them for: weekly spelling words, recipes, directions to a friend's house, algebraic equations, the name of a book you want to read, the laws of physics…and many more things, too!
  • See other Index Cards pages for speeches and research papers.
• You can do something very similar to this on a computer by using a database program.