One argument for the use of contexts in mathematics instruction has been that contexts can serve as anchors that support students in understanding and recalling mathematical ideas. Evidence of this anchoring role occurring in standard classroom settings, however, is lacking. This case study of a single high school classroom using a contextual problem-based curriculum provides evidence that for one particular focal student, a contextual problem did function as an anchor; the student recalled contextual elements of the problem to make sense of subsequent problems. Through analysis of lesson transcripts, actions taken by the teacher are categorised into an initial typology of moves hypothesised to support students in leveraging the anchoring potential of contextual problems.