Ms. Spotts

Acrostics

Take the first letter of each word you want to remember and create a sentence consisting of other words that begin with the same first letters.  This is a particularly effective strategy when you have to remember something in order.

Example:  Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto

Acrostic:  My Very Educated Mother Just Sent Us Nine Pizzas

Symbolic Sketches 

A simple sketch that symbolizes important facts  can be drawn and memorized to help you remember.   Your picture does not have to be a masterpiece, so keep it simple.  You can also "doodle with a purpose" when you take notes by using pictures to illustrate important vocabulary and concepts.

Example:  Let's say you need to memorize the fact that Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first people to walk on the moon on July 20, 1969.  A simple sketch of a half moon with the date and "Neil and Buzz" written can be used to symbolize the facts.

   Flip Books                                                                   

For math facts and vocabulary, flip books are useful and easy to make:

1. Punch a hole in the top-left corner of the index cards you will be using.
2. Write a word or fact on one side of each card and the definition or answer on the other.
3. Bind the cards together with yarn, string, or a metal circle fastener.
4. Use the cards to quiz yourself.  You can either use the words to test your recall of the definitions or you can use the definitions to test your recall of the words.

These cards are very portable and can easily be used at any time for a quick review.

Rhymes

Simple rhymes can be created to improve the retrieval of information.

Example 1:  "A noun is a person, place or thing.  Like mother, California, beach or ring."

Example 2:  "An adjective is a word that describes a noun.  Like old, silly, tired, or round."

Remembering Dates with Rhymes                                                                  

You may recall the rhyme, "In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue."  This rhyme makes the date an easy one to remember.  You can use this strategy with any dates, as well. 

Example:  "At Kitty Hawk, in 1903, Orville Wright went on a flying spree."

Songs 

Another strategy for memorizing information is writing your own lyrics to a familiar tune.  Don't get too fancy.  Use easy-to-remember tunes like  "Old MacDonald," "Yankee Doodle," and "Jingle Bells."

Example:  The song, "Whistle While You Learn" (using the tune "Whistle While You Work") was used for recalling math facts.

Whistle while you learn (whistle)

and together we will learn the facts of nine.

9 x 9 is 81.  I think this could be fun.

72 is 9 x 8.  Hey, this is really great.

9 x 7 is 63.  I sound smart as can be.

54 is 9 x 6.  I like these little tricks.

9 x 5 is 45.  These facts are starting to jive.

36 is 9x 4.  I like this even more.

Creating personalized rap lyrics may be worth a try.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Drawing a picture that links the information you want to remember together can be a great way to reinforce recall.  This strategy works best with short lists.

Example:  If you needed to recall a food list (with butter, bread, eggs, apples, carrots, and lettuce),  you could draw a person labeled with "butter" on the arms, "bread" on his chest, "eggs" for eyes, "apples" for hands, a "carrot" for a nose, and "lettuce" for a head to help you remember.

Any type of graphic organizer, like a Venn diagram or chart, provides a picture that can be used to organize information you need to learn and in turn, make it easier to remember. There are many types of graphic organizers (like the ones below), but  you can always invent your own!

Time Lines                                                                  

Simple time lines can be useful when you want to remember information in sequence.  Whether you are working with dates and events in history or the sequence of events in a novel, time lines (with or without small icons or pictures) can serve as a way to graphically organize that information.

Remembering Numbers                                                                   

Recalling math facts can save you time when working on problems in math.  There are some ways you can practice memorizing them:

1. Quiz yourself every day with flash cards.  You can easily make your own.
2. Make a recording of math facts and listen to them when you travel or have free time.
3. Look for patterns that can help you remember your facts.

Example :  The Nine Trick

When you multiply a number by 9, the two digits of the answer add together to equal 9.

9 x 2 = 18  (1 + 8 = 9) 

9 x 3 = 27 (2 + 7 = 9)

Example 2: The Three Trick

When you multiply a number by 3, the two digits in the answer will add together to equal a number in the pattern 3, 6, 9.

3 x 1 = 3 (3)

3 x 2 = 6 (6)

3 x 3 = 9 (9)

3 x 4 = 12 (1 + 2 = 3)

3 X 5 = 15 (1 + 5 = 6)

3 x 6 = 18 (1 + 8 = 9)