Memorization hints, tips and techniques

I went over to my much loved WTM forums and asked the question "How do you begin teaching memorization?" This is a compilation of the wonderful ideas that I got from the ladies over there.

• The most important components of successful memorization are consistency and review. (Thanks, Jessica from Trivium Academy)


• Use the memorization system at Simply Charlotte (Thanks, Jessica from Trivium Academy)
  
• Set up a notebook with a tab per year (Thanks, Jessica from Trivium Academy
  
• I think you need to make sure that memorization naturally grows out of the joy and beauty of poetry, and that it doesn't squelch that joy and beauty for the kids. So make sure that you're *reading* and *enjoying* poetry together as well as "just memorizing" (which I think is a really important aspect of kids' educations). Be consistent. Use repetition. And demonstrate *joy* in doing the memorization. Discuss the beauty of the words themselves, the meaning of the phrases, make sure they understand as much as they can... And pick a variety of selections -- the short and silly, the deeply profound, etc, etc...(Thanks, abbeyej)


• Record the selections onto MP3 or CD and listen to them. (Thanks, abbeyej)


• Have the kids repeat one to two lines after you. (As much as they can hold in their heads at once...) Once it's familiar, start leaving out key words for them to fill in, or ends of lines. (Thanks, abbeyej and Ravin)


• Write it out on a white board. Read it together a few times. Erase one word and see if dc can say it all anyway. Then erase another word. One at a time and soon all the words will be gone from the board and yet be in your dc's short term memory. Repetition from there will help to get it into their long term memory. Another option is to replace the words you erase with pictures. (Thanks, Kathie in VA)


• Put each word on a different index card. Mix them up and have dc put them in order. (Thanks, Kathie in VA)


• My kids have learned to memorize anything by just repeating it five times a day. We just recite it together. For longer passages, we do it line by line, adding one sentence or phrase each day, until it's all memorized. Our routine (for longer passages) is to read it all the way through once, then recite what we've learned from memory. Then, we read our "new" line five times, reading at first, but trying to do it without looking. Then, we recite the line before and the new line together (trying to do it from memory). Last, we recite from the beginning, from memory, up to the new line we just learned. (Thanks, Suzanne in ABQ)


• I put copies of anything we're learning on CD(hymns, math facts, etc) and record my own version of anything I can't find professionally recorded (memory verses, poetry). We play the CD every morning first thing, while I'm setting out books, etc. I usually play it again later in the day. Once dd can recite with no help, I replace it with something else on the CD. Completed memorizations go in a review notebook, divided into 20 tabs - we quickly recite the old stuff behind the day of the month we're on (four weeks a month x five days a week = 20 days). (Thanks, Keri)


• There is a book and CD with Andrew Pudewa reading the poetry. We just go over the poems several times a day. We were also part of a Classical Conversations program for a year. The kids had over 1000 facts to memorize during the 24 week school year. It is very doable. There are 8 areas of study- bible, latin, grammar, science question, history sentence, math fact, geography,VP history cards.You can buy the guide and the CD's without being part of a CC community. We learned a lot, including how to memorize vast vaste amounts of information . Our "big techniques" for memory work are:
  1. flash drill
  2. white board (write out the info, erase a bit at a time and continue to "read" the info as if it was still there
  3. card games (with the VP cards, we'd learn 8 a week. We flash drill, then I'd shuffle them and take out 2- the kids would have to put them in order and let me know which ones were missing.
  4."jeopardy" type games
  5. Drama - GREAT for learning how to memorize
  6. getting the info set to music and listen to the CD (Thanks, Lisa)


• Put a white board on the wall right by our kitchen table. At some point during all three meals, work on memory. Just by having the children face the white board while they eat, they are able to memorize great quantities rather quickly. It is the visual, the frequency and the repetition that works for us. (Thanks, Pam)


• Break up a chosen passage into smaller parts. Repeat the part for the day, 3 times that day. Do this for a week. Once that portion has been learned, add the next portion by reciting the old portion once and then the new portion 3 times each day. (Thanks, Camy)

These are all excellent ideas, and I plan on implementing some of them. Now, off to choose our first piece...