How do you begin teaching memorization?

[Hillcrest Academy]

We have never done memorization before (aside from songs, nursery rhymes and short verses) and I'm wondering how to begin with a 6 yr old and 5 yr old?

 

What methods do you use?

[Trivium Academy]

The most important components of successful memorization are consistency and review. You can have your children memorize anything as long as you're consistent and you review the material after it is mastered. With my own dd, I've found that having her see the selection, hear the selection, copy the selection and repeat the selection has worked best.

 

With poetry (could work with just about anything else):

I read the poem aloud, she reads the poem aloud and then we talk about it. I have her copy and illustrate the poem and she repeats the poem to be memorized at least 3x daily until it's mastered. Then we review all memorized poems before memorizing a new one.

 

I know others like the Memorization system at Simply Charlotte

http://simplycharlottemason.com/timesavers/memorysys/

 

It was too much management for me, I've just set up a notebook for dd's poetry and we keep on trucking along. In this post I have pictures of her notebook, http://triviumacademy.blogspot.com/2008/02/weekly-report-tog2-week-12.html and I will be adding tabs to separate the years (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc.) so she can see what she has memorized each year and I can use it as a guide for ds's memorization. Keeping it all in one notebook allows for more complete review too.

 

hth.

[Julie in GA]

(Trivium's response is right on the money, by the way. I'm just adding our methods to give you more to chew on.)

 

Each week, we choose a new Scripture verse, poem (or add a stanza to a longer poem we're working on), and catechism question. Every morning begins with "memory work" time. My dc read over the selections, and practice reciting them to themselves quietly. On Friday we have Recitation Day, and I give out M&Ms as prizes. :)

 

For my just-turned-seven yo dd, I use her memory work selections for handwriting practice and make a handwriting sheet, sometimes with clip-art images she can color and decorate. I use fontware, so it's easy for me to print out the right size, etc. for her. I also make a card for her 3X5 flip-card binder with her new verse on it. These are what she uses to study and review through the week.

 

The older dc put their new selections in their copybooks and flip-card binders.

 

Some weeks we don't learn anything new. They have to recite "old" things on Friday. Also, each day they are supposed to look over two "old" verses in their flip-card books for review.

 

I agree with Jessica: get a routine going and stick with it. Consistency and review is key!

[abbeyej]

We have never done memorization before (aside from songs, nursery rhymes and short verses) and I'm wondering how to begin with a 6 yr old and 5 yr old?

 

So what you're saying is that you *have* done memorization. :) That's excellent. Just go from there!

 

And yes, I agree that consistency and repetition are important, but I don't think there's one right way to go about it. If you're talking about memorizing poetry, then 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).

 

Read the selections over and over. Some people record their selections (onto cassette tape, mp3, whatever), so they can listen again and again. Have the kids repeat 1-2 lines at a time 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. If they can read, have them read the selection aloud themselves some of the time.

 

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...

[Kathie in VA]

In addition to the great suggestions above:

 

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.

 

You can also replace the words with pictures one at a time. Then soon you will have just pictures on the board and yet your dc will be able to say the whole thing. Repetition from there can then be helped by reminding them of the pictures.

 

Put each word on a different index card. Mix them up and have dc put them in order. hmm, if they are not reading then maybe you can put the pictures from above on the cards, have them put it in order and then recite the work!

 

I like to keep a copy of the memory work on the inside of a kitchen cabinet. It makes it easier for me to review with them while working in the kitchen.

 

hth

 

{I'm learning so much about this since I became a Foundations tutor for Classical Conversations!}

[Suzanne in ABQ]

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.

 

We do that every day until the passage is learned.

[kls126s]

Maybe she'll chime in with more details, but I (among other things already mentioned above) use an idea she posted on and make memory work CDs. I put copies of anything we're learning (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).

 

If I ever get an ipod I'll probably just make a playlist on that instead of making CDs.

[Ravin]

With my DD, who isn't yet reading/writing, we have memorized several poems of up to three stanzas using this approach:

 

1. I read it/say it aloud.

2. She says each line or part of a line after me (at first its usually just part of a line, as she starts to get it, whole lines or couplets)

3. We say it together, her following with me as best she can.

 

For myself, I find copying itout also helps me memorize.

 

We do this once a day as part of story time, and she can memorize most things we've tried in 2 or 3 weeks.

 

Now that she's started memorizing song lyrics on her own some, we'll probably start working on some more challenging pieces in the fall.

[ELaurie]

:iagree: with Abbey. Well said abbeyej ;)

[laughing lioness]

there is a book and CD with Andrew Pudewa reading the poetry. We just go over the poems several times a day. There are 5 levels with several poems on each level that range from silly to serious.

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 lmk which ones were missing

4."jeaopordy" type games

5. Drama - GREAT for learning how to memorize

6. getting the info set to music and listen to the CD

have fun! We've really learned to enjoy memory work!!

[Langhaven]

We put a white board on the wall right by our kitchen table. At some point during all three meals, we 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. Not a system, per se, but it has worked for us for years.

[Camy-7 boybarians 1 lady]

My 9 year old and 7 year old have memorized some pretty lengthy poems in the past few years. Among them are works by Eugene Field & Robert Frost.

 

Before our school session, we repeat the chosen passage or portion of a longer work 3X a day. That is, we break up poems into parts and memorize the parts week by week.

 

When doing Wynken, Blynken, and Nod by Eugene Field, we repeated the first portion 3x per day for a week. The next week we repeated the first portion once along w/ the second portion (which we repeated 3 times by itself). Does that make sense (I don't think it does..LOL)

 

It usually takes a month for us to memorize a longer work.

 

Blessings,

Camy

[Hillcrest Academy]

Thank you so much for all the wonderful ideas! I have an idea of where and how to start.

 

I compiled the answers as a reference point on my blog and if anyone would like to take a look, you can see it here.

 

Thanks again!

Caryn

[emelsha]

Those are all great ideas. To help keep it fun and easier to remember, we add our own rhythm or a beat to the words or sentences as we say them. Sometimes we will add a clap or two at an appropriate pause.

[ElisabethGrace]

What an excellent thread! Thank you so much everyone for posting your techniques. I've printed them out for inspiration! We had let memorization slide somewhat because I couldn't get a handle on how to organize it for four children.

 

I love this board!:D