How do you keep track of Memory Work?

[AimeeM]

The title is self explanatory. How do you document and keep track of what is worked on, what needs to be worked on, etc? How frequently do you "review"?

[RootAnn]

We use notecards in recipe card holders. I have tabs -- two for each kid ("current stack", "review stack") plus a "future work" and a "currently introducing."

 

In the summer, I make new cards for poems they can choose from, prayers they need to learn (including because I know you're Catholic), science & history facts, and other memory work I want them to get to this year (which this year is the Bill of Rights/Constitution stuff). As we go through the week, if there are new vocab words (science, lit terms from Figuratively Speaking, grammar), the kids make them & we add them to the stack.

 

We keep things in the "currently introducing" stack until they are fairly solid (at least a week of them being able to do them perfectly daily). Then, I move them into the rotation with the kids. I mark on the edge if it is only for a specific kid (their initial), otherwise, it rotates through the kids -- oldest to youngest. By the time the younger ones have to do it in their rotation, they've heard it every week from the older ones. If they struggle, it goes back into their stack over & over again until they have it. I don't stress too much if it isn't perfect since they'll keep it in the rotation forever after that ....

 

It is very low tech for us.

[Kidlit]

I've tried various things, but what I've used for the past couple of years is a notebook for each of us filled with our current memory work as well as everything (or almost everything) we've learned over the years. I have them arranged by categories with dividers: Bible, hymns, poetry, history, English grammar, etc. Last year I used a review sheet based on Ladydusk's (hi, Dawn!), but this year because we are out of the house much more than we were last year, I shoot for 3x a week of us actually going over the new material, and I just go back and review the next thing behind the current piece from each section. Does that make sense?

[Dory]

We have a binder right now with dividers labeled today, weekly, and then the numbers 1-31. Every new thing gets put in the today slot and we go over it daily until they are getting the hang of it. Then we move it to the weekly slot until it's good there and then we move it into a slot in the numbers, usually coinciding with the date we moved it, but sometimes I'll just pick an empty spot. Then we review it on that day of each month. When things start getting full I just move old stuff into a separate binder. Once a year we kinda play around as a family to see who can remember the most memorization stuff.

[dragonflyer]

I have notebooks in Evernote for Current work, Odd Review, Even Review, and 4 weekly review notebooks.

Because it is in Evernote I can still access on my phone if we are out of the house.  As things are learned, I type in the kid's name and date as well as copying to a notebook with that child's complete memory list.  Then it gets moved to a less often review notebook.  I am just getting enough material to be starting some monthly review notebooks.

[Tranquility7]

I have tried LOTS of systems (including several variations of those mentioned above with daily work, odd, even, weekly, monthly). However, for the last year we have been using a Spaced Repetition System called Anki which I love :001_wub:  It is a software program for creating and managing flashcards, but it is far more wonderful than it sounds!

 

It takes a lot of work at first, but it is a *great* system. I put virtually all of our memory work into it, having different decks for each subject. I have decks for Latin, Bible, Catechism, Chinese, Art Appreciation, Grammar, Spelling, Math, and Poetry. (I do find the system a bit less handy for larger memory work like long poems, but I keep it in there anyway.)

 

It is *awesome* because it sets all of the timing for future reviews based on how well the current cards are known. Also, it has an Android app so I can do reviews not only on my desktop but also on my phone when we are out and about (all our cards are synched online so it knows where we are regardless of which system we are using).

 

I've started a second collection of decks for my DD (the original is for DS). It is easier for me to create hers, since I've already created all of the cards for DS, so I just have to share them and then import them into DD;s collection, et voila, she has all her own cards.

 

There is a learning curve with how the system works and how to set it up with all your cards, but once you have it set up - ahhhh, so efficient and easy! And we don't have an enormous pile of notecards.

 

Did I say I love this system? :001_wub: :001_wub: :001_wub:

 

[ScoutTN]

I have our memory work in a large notebook, in page protectors. Divided into poems, hymns, grammar, history and science. I too use an adaptation of Ladydusk's review sheet to keep track of who is doing what. It is based on the Simply Charlotte Mason memory work box. The original system has daily, odd and even days, each day of the week and then days 1-31. We only do memory work 4 days a week so I have adapted the system to suit our schedule. I like the ability to print larger on paper than on a card and having the box get spilled once was enough to have me searching here for a better way.

 

Memory work in general has been very good for our kids and memorizing poetry is one of everyone's favorite things. I love it enables my kids to makes connections with senior adults, many of whom also memorized poetry when they were young. I rewatched Andrew Pudewa's Nurturing Competent Communicators recently and I am inspired with renewed zeal for memory work.

[RootAnn]

Anki

 

If we were tech-y, I would so use Anki. We don't have i-devices or smart phones, so e-solutions don't work here. Thus, our low-tech version.

 

I like the ability to print larger on paper than on a card and having the box get spilled once was enough to have me searching here for a better way.

 

I dislike printing on the cards - and longer memory work either ends up printed out & folded up or on multiple cards paper-clipped together, but since I can tell at a glance if we know a particular piece of memory work or not, individual kids have their initials on their Only Me cards, and we rotate through everything at least once every two weeks, spilling the box doesn't bother me. But I'm impressed by those who can make the notebook/binder version work.

[happypamama]

I use the Simply Charlotte Mason system as well, but it use it via a website called Scripture Box. Well worth the $5 a year to have it keep it all for me. I have a box for Scripture for each child, a box for non-Scripture memory work for each child, and a box for science vocab, nine boxes in all. Every morning it emails me the daily, even/odd, weekly, and monthly selections for each child and box.

[Coco_Clark]

I use a recipe box. In front goes the daily work, behind that 5 "weekly" review items, and behind that 20 "monthly" review items. So they do one new and two review every day.

 

I write them on index cards and don't bother organizing by subject so address/phone number, bones of the body, prayers, continents, poems, and skip counting are all mixed up together. :p. It keeps things interesting.

[TheAttachedMama]

The title is self explanatory. How do you document and keep track of what is worked on, what needs to be worked on, etc? How frequently do you "review"?

I keep a 36 week lesson plan that has all of our subjects laid out. (History, science, grammar, readers, etc.). I don't stick to this plan religiously...but having it all laid out lets me better correlate literature with our content subjects. It also allows me to make sure I'm not bitting off more than I can reasonably chew. (I have a tendency to try to do too much!)

 

One of the subjects that I track is memory work. I have a column on my lesson plan for that very subject. In that column I track everything that we memorize. Having it on my lesson plan lets me visually see when I need to introduce new memory work. (Ex: when we get to this chapter in SOTW, I will introduce the history sentence for Pharaoh Cheops, etc.)

So, for our particular family, we memorize things in the following subject areas:

1) bible: scripture, books of the bible, sons of Jacob, etc.

2) poetry (using IEW's poetry memorization program)

3) Grammar (using FLL as a source for our memorized lists and definitions)

4) history (we memorize the CC timeline plus my own history sentences that line up with some of the key chapters in SOTW)

5) science ( we memorize my own science sentences/lists that line up with our science readings and labs)

 

(In future years I will probably add Latin)

 

Now--I don't introduce NEW memory work for all 5 of those things each week. Sometimes I will just review for a week. (Again, having my week on a grid lets me see if I am attempting to introduce too much new stuff without enough time for review. ). After I have introduced the memory work, I just write a little check mark next to it on my grid. If I decide to skip something for some reason, I cross it out.

 

So that (above) is how I keep track of what I want to introduce and what we have already worked on. Now I'll talk about review:

 

For each thing we memorize, I make a little notecard and stick it in an index card box. Then I use the simply Charlotte mason system to review everything. So the kids review the new memory work daily until they've got it down....taking as long as they need. Then it gets moved behind one of the review tabs (as explained in the scm website). Once something gets added to our memory card box, it stays there indefinitely. Which means we are still reviewing things from previous years. (Which I like!). The one con to this system is that if our box gets spilled we are going to be in big trouble organizationally. :). I purposely bought a box that is hard to open. And right now I have to guard the box like a hawk from my little one-year old when we have it open for review. ;)

 

I typically try to put everything we memorize to a song or make up hand/body gestures to make it easier to remember.

 

The only memory work we DONT put in this review box is our timeline. (We do keep our timeline cards stored on a single binder ring in a basket with our memory cards. ). And we just recite the whole ancient period timeline everyday to review it.

 

I do have some audio files that match up with a lot of our review work. So sometimes I make weekly playlists---but those aren't anything formal. Just something I might put on in the car if I am so inclined.

 

FYI--we devote 30 minutes to memory work each day...and I could easily spend even longer! But, there are other things that I need to cover in a a day. So after 30 minutes of singing and dancing through our review box, I call it good and move on to something else.