Memory Work for Dummies

[imagine.more]

I kept meaning to add in memory work to our days and it just always fell by the wayside because it wasn't organized and I didn't have a method. I'm totally new to the memory work thing honestly because my public schools certainly never made us memorize anything. Once I memorized the animaniacs song for the states and capitols...that's about it ;)

 

So, how many things do you work on memorizing at a time? 

 

Do you have a set number of days you spend on each thing or do you just keep practicing it until it's memorized and then file it into a pile to be occasionally reviewed? I'd love to schedule our memory work to match up with our history program but wasn't sure if that would be too ambitious because what if I allot 2 weeks to memorize say the 50 States Song and then one or more of the kids is still struggling to remember it after 2 weeks and needs more time? 

 

Do you focus on short passages, like single scripture lines, or longer chunks? I have the Harp and Laurel Wreath to pull ideas from but I have to say some of those are some pretty darn big chunks to memorize! 

 

How do you organize it all?

[mama25angels]

There's a post on the K-8 curriculum board discussing memory work, I can't link right now. Look for post by Mystie, she has a wonderful post about doing memory work. I use an CC foundations guide and base all of me around that, I add in poems and extra Bible verses.

[SnMomof7]

Definitely look up Mystie at Simply Convivial. We will be using a binder system inspired by hers this year :).

[73349]

I am also still working on how long to allot, but if you have a list and work from it every day, it will get done. It's fine to have one kid working on something new and still reciting something others are still working on--it'll stick better--or to strech out how long it is and delay the next thing.

[kateingr]

Mystie at simplyconvivial.com is awesome and has been a big inspiration to me. Cindy Rollins has helped me a lot, too, but unfortunately she took a bunch of her stuff down. 

 

My biggest recommendation is to keep it simple. Start by memorizing one thing. Read it aloud every day for a week...and then start omitting some of the words and having your kids fill it in...and then start having each person take turns saying a line...and before you know it, you all have it memorized. If I did any official planning for memory work, I'd drive myself crazy, so we just take one thing at a time for as long as it takes. 

 

All the memory work goes in a binder, so each day we focus on learning something new and then reviewing something old. I aim for a mix of Bible passages, hymns, poetry, Shakespeare, other songs, and other helpful stuff. So, for example, this past year we memorized John 1: 1-7, then The Owl and the Pussycat, then a passage from Romeo and Juliet, then My Country Tis of Thee, then phone number/address type stuff. Then, we started over with more scripture and repeated the cycle.

 

 

[Chelli]

We memorize Scripture (this year our theme was memorizing from the book of Psalms), poetry, a history timeline, foreign language vocabulary, anything that comes up in their subjects that I think they need to remember (math formulas/conversions, history/science facts, etc.). I preplan the scriptures, poetry and history timeline and put in their Morning Meeting binders. The foreign language vocabulary and subject based memory work, I write on notecards and place in clear, plastic baseball card holders.

 

I do plan how long it will take us to memorize the things I preplan, but it's a loose plan that I easily adjust depending on how the memorizing is going. We do memory work 5 days a week during Morning Meeting Time. I use Simply Charlotte Mason's rotation method so they don't forget what we've already memorized.

[RootAnn]

How many things do you work on memorizing at a time?

- Depends.  :coolgleamA:

- One poem and usually at least one other smaller memory item (bible, history or science fact, etc.). Sometimes, three or four things at a time. But the more NEW things my kids are trying to remember at once, the longer they take to sink in. The smaller memory items sometimes get in short term memory very quickly but take awhile to get into long term memory. So, we can do 2-3 new small items per week while working on a larger poem that might take 2-6 weeks.

 

Do you have a set number of days you spend on each thing or do you just keep practicing it until it is memorized?

- We work on an item until we have it down. Then, we recite it every other day (or so) to keep it fresh for awhile. Then, we move it into the roughly once per week pile. Eventually, near the end of the year, we have so much in rotation that things get recited every two to three weeks.

 

If one or more of the kids is still struggling to remember it, what do you do?

- As long as the kid who is struggling has most of it down and is only struggling with parts or pieces (even if it is lots of parts or pieces), we generally move on. HOWEVER, if you note our rotation, the kid who is struggling is either reciting it or hearing it recited every other day for weeks. After that, they are still hearing it once per week for months. It is okay in my book if it isn't word perfect, especially if they are young and you will continue to recite some of this stuff for a couple of years, which is the case in my house. (The youngers get the older kids' recycled poems & memory work.)

 

Do you focus on short passages or longer chunks?

- Everyone has their own idea on this. We do some of both. We do some longer pieces along with short stuff - but we only work on one long piece at a time (per kid).

 

How do you organize it all?

- There are binder systems and notecards-in-recipe-box systems. A lot of people move from notecards to binders once their recipe box falls on the floor a few too many times.  :smash:  Knock on wood -- it hasn't happened to me enough yet, I guess. I have notecards in recipe boxes. I used to just have one box and one set of cards. I now have one set for eldest, one set for dd#2 & dd#3, and one set for ds#1 and ds#2.

- Stuff that is new to us that we start with because we are working on it right now is in the very front. Then comes stuff we need to do every other day -- and my "system" is just to put the card we recite to the back of that section after we recite it. I know how many cards are in that section, so we just cover half of that stack every day. Behind that, I have two sections per kid - "this week" and "next week" (roughly). I know I have to get through roughly that many cards in a week.

 

New

Every Other Day (move to back of this pile as we recite until it comes very easily)

Kid #1 This Week

Kid #1 Next Week

Kid #2 This Week

Kid #2 Next Week

 

Since I have my kids grouped together and they do the same memory work, once Kid #1 recites the stuff today in her This Week section, it goes to the back of Kid #2's Next Week section. Thus, each one recites it every other week and on their off week, they hear it recited by their sibling. I can just grab their memory box, open it, and know exactly what to cover with no preparation.

[Mystie]

Mystie at simplyconvivial.com is awesome and has been a big inspiration to me. Cindy Rollins has helped me a lot, too, but unfortunately she took a bunch of her stuff down. 

 

 

 

Thanks! Here are the links that have the tutorials for and explanations of our binder system:

 

http://www.simplyconvivial.com/2012/memory-work-binders

http://www.simplyconvivial.com/2012/circle-time-binders-updated-for-2012-2013

 

And then this page has the index of all the stuff I've written about our memory time:

 

http://www.simplyconvivial.com/memory

 

I just made a video tour of our binder, too:

 

http://www.simplyconvivial.com/2015/help-for-planning-your-circle-time

[ItoLina]

I am trying out Mystie's binder system next school year. I am in the process of putting it all together now. Her posts have been so helpful. I have "started" memory work so many times and not followed through. I am hoping this will help me stick with it.