Introduction

Memory skills are very important to school success. I know how difficult it is for children to memorize things in school, and yet, it has to be done. For this reason, I decided to choose Memory as the theme for this packet.

One problem with Memory in school deals with organization – remembering the homework assignment or remembering which books you need to take with you to school. The first educational material provided in this packet is a handout with tips to help students with memory-related organization. If simply distributing a handout is not effective for your students, you may want to develop a system to increase their desire to be organized. At the end of the day ask who can tell you how many times you told them what the spelling or math homework was. (You may have to keep a tally sheet at your desk to confirm the accuracy of your memory!) In order to get the point/prize, the student also has to tell you what the homework is. This makes sure that they are listening, plus it will help them remember what it is!

Rote memorization is also required throughout school. For many students, rote memory tasks are very unpleasant and rather difficult. The purpose of this packet is to provide lesson plans full of activities to teach students various methods for making memorization less difficult and more fun. Several mnemonic devices – memory tricks – are introduced to the students throughout these lessons. The students should be able to take the mnemonics learned from these lessons and apply them to other things they must memorize, giving these lessons a lifelong value.

There are three lesson plans provided here. They all relate to the Virginia Standards of Learning for third graders. They may be taught in any order. All of them include several activities, not intended to be completed all on the same day. Choose those activities that will work best for your students. Class environments often differ, so feel free to adapt the activities to fit the needs of your students.