CHAPTER THREE: REMEMBERING WHAT YOU READ

Memories are the key not to the past, but to the future.

                                                                                   C. Boom

·         Chapter Outline (for transparency) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    42

·         Chapter Summary (for transparency) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    43

·         Chapter Opener  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    44

·         Supplemental Exercises  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .      49

·         Supplemental Vocabulary Quiz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .     52

OUTLINE

Chapter 3: REMEMBERING WHAT YOU READ

I.                   Chapter Objectives and Vocabulary

II.                Memory Survey

·         What is Memory?

·         Sensory Memory

·         Attention

·         Intention

·         Short-Term Memory

·         Chunking

·         Rehearsal

·         Long-Term Memory

·         Organizing Information

·         Master Difficult Vocabulary

·         Create a Memory Matrix

·         Connect New Information with What You Already Know

·         Note Comparisons

·         Go Beyond Textbook Information

·         Review

·         Teach It!

III.             Common Reasons Students Forget What They Read

·         Attention

·         Don't Understand the Information

·         Poor Organization of Newly Learned Information

IV.             Strategies for Recalling Information - Mnemonics

V.                Test Taking and Memory

VI.             Practice Reading Passages

VII.          Summary

VIII.    Post Test

SUMMARY

Chapter 3: REMEMBERING WHAT YOU READ

Memory is the process of storing and retrieving information. There are three primary stages in the memory process: sensory memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory. Knowing about these stages and purposely applying memory strategies during each stage will help you to remember what you read.

Sensory Memory      

·         Pay close attention and use all of your senses.

Short-Term Memory

·         Organize information in meaningful ways. Use the memory technique, chunking. Chunking reduces the number of isolated items that you have to remember.

Long-Term Memory

Use the following strategies to store information in your long-term memory:

·         Organize newly learned information.

·         Master difficult vocabulary.

·         Create a memory matrix.

·         Connect new information with information you already know.

·         Note similarities

·         Research new information.

·         Review what you have learned on a regular basis.

·         Teach new information.

·         Use mnemonics to help you remember material.

·         Master difficult vocabulary.

The single most important aspect of memory: understanding what you are trying to remember.

CHAPTER OPENER: KEYS TO MEMORY

Goal

To teach students that to remember new information effectively, material has to be organized and related to something they already know. (This exercise demonstrates the concept of chunking that is discussed in detail in the chapter.)

dIRECTIONS

Copy the THREE pages following these directions onto transparencies, or a disk (pages 45-47). Introduce the exercise by explaining to your students that Chapter Three addresses memory and demonstrates how memory, learning, and reading are linked.

Show them the first overhead. It's important that you give them no more than 30 seconds to view it and provide no learning prompts. After 30 seconds, ask them to recall all the letters they are able to remember. (There are a total of 40.)

Next, show them the second overhead. Again, only allow them 30 seconds to view it and ask them to recall as many letters as they can. Chances are, they will remember more because the letters are now organized into words. Most students will remember at least two words. Total the number of letters in the words they remember, but still do not discuss the exercise. (There are a total of 40.)

Finally, show them the third overhead for 30 seconds and ask them to recall the letters they see. Most students will remember 100% of the letters because they are organized into words, and the words are organized into a meaningful sentence. (There are a total of 57 letters.)

Now, ask your students why they believe they couldn't remember the letters in overheads #1 and #2 as easily. Their responses might include the following:

·         Not enough rep time

·         No reason to remember it

·         Not relevant

·         Not concentrating

·         Frustration with exercise

·         Not intending to learn - "so what attitude" (This is a very important issue that will be addressed in the chapter. Students need to know that their desire or intent to learn significantly impacts their ability to remember what they read. Thinking, learning and remembering go hand-in-hand.)

Now ask them to discuss why they could remember more letters in overhead #3. Their responses might include the following:

·         The letters were organized into words.

·         The words were organized into a sentence.

·         There were fewer separate items to remember.

·         They could remember the words more easily than the individual letters.

After a few minutes of discussion, you can introduce the idea of organizing information - creating systems - to help with memory. The first overhead showed a number of isolated letters. They weren't related so it was hard to memorize them individually. The letters in the second overhead were "organized" into meaningful chunks, words, which made it easier to remember more of them, even though the group of words didn't make sense. Finally, the letters in the third overhead were organized into words, and the words were organized into a meaningful sentence. By remembering the words in the sentence, students could easily remember all of the letters.

Explain that many students study their course material as if what they are reading consists of isolated and unrelated pieces of information (overhead #1). Stress how important it is for them to become engaged, and actively involved, with new information, and to learn how to organize it so they can remember it more efficiently. The focus of Chapter 3 is to show that most people actually have good memories. The chapter explains the barriers to remembering information and provides many strategies for overcoming those barriers and remembering information more effectively.

chapter three: overhead # 1

B C D A G F B W G L M D W X Z T

P A D E C N V Q Y O R U E N T Z S

 M X D T P H E

chapter three: overhead # 2

QUEEN HICCUP SNOW COURSE

TEETH RED MANUAL LOTUS

chapter three: overhead # 3

THE QUEEN COVERED HER

MOUTH SO THAT NO ONE COULD

SEE HER MISSING TEETH.

supplemental exercises

There are two supplemental exercises for this chapter. Information about each is provided on this page and the related material follows on separate pages that you can print out for use with your students.

Exercise 3-1: Remember by Making Associations

Purpose

The purpose of this exercise is to introduce the concept of memory, and to demonstrate that using strategies, such as creating associations, can help to increase your memory.

Directions

1.   Ask students to get out a piece of paper, and a pencil. Tell them not to write anything down

      until you ask them to do so.

2.      Tell them you will be reading out the following list of words and want them to remember as many as they can:

·         Hamburger

·         Feather           

·         Gate   

·         Closet

·         Tree    

·         Marshmallow 

·         Religion

·         Fish    

·         Men    

·         Beaks                         

3.      Now ask students to see how many words they can remember, in the order you read them, in one minute. Have students share their lists. Some will have used strategies they have developed to help them. Don't have them share their strategies at this point.

4.      Ask them to turn their papers over, write the numbers 1 through 10, and then put their pencils down and listen as you read the list again.

5.      Tell students to close their eyes and try to see the pictures you will create with for each word. As you read the list again, provide an association for each word. Use associations that are strange or silly or rhyme. (Yes, even silly…that’s the point. The stranger the connections are, the more likely students will be able to remember the list of words.) Below are possible descriptions you could use but feel free to create your own sentences.

·         One - BUN - hamburger, one enormous hamburger on the largest bun I’ve ever seen. Hamburger.

·         Two - SHOES with a feather. Two fun shoes dancing with feathers. Big shoes with blue feathers. Feather.

·         Three - KEYS for a gate. Three keys to open the gate…don’t be late. Gate.

·         Four - DOOR as a closet. At four the door to your closet opens. Closet.

·         Five - HIVE in the tree. Five hives in the tree. Bzzzzzzzzzz Cut the tree. Tree.

·         Six - STICKS for marshmallows. Pick up six sticks to roast marshmallows by the campfire. Marshmallows.

·         Seven - HEAVEN for a religion. I see seven nuns flying to heaven; it’s my religion. Religion.

·         Eight - BAIT for fish. Eight pieces of bait to catch fish. Big wiggly bait for big slippery fish. Fish.

·         Nine - FINE men. My goodness! Nine fine men are here! Fine men are always welcome. Men.

·         Ten - HENS beaks. Ten hens are loose and poking with their beaks. Red hens’ beaks. Beaks.

6. Have students open their eyes and try to recall as many of the words as they can, in order.

7. When students have finished writing, ask them if it was easier to remember the list the second

    time? Most students find using the associations provided, and visualizing them, does improve

    their ability to remember the words.

Connecting information to familiar items helps to facilitate the memory. Also, connecting words that rhyme helps to "trigger" memory. This exercise is a helpful tool for proving the point that doing something with information is sometimes necessary in order to remember it effectively. Learning about and using strategies can be useful. If any students used different memory strategies, invite them to share their strategies with the class.

Exercise 3-2: Using Rhyme to Remember

Purpose

To reinforce the mnemonic technique of using rhyme.

Directions

In groups of four, using one chapter you have studied from this textbook, create a song, jingle, or poem. Your composition should include they key points from the chapter. Get creative and have fun with it. You can choose to video your song, and use it as an example of learning outcomes if you are creating an electronic portfolio; you may perform live for the class; or you may submit it in paper format and have others in the class perform it.

(You can explain to students) that rhyming is a very effective way to remember information. For example, “In 1942, Columbus sailed the oceans blue....” “Listen my children and you shall hear about the midnight ride of Paul Revere….” Songs, stories, and poetry are ways that have been used for centuries to remember and share history. Allow students to provide examples, for example, hip hop music, etc.)