Mnemonics and Strategies for Improving Memory
Strategy
Mind Map
Visual Chaining
Narrative
Chaining
Definition and Use
Organize mental maps from known
information, then fill in missing
information
Example
Main ideas, details, categories/parts,
diagram labels, compare/contrast
Visual cycle of pictures and/or words
Cause/effect, linking systems,
sequencing
Create a story wherein each word or
idea will cue the next idea or word you
need to recall
Acronyms
Lists
First letter of each word in a sentence
represents the first letter of the
words/list you want to memorize
Story: Napoleon had his
ear to the door to listen to
the Germans in the cellar
(for the random words
Napoleon, ear, door, and
Germans)
HOMES for the Great
Lakes (Huron, Ontario,
Michigan, Eerie, Superior)
Word Links
Lists, sequencing, key words
Use the meaning of one word to
associate with another
The capitol of Oregon is
Salem…Think: there are
Silliness often helps you remember better…
Music
Poems, Rhymes,
Verses, Lyrics,
Odes,
Alliteration
Jokes
Rhyme Keys
(Peg System)
Definitions, pairs
Use a familiar tune and substitute in
the information to be learned
Details, sequencing
Use rhymes, odes, rhythm, and/or
alliteration
Rote sequencing, details, names
Use funny or peculiar things to link to
the person or object
Facts, figures, names
1. Memorize key words that can
be associated with numbers
many sailboats in Oregon
because it’s on the ocean…
What do we do with sailboats?
Sail-em.
Use songs like Mary Had a
Little Lamb, the ABC song,
and other very familiar
tunes
“I before E except after C”;
“30 days hath September,
April, June, and November”
“Perky Pat” to remember
the name of a very positive
classmate
Remembering how to take
care of pet dog:
(#1 bun; #2 shoe; #3 tree; #4 door, etc.)
Mnemonics and Strategies for Improving Memory
Compiled by C. Windmill, 2010
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2. Create an image of the items
you need to remember with the
key words
(Rhyme Keys,
Peg System)
Take-a-Trip
(Method of Loci)
Lists, procedures
Visualize familiar objects around a
room and attach some information or
word to each object
Acrostics
Lists
Make up a sentence using the first
letter of each word
Picture Objects
(Visualization)
Hookups
Keyword
Image Name
Make a Tape
Write It!
Bun + feed dog
Shoe + walk dog
Tree + let dog outside to
pee
Door + let dog back inside
Every Good Boy Deserves
Fudge for the treble clef
line notes (E, G, B, D, F)
Sequencing, lists, key words
Use a positive and pleasant familiar
object and associate information
around it; vivid, colourful, and 3D
images work best
Picture your finger. To
learn prepositions of place,
visualize an object in
relation to your finger.
Lists, details
Use one word or series of letters and
chunk up the information beginning
with the same letter
N New Brunswick
Nunavut
Nova Scotia
Details, categories/parts, lists
Use an English word that sounds like a
foreign one. Imagine an image that
involves the key word with the English
meaning of the foreign word
Pato in Spanish means
duck. Imagine patting a
duck.
Vocabulary in a foreign language
Invent a relationship between the name Shirley Temple: her hair is
and a physical characteristic of the
curly (rhymes with Shirley);
person
Imagine she has a curl near
her temple.
Names and faces
Tape the information to be learned
Play the information several
times over several days.
Vocabulary, foreign languages,
Play it just before going to
spelling, lists, sequences, and others
sleep at night.
Write it repeatedly and say it aloud as
Write it just before going to
you write
sleep.
Details, categories/parts, lists,
vocabulary, foreign languages,
Mnemonics and Strategies for Improving Memory
Compiled by C. Windmill, 2010
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(Write It!)
spelling, sequences, and others
Get Moving!
Use your mnemonic devices and
strategies while your body is in motion
(walking, jogging, taking the dog out
for a run, using a stationary bike,
chewing gum, etc.)
Rehearse the information
you’ve learned while you’re
moving; works especially
well for kinaesthetic
learners
HOW TO REMEMBER THE FOLLOWING KINDS
OF INFORMATION…
Strategy
Numbers
Poetry
Sayings
Mental Pictures
(Visualization)
Create an Experience
Definition and Uses
Write the numbers to be
remembered; notice a special
sequence and associate it with
some familiar date (like a
birthday)
Break the poetry down into
small, meaningful sections
(chunk the info)
Link information with a
famous saying and substitute
words
Visualize how you see or
expect to see a total picture
Mentally and visually
create/recall an experience and
link information to be learned
with what you do
Mnemonics and Strategies for Improving Memory
Compiled by C. Windmill, 2010
Example
236-4408 (2 x 3 = 6; 4+4=8)
Make it into a story. Practice
the meter and rhyme
A penny saved is…
A stitch in time…
Close your eyes and visualize
an X-ray view of the skeleton
from the head down (skeletal
labeling)
Imagine yourself cooking a
favourite meal or building
something; plug information
to be learned into each step
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Note-Taking Mnemonics
The way notes are organized can inhibit or promote learning and recall.
Strategy
Flash note cards
Use/Example
Organize main ideas and relevant details
Outlines
Format main ideas into possible test questions; put questions
on one side of card and answer on the other; test self or others
Separate main ideas from details
Ex:
PIAGET’S THEORY
A. Four stages
1. Sensorimotor
2. Preoperational….
Draw a vertical line about 3 inches from left margin.
Place main ideas or questions to the left of the line and details
or answers to the right of the line
Cornell System
MIRRORS
A structure for teaching mnemonics to students
Model the strategy and explain how to carry it out;
Inform students when and how to use it;
Remind them to use it;
Repeat the strategy for practice;
Outline why the strategy is useful;
Reassess students’ performance when using the strategy;
Stress the generalization of the strategy to other activities, content areas, settings, and
over time
http://www.allkindsofminds.org/learningBaseSubSkill.aspx?Ibssid=77&mode=print, accessed March 9,
2010
Mnemonics and Strategies for Improving Memory
Compiled by C. Windmill, 2010
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