Investigation Two
Lesson Overview: Memory quiz
Memory is important to learning. The more efficient students can become with accessing and using their memory, the more they will be taking responsibility for their learning. There are many tricks to help memorize things; using mnemonic devices, using music or rhyming, putting items into groups, or finding patterns. These tricks work because you are engaging more than one area of your brain. Students will be in groups of four. Each group will develop a memory quiz utilizing a variety of materials. Upon completion of the quiz, students will record their memory strategy in their discovery journal. Students will share their strategies with the class and will compare/contrast each other's strategy and judge which strategy worked better. This lesson will last for one 25-30 minute class session.
Enduring Understanding: The brain looks for patterns to create connections.
Essential Question: Why can we remember some things but not others?
Materials: Playing cards, vocabulary cards, pattern blocks, picture cards, variety of small objects such a pencil erasers, coins, or stickers, blank paper, discovery journals
Procedure
A memory quiz will be modeled by the teacher. A covered tray will be presented to the class. On the tray will be 15 number cards and it will be explained that the students will be given 30 seconds to remember as many cards as possible. The tray will be uncovered and the timer will be set. At the end of 30 seconds, the tray will be recovered and the students will record on a sheet of paper as many of the numbers as the can remember in 15 seconds. Groups of four will be formed and will share strategies for remembering, this should last no more than four minutes. Each group will then be provided with a tray with a variety of materials to develop their own quiz. The group will be given ten minutes to devise a memory quiz using any combination of 15 items of the materials provided. After 5 minutes, groups A and B will administer their quiz to groups C and D. Groups C and D will view the items for 30 seconds and then will record everything they can remember. Then the groups will switch roles, groups A and B will view and then record the objects they remember. Each student will use their discovery journal to reflect about the strategy used to remember. A mixture of students who remembered many items and students who remembers few items will share out to the entire class. We will use a Venn diagram to compare/contrast strategies. This activity can be revisited a few days later to see if students adopt different strategies and are more successful in remembering.
Assessment: The assessment for this lesson will be participation in and completion of the activity.
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