Lesson Plan:
Remembering How to Remember

Memory strategies such as remembering by association are basic and effective for adults, teens, and children.

1. For Younger Children
   Younger children can benefit from association and other memory strategies before they are able to learn more advanced ones.

   There is an important difference in teaching memory by association to younger children and older children. Younger children need tried and true, concrete examples. They often make associations which are misleading and easily forgotten when they are asked to create personal associations independently. You can't remind them of their associations because you don't know what associations they made. On the other hand, creating personal associations is usually ideal for older children and adults.

   Younger children and others can use memory strategies as cues to improve behavior. See the lesson plan and the children's book, Whoa Wiggle-worm: a Little Lemon Book about an Overly Active Child.
   These are the goals of the lesson plan.

   1. Help Overly Active Children Monitor Their Own Behavior by using a strategy to stop or slow down impulsive behaviors
   2. Improve Acceptance of Overly Active Children without Encouraging the Behavior

2. For Older Children, Teens, and Adults
   See A Breezy Review of Memory Strategies for a presentation of basic and advanced memory strategies for older students and adults.

TEACHER'S GUIDE: PART 1 This is the same as part one of Introducing Learning Strategies

• Read the story preferably with the puppet.
• The song may be read or sung.
• In the story, learning strategies are called learning secrets. Becoming a strategic learner is the secret to improved learning and remembering.
• Read the questions. Suggested answers are included. Some of the 14 questions might be omitted depending on the time factor and the maturity of the children.
• Try to include the following questions:
  1. What was Little Lemon's hard, sour job?
  2. How do some people act when they feel that something can't be done?
  3. Charlene felt that school was like a sour lemon. What was hardest for her in school?
  4. Learning Lemon said that Charlene was beginning to use a good learning secret. What was it?
  5. Which learning secret helped Charlene remember things?
  6. What does this mean: "When life gives you a lemon, make lemonade?"

• Present the sheet titled, Remember the Cat. You might give copies to students or enlarge it and post it in the classroom.
• Present one item per day or one per week.
• Discuss each item. Ask for examples from the children based on their experiences. You might need to start by giving some examples.
• Throughout the year, remind children of a strategy when it is needed. "Here is what you need to learn and here is a good way to remember it."
• Review Remember the Cat from time to time.