This one hour conversation lesson about memory includes reading and listening, while giving students plenty of opportunities to speak. It is an excellent lesson for those students who struggle to memorize new English vocabulary words and need to see memorization in action in order to understand it.

You can download the worksheet below or use our webpage if you want to project the lesson to your class:

Worksheet

Warm-Up Questions

1. Do you find it hard to learn new vocabulary words?
2. How do you usually memorize new vocabulary words?
3. Do you like watching videos, reading books to learn new vocabulary? What other ways can you think of?
4. Make a list of some ways to memorize new vocabulary words.

Watch the video below:

Were the ideas you listed in the video? What were the ideas that you didn’t list?

Now let’s practice memorizing new words!

First, take a look at this list of words:

These words are all from a student’s notebook and he would like to memorize all of these words. The first step to memorizing these words is categorizing them. Which words would you categorize as “memory” words? (There are 9 memory-related words.)

Answers to this are at the bottom of the page.

Second, write down the words that you categorized as “memory words.”

1. _____________
2. _____________
3. _____________
4. _____________
5. _____________
6. _____________
7. _____________
8. _____________
9. _____________

Third, read this text with the vocabulary words in context:

Tip of the Tongue

Have you ever had that feeling of “knowing” something, but being unable to recall it? This feeling is so common that there is a phrase for it in English, “tip of the tongue.” For example, someone might say, “The name of that actress is on the tip of my tongue, but I just can’t remember it.” Many people get frustrated in this situation because they know the word or name is in their long-term memory and it’s stored somewhere in their brain, but they can’t recall it. Scientists say that there is no point getting frustrated in situations like these. You can try to use stimuli to recall the word, such as remembering what movie you’ve seen the actress in before, but if you can’t remember, it’s better to give up or even look up the word online. Stress and frustration rarely help trigger a memory. It’s better just to relax and probably you’ll remember the word sometime that night before you fall asleep anyway.

Next, listen to this short video about Retrieval Cues to gain more context:

What examples does the video give for internal and external cues?

Fourth, use this spaced repetition quizlet to practice the words.

Click here for the quizlet!

Fifth, use the words with your teacher.
Tell your teacher a sentence for each of the following words.

1. a stimuli
2. long-term 
3. to remember 
4. a planner 
5. to recall 
6. a trigger 
7. a reminder 
8. to store 
9. a retrieval cue

Do you remember the final two tips of the video? What were they?

(Answer is at the bottom of the page.)

Discussion Time 

Read the following questions about memory and have a discussion with your partner.

1. How do you memorize new vocabulary words? Does it work?
2. In your opinion, what’s the least useful way to memorize new information? Why?
3. How do you memorize something for a test? Is it different than memorizing something for your life?
4. What are some ways you can maintain a good memory as you get older?
5. Are there any things that you need to set reminders for? What are they? Why can’t you remember them without reminders?
6. What are some things that you think you don’t need to memorize?
7. Have you ever tried mnemonics? For example, My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Us Noodles is a mnemonic for memorizing the planets. What do you think about mnemonics?
8. Is it easier for you to study at night or in the morning? Why?
9. Are you consistent with memorization? Why or why not?
10. Are you good at remembering people’s names? Why or why not?
11. What’s something that is easy for you to remember? Why?
12. Would you like to have a photographic memory? Why or why not?
13. Some people can remember every detail of their life, even the small things? Would that be useful? Why or why not?
14. What jobs do you need to have a good memory to do? Why?
15. Of everything that you learned about memory today, what was the most useful? Why?

Here is the Memory Lesson worksheet in PDF format.

Answers:
The memory-related words in the table are… retrieval cue, stimuli, long-term, to remember, planner, to recall, trigger, reminder, to store. The final two points made in the video are… consistency and only learning 10 words per day.

Now you know how to memorize new vocabulary words. Maybe try learning some new words over on a podcast lesson about tattoos!