What Is Mnemonic Instruction?
Mnemonic instruction is a set of strategies designed to help students
improve their memory of new information. Mnemonics instruction links
new information to prior knowledge through the use of visuals and sounds. These strategies have been proven effective with students at all grade levels. Mnemonics are particularly helpful in teaching students with disabilities
who have difficulty recalling verbal and content-area information,
as they are effective with any type of verbal content.
There are three basic types of mnemonic strategies:
How are these mnemonic strategies implemented? Keyword Strategy
- Keyword – A keyword is a familiar word
that sounds similar to the word or idea being taught. Keywords are
generally used with an illustration of some type. The teacher creates
a picture or other graphic that links the old and new information
in the student’s memory. For example, a mnemonic for remembering
the definition of the word “carline” (meaning witch) might be a drawing
of a witch driving a car.
- Pegword – Pegwords refer to a set of
rhyming words that are used to represent numbers. For example, the
pegword for “one” is “bun.” Pegwords are used to help students remember
information involving numbers or other information in a particular
Letter – Letter strategies include
acronyms and acrostics (or sentence mnemonics). For example, the
acronym HOMES can be used to help students remember
the names of the Great Lakes (Huron, Ontario, etc.). Acrostics are
sentences in which the first letters of the words correspond to the
first letters of the information students are expected to remember.
For example, "Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally" can be used to help remember the order of operations while doing algebra.
All three types of mnemonic strategies can be used effectively in
teaching math. Mnemonics are used in teaching math facts, order of
operations, measurement, geometry, problem-solving techniques, and
other areas of math. The pegword strategy is used almost exclusively
in math because it is designed specifically to help students remember
numeric information, especially in a particular sequence. Each of the
three types of mnemonics can be used for
different areas of math instruction.
The keyword strategy is based on linking new information to keywords
that the students already know. This strategy can be an effective way
to teach multiplication facts. For example, to learn the “2 Family”
of multiplication facts, which is described in the box, students are
taught to associate a visual image with each fact in that family and
then are given a strategy that utilizes the visual image for solving
Example of Keyword Strategy
Visual Images for the “2
- 2x2 skateboard with 2 sets of wheels
- 3x2 six pack of soda
- 4x2 spider with two sets of four legs
- 5x2 two hands with all fingers held up
- 6x2 dozen eggs in a carton
- 7x2 calendar with 2 weeks circled
- 8x2 two octopi, each with eight tentacles
- 9x2 an eighteen wheel truck (wood & Frank 2001)
- Pegword Strategy
The pegword strategy uses a consistent set of rhyming words to represent
numbers. The rhyming words, or “pegwords,” provide visual images that can
be associated with facts, thereby helping students associate the number
that rhymes with the pegword. This strategy is useful for teaching many
areas of math, especially math facts; however, students must have a firm
understanding of the pegwords before the strategy can be introduced. For
example, to teach the math fact 6x6, the student would first be taught the
pegword “sticks” to associate with six. In other words, students have to
first be taught the pegwords and how to use them, before a specific pegword
mnemonic can be taught and used. Once the student learns all the pegwords,
the student can learn the pegword strategy for 6x6 (sticks x sticks) = 36
The boxes below further illustrate the steps to teach the 6x6 pegword strategy.
How to Teach the Pegword Strategy?
Use the pegword flashcard, which has corresponding visual symbols. (Example:
six = “sticks”)
Teach students how to use the Pegword Strategies.
Have students say the pegword strategy for each math fact.
Example: Sticks (6) and Sticks (6) equals
Dirty Sticks (36)
Letter strategies involve the use of acronyms or acrostics
(sentence mnemonics). One acronym that can be used in math is STAR,
which is an effective instructional strategy with students who have progressed
in math sufficiently to learn word problems and equations. This strategy
cues students to complete general problem-solving steps. Teachers must
model the strategy to students and then use the mnemonic repeatedly with
students until they are able to use it independently. See the box below
for a description of the STAR acronym.
Letter Strategy for Problem-Solving
S earch the word problem
T ranslate the words into an equation in picture form
A nswer the problem
R eview the solution
FUN WAYS TO LEARN MATHEMATICS
Order of operations
The correct order of operation is Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, Subtraction. You can remember in number of ways. Below are some of the ways that you can do.
- Please Egg My Dad And Sister.
- Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally.
- Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Selma.
- Pink Elephants March Down A Street.
- Please Eat My Dear Angus Steak.
LETS ROCK WITH THESE MULTIPLICATION FACTS.
LETS LEARN HOW TO MULTIPLY.CAN YOU DO MULTIPLICATION IN YOUR HEAD?
SOLVING DIFFICULT MULTIPLICATION PROBLEMS.
MATH BASEBALL GAME
Mnemonics My dear, dear friend
QUIZ FOR FUN