Entry #2

1. Brief Description: I used the triple entry vocabulary journal (minus the journal)
2. Details: Often, when we finished a power point that introduced a lot of new vocabulary terms, I would have the students reexamine 5 or 10 of the words by using this strategy. First, I would have them write the word again, second they would have to write the definition IN THEIR OWN WORDS, finally they would have to come up with some sort of mnemonic device to remember the word. I have used this for homework before, but if they are doing this in class, typically afterwards I would ask the students if there were any real “zingers” they came up with concerning their mnemonic devices. I would usually have 3 or 4 shared, and then I would even tell my other classes about them, so that it became a competition in a way of “which class could come up with the best memory aids”.
3. Reflection: I think it really helps them to take a second and go back over the info just to help it “stick”, and clear up any misconceptions. I think they enjoy looking for creative ways to remember the material, whether by associations, acronyms, homonyms, etc. I know that some students have used the memory aids created by me or other students when they are taking the test, and that they said that was the only way they could remember the right answer. I definitely don’t use it everyday, but it is just another tool in the toolkit to use, alongside cps quizzes, graphic organizers, etc. to go back over the content and make sense of it.