Classical Education for Free – Part 1: Memorization
February 8, 2008 by Guest
Classical Education for Free – Part 1: Memorization
Iwant to begin this column by sharing elements of classical education anyone can use for free in any homeschool setting. Outside of reading classic literature, this involves copywork, narration, dictation and memorization.
One of the most basic and beneficial elements of a classical education is memorization. It builds mental discipline, retention, confidence, and allows a parent to build a foundation in any subject for later studies. Young children, as soon as they can speak can memorize. How many toddler songs does your child know? Can you think of anything they have memorized? The way home from a store you frequent, or something you said two months ago that you must be reminded of?
From kindergarten through about 6th grade, children are sponges, this reflects the grammar stage of the trivium. The trivium is the backbone of classical education which organizes educational focus to the natural learning cycles of a child’s development. The Grammar years would be from first to fourth grade, Logic years would be fifth to eighth grade and Rhetoric would be ninth to twelfth grade, these grade level are a little different amongst the classical community but I’ll use this one as an example. Sometime around 6th they want to know the why and how of everything, they want to start arguing. This is natural; the absorption of the world around them prepares them to be able to argue when they are older. Memorization is just a way to direct this energy toward items worth remembering. Before I share with you how to do memorization with your children, let me share the benefits.
Memorization sharpens the mind, increases retention, and allows for a foundation to be built within the mind. If you have your child memorize scriptures, your child will draw from God’s word when in a moment of need. If you have him memorize the basics of mathematics such as addition and multiplication facts, it will aid in his higher math studies. If you have your child memorize the basics of every subject, they will have a foundation to draw from in all their higher studies. You’ve heard that starting a foreign language when children are younger is beneficial, right? The reason for that is a child’s natural ability to memorize. If a child memorizes a foreign language’s vocabulary when they are young, they will be able to tackle grammar and writing much sooner than high school.
Let’s talk about how to do it.
The simplest method of memorizing is to repeat the selection three times daily until memorized and then reviewed. There are many timelines for memorization that you can follow; personally my daughter (7) has review every two weeks of all items previously memorized.
Successful memorization is more than just memorizing the selection the first time, which is only half of the exercise, which is why repetition and review is crucial for long term memorization success. There are plenty of resources to help organize memorization materials but by far Simply Charlotte Mason has the most practical and easy to implement memorization organization / scheduled review techniques.
Truly, you can use any method for memorization but since 65% of the population is visual learners, it helps to show your child what you are asking them to memorize. Here’s our method:
First day
I read aloud while showing the child the selection to be memorized 1 time.
Child reads aloud 1 time.
We read it together aloud 1 time.
Second day
I read aloud while showing the selection 1 time
Child reads aloud the selection 2 times all the way through.
Child reads first section (1 lines, 2 lines, or stanza) 3 times.
We read it together aloud 1 time to end.
This goes on until you’ve worked through the selection and the child has it memorized. It is important for the child to be able to SEE, HEAR, and SAY the selection to be memorized. If you have a hands-on child, allow them to illustrate the selection, we have done this with poetry and it has been very successful.
Laura Berquist of The Harp & Laurel Wreath suggests memorizing two lines of poetry at a time of course, your child will dictate the speed of the memorization progress.
There is no end to items to memorize, especially younger children but it is best to remember that only the most worthwhile things are worth your time. A fabulous resource that we use to help trim the vast amount of items to memorize is a homeschooling mom’s grammar stage memorization file which is free to download at Lulu.com.
In the next column, I’ll share about narrations.
Jessica is a Classical homeschooling mom to her 3 and 7 year old children. In her column “Trivium Tidbits”, she offers resources, aids and support for those who wish to homeschool their children using the Classical approach. Be sure to visit her blog at Trivium Academy.
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LisaWA on Fri, 8th Feb 2008 6:33 am
Great post Jessica! I think I am the first to leave a comment too! Woohoo!
Im so glad you are here! You are such a wealth of information and encouragement!
Lisa
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MamaArcher on Fri, 8th Feb 2008 5:44 pm
Many do not like the idea of rote memorization but it is a foundation to build upon as the child grows and is able to comprehend more and on a deeper level. Thank you for this article!
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Sallie on Sat, 9th Feb 2008 8:29 am
Thanks for helping me understand a bit better, Jessica. Questions: If your children are older, where do you start? Also, does the trivium work well with special needs or different learning styles?
Thanks,
Sallie
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Trivium Academy on Sat, 9th Feb 2008 2:20 pm
Sallie,
For older children, start memorization within what your child is learning.
What are the key ideas that are worthwhile to memorize? In U.S. History: the Presidents, the thirteen colonies, selections of our primary documents such as The Declaration of Independence, The U.S. Constitution, etc.
Look at your child’s current studies and you can determine quite easily what is important for memorization. If you have difficulty with any subject, feel free to email me and I’ll brainstorm with you.
For Poetry:
The Harp & Laurel Wreath offers poetry selections for K-12, it is an amazing resource. Berquist’s book also contains speeches and excerpts from great literature as well.
Linguistic Development Through Poetry Memorization (Book and Audio CD) By: Andrew Pudewa is another fabulous and widely used resource, there are online samples at ChristianBook.com. I do not know if Pudewa’s product is K-12 like The Harp & Laurel Wreath though.
I hope this helps,
Jessica
[Reply]
Trivium Academy on Sat, 9th Feb 2008 2:31 pm
Sallie,
I’m sorry I didn’t answer your other questions.
The trivium works with all learning styles, as a teacher you just adapt to what would work best for your child. For example in memorizing a poem:
Hands-On: You could put 2 lines of the poem on paper strips, present the poem as a whole to read and then hand your child the first strip of two lines to memorize. You can challenge your child to put the strips in sequence as well.
Visual: Allow your child to illustrate the poem on the first day of exposure. This really helped my daughter in first grade. It is a way for the child to internalize and “own” the poem. It is also a great stepping stone for discussing the content of the poem.
Auditory: It is already set up for auditory learners, grin.
The trivium itself is an organization tool of what to teach and expect from your child based on their natural learning cycle. There are plenty of special needs classical homeschoolers, a framework doesn’t dictate how to teach your child, it should give you the freedom to use whatever works for each individual child.
There is a Special Needs message board at The Well-Trained Mind website where much more experienced homeschoolers could help anyone get started in applying classical approaches to your homeschool. I haven’t traveled into the Special Needs or Accelerated world of homeschooling since it doesn’t apply to our situation. I do hope this helps.
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Jennefer on Wed, 13th Feb 2008 4:15 am
What a great post! I love Hannah’s Grammar Stage Memorization Book. It’s been a great guide for us as well.
Looking forward to your next post.
Jennefer
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