Memory 1.0 Class 13 Bridge Sample
CLASS 13 | LIST-O-MANIA
Pair up to practice the Write It Down, Chunking and Linking Strategies.
TRAINER OVERVIEW
- Timer or stopwatch
- Whiteboard or flip chart and markers
- Now Do It! worksheets and TBH Takeaway handouts, enough for each student
WELCOME TO CLASS
- Welcome everyone.
- Introduce the class topic.
Welcome to today’s class. Our topic is “List-O-Mania.”
Our TBH Blueprint focus is the “Strategize” action point.
We will learn 3 practical strategies to effectively remember something we all use – lists!
We will be working on the following thinking skills today:
- Attention
- Speedy Thinking
- Nimbleness
- Verbal Skills
- Memory
- Problem Solving
Hand out the TBH Welcome Packet to all new students for a more complete introduction.
TBH LET'S GET IT STARTED!
Get everyone ready to learn with this seated toes-to-top warmup.- Use the TBH music to set your pace, or choose your own.
We are going to begin with TBH Let’s Get It Started!
Being physically active is great for our brains. This quick warmup is a great way to get focused, build energy and get us ready to learn. We’ll do this right at our seats at the beginning of every class. Just watch what I do and follow along!
(At end of warmup) Great job, everyone! We are started up and ready to go!
FEET GET STARTED!
- Rock feet together up on the toes, then back on the heels. 8 repetitions. Count together from 1 to 8.
- Alternate rocking action simultaneously with left foot starting with toe up and right foot starting with heel up. 8 repetitions. Count backward together H to A.
LEGS GET STARTED!
- Gently lift 1 leg off the ground and circle ankle. 8 repetitions. Count together from A to H.
- Gently lift alternate leg off the ground and circle ankle. 8 repetitions. Count backward together 8 to 1.
- March feet on the ground, alternating feet. 8 repetitions. Make “noise” with group.
HIPS GET STARTED!
- Circle upper body right to left. 4 repetitions. Offer 4 words to remember as the count.
- Circle upper body left to right. 4 repetitions. Repeat backwards the 4 words to remember as the count.
- Wiggle hips side to side. 4 repetitions. Ask class to recall 4 words to remember as the count.
ARMS GET STARTED!
- Gently shake arms to the side of the body.
- Circle wrists a few times in clockwise and counterclockwise.
- Flick fingers while circling arms first low in front, then below shoulder level, up high, out to the sides, and down front. 4 circle repetitions. Count by 2’s (2,4,6,8).
- Shrug shoulders up and down, alternating right left shoulder. 4 repetitions. Ask class to recall 4 words to remember as count.
- Roll shoulders forward, then backward. 3 repetitions each direction. Count together 1 to 3 and then 3 to 1.
VOICES GET STARTED!
- Say “OHHHHHHHHHH.” Have group say sound with you. Hold for a few seconds.
- Say “EHHHHHHHHHH.” Have group say sound with you. Hold for a few seconds.
- Say “AHHHHHHHHHH.” Have group say sound with you. Hold for a few seconds.
- Say “OH – EH – AH.” Hold each sound for a few seconds. 3 repetitions.
- Say “She says she shall sew a sheet.” Repeat this tongue twister exercise, focusing on articulation and participation. 3 repetitions.
MEMORY GETS STARTED!
- Ask class to recall 4 words learned as part of counts above.
BREATH GETS STARTED!
- Slow focus to bring awareness to sitting still in chair.
- Take a deep breath in through the nose and exhale out through the mouth.
- Give a full body shake and a wiggle.
- Give selves big hug, wrapping arms across waist and squeezing gently, as able.
- Thank selves and send some “TBH love” to our brains!
Click to open the TBH Let’s Get It Started! playlist.
Click to open the TBH Let’s Get It Started! complete guide.
TBH BRAIN PLAY | Here's All I Know About...
- Briefly lead an All Together cognitive warm up to fire up the neurons.
- Challenge students to share all they know about a topic prompt.
Now let’s do our “Brain Play.” Research shows that working against the clock is an important way we can keep our thinking focused, fast and nimble. And all these skills are essential to learning and remembering better. We will “play” with our brains at the start of every class to support these important cognitive skills.
Today’s “Brain Play” is called “Here’s All I Know About…” . I’m going to name a specific topic we all know something about. We will work as a group and talk about absolutely everything we know about that topic. No detail is too small!
We’ll keep our brains challenged by working quickly together.
Let’s set a good pace by (clapping/snapping our fingers) as we go. Ready?
- Choose one “Here’s All I Know About …“ topic prompt from the list below.
- Have students talk about all they know about the given topic, working as quickly as they can. Allow discussion for 4 minutes. If discussion concludes for a topic, option to use another topic prompt if time allows.
- Have everyone clap or snap fingers to set a good pace.
- When repeating class, use a new topic prompt.
- Encourage distance learners to join in from home.
“HERE’S ALL I KNOW ABOUT …” PROMPTS (pick one)
Planning a Trip
Spring Cleaning
Raising a Child
Car Maintenance
Making New Friends
Throwing a Party
Buying a House
Staying Healthy
LEARN THE TBH SCIENCE
- Present the science behind the class.
- Allow for brief discussion of the science with your students.
Let’s talk about everyone’s favorite memory “tool” – Lists.
Lists are a popular way to remind us of everything from errands to talking points, directions, and even the order in which we need to do something. What are some of the ways you use lists?
Today we are going to learn 3 easy but very effective ways we can rev up our recall with lists. We’ll then break into pairs and practice them together.
• Write It Down Strategy. The Write It Down Strategy asks you to do exactly that. When you need to remember a list, write it down! Many of the lists we use don’t really need to be committed to memory. Why? First, we only needed them once, as they change often. Also, we often use lists in situations where we don’t need to memorize them, like when we create a packing or grocery list. Whenever you can, use the Write It Down strategy for your list!
• Link It Strategy. The Link It Strategy works well when you need to recall a list in order, such as talking points or directions. You simply link the items on the list one to the other, in order. You can link them in any way – you can create a story for the two items, or a visual image. The key is to link only one item to the next item on that list. That way once you’ve got that first item on the list, each item after that acts as a prompt or clue for the next item.
• Chunk It Strategy. The Chunk It Strategy is terrific for remembering lists. It’s easier for us to learn and recollect several shorter lists of items rather than a longer list. The Chunk It Strategy takes advantage of this by having us break up a longer list of items into several shorter “chunks” and then learn those shorter groupings. This works really well with numbers. For example, phone numbers or Social Security numbers are broken into “chunks.”
Click here to view the TBH Learn the Science video for this class.
Password: TBHSCIENCE
Share this video in your classroom or with your community.
NOW DO IT!
Pair up to practice the Link It and Chunk It strategies. - Adapt as needed to include everyone as they are able.
Let’s give these strategies a try. First, let’s go ahead and break into pairs.
I’ll write a list on the (whiteboard/ flip chart). You’ll have 3 minutes to work with your partner to “link” or “chunk” the list. Then each pair will share their strategy with the class. After each pair has had a turn, we’ll see how well we all remember the list. We’ll try a few different lists, as many as time allows.
Ready?
- Option to distribute Now Do It! class worksheets.
- Break your class into pairs of two or three students.
- Ask each pair to work together and use the Link It or Chunk It strategies to learn each list you share with the class. Then write one of the lists below on the whiteboard/flip chart.
- Allow 3 minutes, then ask pairs to share their strategy for the list with the class.
- Remove the list and have the class together recite the list information from memory.
- Repeat using the list prompts below. Do as many rounds as time allows.
- When repeating this class, select different list prompts.
- For virtual delivery, modify workout to do “All Together.” Adjust scripting accordingly.
LIST-O-MANIA LIST PROMPTS
List 1: 9, 7, 5, 4, 8
List 2: 4, U, T, 3, 7, G
List 3: Rat, 7, 9, Dish, Pod
List 4: Oak, Washburn, Cushing, Tyler, Northrop
List 5: 1, 4, 4, 8, 2, 3, 2, 8, 3, 4
List 6: Mark, Cord, Ball, Plug, Top, Remote
List 7: Turn on the TV, Turn on the cable box, Find the remote, Press the “Guide” Button, Select Your Channel, Press the “OK” button
List 8: Rose, Amber, Lavender, Basil
TBH TAKEAWAY
Share this brief wrap-up to end the workout.- Distribute or email class handouts.
- Ask students to talk about one thing they will “take away” from today’s class.
Great job, everyone! Today we learned we can more effectively retain a list by using a memory strategy to either create that list or commit it to memory. We covered 3 different strategies to rev up our recall for lists. Who remembers what they are?
Here is a handout you can take home to practice these list strategies on your own.
What list strategy will you use to help you remember a list?
TBH TAKE A BREATH
- Lead this cooldown exercise to end class.
- Use the TBH music to set your pace, or choose your own.
Let’s wrap up with our “TBH Take a Breath.” Being mindful of our breath and sharing some positive thoughts is a wonderful way to acknowledge what we’ve learned together before we go back to our day.
Research also shows that these kinds of exercises help us focus better and even learn more effectively.
- Have students get comfortable, resting both feet flat on the floor, hands resting in their laps.
- Have students close their eyes and keep them gently closed.
- Ask students to focus their attention on their breathing, noticing the rate and rhythm of their breath. Allow them to focus on their natural breathing for a few moments.
- Instruct students to begin rhythmic breathing. Ask them to inhale slowly and deeply through their nostrils, breathing gently into their chest and belly. Then ask them to exhale slowly through their lips, slowing the rate and rhythm of their breath.
- Have students continue rhythmic breathing, instructing them to continue to focus on gently and slowly inhaling and exhaling, allowing their attention to simply “ride” the wave of their breath. Allow them to focus on rhythmic breathing for several moments.
- Offer the following positive affirmation statements below in a calm, slow voice. Invite students to simply listen, repeat the phrase silently to themselves, or to think about what each statement means to them.
My mind is relaxed.
I am glad to be here.
I am grateful for new opportunities.
I am grateful for myself.
I take this time and this breath for me.
- Pause for several moments.
- End the exercise by inviting students to bring their awareness back to the room, gently opening their eyes and becoming more aware of their surroundings.
- Invite them to end practice with gratitude for taking a moment for themselves, for the chance to learn together and connect with each other.
Click for the TBH Take a Breath music playlist.
Click to open the TBH Take A Breath complete guide.
COMING UP NEXT!
- Thank students for attending the class.
- Invite students to join you for the next TBH class.
I am glad we had this time to learn together today. It was so nice to boost our memories and connect with each other.
I look forward to seeing you for our next Total Brain Health class. Be sure to bring a friend!
CLASS RESOURCES
NOW DO IT! WORKSHEETS
Use these optional worksheets to run your class.
List-O-Mania Worksheet. Use this worksheet to support the class exercise as needed during physical distancing or for distance learners.
TBH TAKEAWAY HANDOUTS
Distribute these optional handouts to extend the learning experience.
TBH Strategies: List Learning Strategy Handout. This handout offers additional practice prompts students can use to extend their learning outside the classroom.
