Background Knowledge	Readings (8)	-

FIRST-Letter Mnemonic Strategy*

From
Nagel, D. R., Schumaker, J. B., & Deshler, D. D. (1986).
The FIRST-Letter Mnemonic Strategy.
Lawrence, KS: Excel Enterprises, Inc.

Excerpt by Online Academy

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The FIRST-Letter Mnemonic Strategy is designed to help improve students' performances in testing situations. Its function is for students to be able to: (a) identify lists of information in their textbooks that are important to memorize, (b) generate an appropriate title or label for each list of information, (c) select a mnemonic device for each list of items, and (d) memorize each list. This strategy involves organization skills and allows students to independently work towards memorizing the needed information.

8 Step Instructional Procedure

Step 1: Pretest and Obtain Commitment to Learn

• To measure students' skills with regard to: (a) constructing lists to be memorized, and (b) memorizing and recalling information in those lists.
• To obtain students' commitment to learn the FIRST-Letter Mnemonic Strategy.

Step 2: Describe

• To give students rationales for learning the FIRST-Letter Mnemonic Strategy.
• To describe for students the general characteristics of situations where the strategy can be applied.
• To provide examples of situations where the strategy can be applied.
• To describe the benefits students can accrue by using the strategy.
• To describe the steps for designing mnemonic devices.
• To describe the steps for making and memorizing lists.

Step 3: Model

• To demonstrate to the students how to make lists, design mnemonic devices, and memorize information in lists.

Step 4: Verbal Rehearsal

• To ensure that students can instruct themselves to follow the steps of the FIRST-Letter Mnemonic Strategy.

Step 5: Controlled Practice and Feedback

• To teach your students to perform the five steps for making mnemonic devices and four of the five steps for making and memorizing lists at mastery levels with controlled stimuli.

Step 6: Grade-Appropriate Practice and Feedback

• To enable your students to master using the FIRST-Letter Mnemonic Strategy to study for tests in their mainstream classes.

Step 7: Posttest and Obtain Commitment to Generalize

• To measure the student's skill with regard to (a) constructing lists to be memorized and (b) memorizing and recalling information in those lists
• To obtain the student's commitment to use the FIRST-Letter Mnemonic Strategy to study for tests in applicable courses.

Step 8: Generalization

Phase I: Orientation

• To ensure the students are oriented to the idea of using the FIRST-Letter Mnemonic Strategy in a variety of situations

Phase II: Activation

• To ensure students can independently schedule their study time and can independently apply the FIRST-Letter Mnemonic Strategy to a variety of materials and in a variety of settings to prepare for tests

Phase III: Maintenance

• To monitor the students' Weekly Study Schedules
• To ensure that the students remember the FIRST-Letter Mnemonic Strategy and continue to use it appropriately

5 Steps for Designing Mnemonic Devices - "FIRST"

Step 1: Form a Word.

Look at your list, find the first letter of each of the items in the list, and write these first letters horizontally on a piece of paper to see if they make a word. If they do make a word then you have created a mnemonic device to remember the items of the list. If you can remember the word, you will have a good chance of remembering the items.

Step 2: Insert a Letter or Letters.

Sometimes the first letter of each of the items in the list does not form a word. If this is the case, you might have to insert a letter or letters to make it easier to remember. It is best to insert just one or two letters, or you may forget which of the letters represent items in your list.

Step 3: Rearrange the Letters.

Sometimes it does not work to insert a letter or letters to create a good mnemonic device. If this is the case, then you might have to rearrange the letters until you come up with a word that you can remember; however, if the items are placed in a specific order, then they cannot be rearranged.

Step 4: Shape a Sentence.

This means you make a sentence by using the first letter of each word in the list as the first letter of each of the words in a sentence. You can make a whole sentence, a phrase, or a part of a sentence. The best tactic to use would be to make the sentence about the topic of the that is being memorized.

Step 5: Try Combinations.

If the first four steps did not work individually, then you can try to use them in combination. For example, you might find that you need to rearrange the letters and insert a letter to get a word, rearrange the letters before you can make a good sentence, or you might insert a small word in your sentence like an 'and' to make it work.

5 Steps for Making and Memorizing Lists - "LISTS"

Step 1: Look for Clues.

(1) Look for word clues. The word clue will form the title or heading for a list, and the points of information which follow them would form the items in the list. (2) Look for other clues for lists for which you can listen and/or watch. (3) Look for important clues. Usually, if the information was mentioned in class and is covered in the chapter, it is important information to know. (4) Once you have found a clue and have decided that the list is important, you need to decide what the heading of your list will be. You will need to follow these five rules: the heading must summarize; must be separated from the list items; must be short; must be accurate; and must be limiting. (5) Now you can summarize your heading. Write it down on a piece of scrap paper so you can see it and evaluate it easily.

Step 2: Investigate the Items.

(1) You need to find related items by looking in the nearby vicinity of your heading clue and locating each item that can be subsumed under the heading of your list. Write each item under the heading on your scrap paper. (2) Most items should be one or two words long so that they will be easy to remember. (3) Make sure that when you put an item into your own words to shorten it you do not change its meaning or leave out an important part. (4) All items should contain information that you need to know. (5) The item chosen must not be listed more than once. (6) Each item must be parallel to the other items in the list. (7) In order to prepare a list for memorization purposes, as a general rule, it should be no more than about seven items long. (8) Investigate the items in your list to make sure you fulfill the requirements for list items.

Step 3: Select a Mnemonic Device Using "FIRST".

Continue to use your piece of scrap paper, and apply the 'FIRST' steps to your list to get a mnemonic word or sentence.

Step 4: Transfer the Information to a Card.

Write the heading of your list in the center of one side of a 3" x 5" card. Then turn your card over and write your mnemonic device in the upper left hand corner. In the center of the card write your list items.

Step 5: Self Test.

This is your memorization step. To memorize your list, you will test your own knowledge of the list until you are certain that you know it well.

* Training for this strategy is available across the nation through a network of more than 1000 certified trainers. To learn more, contact www.ku-crl.org.