15

Organize Information to Memorize

Take notes and answer questions here.

Review

In “Use Meaning to Memorize,“ you learned strategies to help you memorize information. Share ways you have used the storytelling strategy to remember information for school.

Learn

Organizing information into groups can help you memorize lists or details. When information is organized into groups of similar terms or objects, it is easier to remember. For example, it can be very difficult to memorize all the prophets from the scriptures. However, if you organize the prophets into groups based on where they are found in the scriptures, memorizing the prophets is much easier. For example, if you are memorizing the prophets in the Book of Mormon, you might organize them into groups based on the books where they are mentioned in the Book of Mormon.

Memory Game

Complete the game below with a partner to help you understand how to memorize information by organizing it into groups.

1. Look at the items below for 10 seconds. Cover them up and tell your partner every item you remember.

   memory game images

   How many items did you remember?

2. Now, look at the items again and visualize putting them into the following groups: school, food and transportation. Then cover them up and tell your partner every item you remember.

   How many items did you remember?

Talk about how many items you remembered each time you played the game. Did you remember more items when you organized them into groups? How can this strategy help you remember other important information?

Activity

Word Map

Another way to help you remember things is to make a map to organize ideas that go together. Imagine you have been given a list of vocabulary words to memorize about the topic “church.” Look at the word map below. How does organizing these words by topic help you memorize them more easily?

Words

• students

• teacher

• scriptures

• hymns

• songs

• lessons

• children

• sacrament

• testimony

sample word map

Now make a map for one of the following topics: school, animals, or weather. Think of 8–10 words about the topic you have chosen. Write your words below. Organize these words into three different topics to create a word map.

Words

blank word map

This strategy may be especially helpful to you when you are studying words and terms you need to memorize for subjects like science, health, or history. How can you use this strategy to help you do better on exams or organize your class notes?

Talk with Your Family

Share this strategy with someone in your family. Talk about ways that word maps may help you when you take notes or when you prepare for exams.