Spelling Review: Making It Stick

Did you ever cram for exams when you were a student?

I sure did! When I was in high school, I'd cram for physics tests. I'd bring the book home the night before the test and "memorize" the formulas. Going into the classroom the next day, I knew that I had a very loose grasp on the pertinent facts. My grasp was so loose that I felt that if I bent over to pick up a fallen pencil, those facts would drop right out of my head! So as soon as the test was handed out, I'd quickly jot down the formulas before I forgot them—and I'd ace the test. But by dinner that evening, those formulas were forgotten. Luckily for my GPA, our physics teacher didn't do cumulative reviews!

Is "crammed" material truly learned?

If my physics grade had been based on what I remembered months later, I probably would have received a D instead of an A. Nothing I "learned" was lasting. Most of us would agree that cramming doesn't work. Why? Because cramming puts information into short-term memory instead of into long-term memory. Short-term memory is a system for temporarily storing, managing, and recalling the information necessary to carry out particular tasks. It keeps track of things like where you parked your car an hour ago or what you plan on having for dinner tonight. For your kids, facts in short-term memory might include the spelling for the word stationery or the new grammar rule they learned this morning. Long-term memory, on the other hand, is a system for permanently storing, managing, and retrieving information for later use. It helps students remember and recall things like math facts, spelling words, and grammar rules. Items of information stored as long-term memory may be available for a lifetime. And that is what we want for our students—permanently ingrained learning!

As teachers, our job is to make sure that what we are covering in class right now will be available to the student later in life, and we do that by reducing the material down to what is most important and working on getting that material into the student's long-term memory.

How do you get information into your student's long-term memory?

Think back to your own school days. Do you recall any particular "learning moments?" Why do you remember them? For example, I remember that grammar is spelled with ar at the end, and not er, because my teacher always said, "Grammar is from Mars." I remember how to multiply because my teacher required us to repeat the multiplication tables over and over. And I can still name the fifty states in alphabetical order without even thinking about it simply because my chorus teacher taught us a song! In each case, the teacher used surprising or unusual methods to plant the information in my head or required me to repeat the information until I knew it like the back of my hand. Those teachers knew that the two main ways to get information into a student's long-term memory are to make it memorable and to review it frequently.

For spelling, repetition and review are crucial to making sure your students truly learn the material and that it is permanently stored in their long-term memory.

It is your job as the teacher to review.

Parents and teachers often tell me, "I taught this same information to Joey last month, and now he's forgotten it." They don't realize that presenting the material once or twice isn't enough. You need to provide the framework to make sure the student knows it. That framework includes consistent and direct review, finding different and memorable ways to review, and giving your student plenty of practice until he gets the concepts you are teaching. As the teacher, you must take responsibility and ensure that the student remembers important information. And to do that, you need a strategy.

Six strategies for reviewing key facts.

1. Make sure your student understands what he is memorizing. If you are teaching multiplication facts, ensure that your student understands what 3 times 5 means by demonstrating it with blocks or other manipulatives. If you are teaching U.S. geography, show him a map to make sure he gets the big picture and understands how the country is divided into states. When teaching a new spelling rule, use the letter tiles to demonstrate how the rule works. 
2. Make review a priority in your lesson plans. Review old material for five minutes before presenting new material. Plan the review right into your lessons so you'll easily remember to do it and won't be tempted to skip over it.
3. Review more frequently when the facts are first taught. Review new material daily at first, then weekly, then monthly. Revisiting memorized material pushes it into long-term memory and keeps it there. Come up with a system so you don't forget what items need to be reviewed. Use a calendar system, a teacher organizer, or an index card box.
4. Review facts using the same words until they are completely memorized. For example, to memorize the definition for homophones, use the same sentence each time until memorized: Homophones are words that sound alike but are spelled differently. To memorize the kingdoms in biology, state them in the same order each time: Monera, Protista, Fungi, Plantae, Animalia.
5. Review using a variety of methods. Since students learn through sight, sound, and touch, it's important to use a variety of methods to review material. Most facts and concepts from math to spelling to Spanish can be reviewed with flashcards, recitation, games, and practical applications like problem-solving, dictation, writing, and conversation. The methods are endless, so use your imagination to capture that of your student!
6. Don't retire a fact too soon. Though it may appear that a student knows a fact, it may not be burned into long-term memory yet—so don't stop the review too soon. If you want the student to be able to access the information years from now, not just a week from now, review facts at intervals and continue the review until your student has completely mastered the material.
   

Never settle for short-term learning.

Did you know that a hundred years after the last wagon went over the Oregon Trail, you can still see the wagon ruts? Now that was a well-worn path! Once you set up a system for consistent review, you'll find that over time your student will absorb the information you teach, enter it into his long-term memory, and be able to recall it effortlessly when he needs it. You simply need to do as the master teachers do and provide the structure for the student to truly learn the material. Keep treading that path until it is as permanent as the Oregon Trail—and you and your student will still see the effects years from now!