Homeschool Tools contains many poems, quotes, hymns, and Bible verses for memorization. In our family, we print a copy for each student and the teacher. I save them in my notebook until the day I introduce the piece to be memorized. We read the selection together, and I explain any difficult vocabulary. Then I let the children illustrate the page and place it in their notebooks. If you do not use notebooks, a collection of poems, quotes, hymns or verses can be made into a "book" by placing them in a report folder.
Each day we spend a few minutes practicing our new piece. Sometimes I add variety by having the children take turns saying one line each. We have also written Bible verses on our white board and erased one word and recited the verse, and then another word and recited the verse, and so on, until there are no words left! For older children I use our memory work for handwriting practice as well. They find that writing a poem or Bible verse helps them to memorize it.
We also print checklists for recording the selections we have completed. Usually we review a poem or quote daily for two weeks until it is firmly memorized. Next we use a weekly review for two months, and then a monthly review as needed. We use Fridays for reviewing material. It is also the day of the week that we have a snack during school. The children review their poems, songs, quotes and verses, and then enjoy the luxury of eating their treat while I read to them.
The longer we have used memorization in our school, the more I have appreciated the usefulness of this discipline. Not only is it solid training for the mind, but it exposes children to excellent literature and enduring ideas. The Bible verses that we memorize have been applied over and over in our home! The vocabulary we have learned (like bivouac) have appeared in writing assignments and even conversation. We have also used poetry and songs to make impromptu recitals for visiting grandparents. Recently we were hiking in the Tennessee hills and came upon a field of withered stalks of goldenrod. My daughter quoted from a poem we had memorized, "And goldenrod is dying fast and lanes with grapes are fragrant." Perhaps one of the greatest rewards is seeing our children who are not old enough to read from the hymnal at church, singing along because they have memorized a particular hymn at school.
- Click here for a checklist for reviewing memorized material.
- Click here to learn more about making a Homeschool Notebook
- Click here for illustration and writing paper.
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