Comments on: Spicing Up Rote Memorization http://awaitingtenure.wordpress.com/2008/03/20/spicing-up-rote-memorization/ Observations from the Other Side of the Lens Tue, 29 Sep 2009 03:15:36 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: eyeingtenure http://awaitingtenure.wordpress.com/2008/03/20/spicing-up-rote-memorization/#comment-595 eyeingtenure Sun, 23 Mar 2008 05:30:41 +0000 http://awaitingtenure.wordpress.com/?p=115#comment-595 I didn't know there was such a song. See, I never actually watched the Animaniacs. My parents disapproved of the Saturday morning cartoon thing. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vvy0wRLD5s8" rel="nofollow">My loss</a>. I didn’t know there was such a song. See, I never actually watched the Animaniacs. My parents disapproved of the Saturday morning cartoon thing.

My loss.

]]> By: Katy http://awaitingtenure.wordpress.com/2008/03/20/spicing-up-rote-memorization/#comment-592 Katy Sat, 22 Mar 2008 23:37:59 +0000 http://awaitingtenure.wordpress.com/?p=115#comment-592 Setting things to music can help too. Maybe there's some way you could use the Animaniacs version of the list of presidents. (Grover Cleveland's two terms get elided a bit.) Setting things to music can help too. Maybe there’s some way you could use the Animaniacs version of the list of presidents. (Grover Cleveland’s two terms get elided a bit.)

]]> By: eyeingtenure http://awaitingtenure.wordpress.com/2008/03/20/spicing-up-rote-memorization/#comment-573 eyeingtenure Fri, 21 Mar 2008 03:57:58 +0000 http://awaitingtenure.wordpress.com/?p=115#comment-573 When we do our unit on social reform, we'll cover Taft's trust-busting and all that, but until we get to that point, the bathtub gets him on the radar. I used to have one of those factbooks when I was growing up. I read it a few times before losing it in my room. When we do our unit on social reform, we’ll cover Taft’s trust-busting and all that, but until we get to that point, the bathtub gets him on the radar.

I used to have one of those factbooks when I was growing up. I read it a few times before losing it in my room.

]]> By: Howabominable (aka Lindsey ^_^) http://awaitingtenure.wordpress.com/2008/03/20/spicing-up-rote-memorization/#comment-571 Howabominable (aka Lindsey ^_^) Thu, 20 Mar 2008 17:51:06 +0000 http://awaitingtenure.wordpress.com/?p=115#comment-571 I've always been interested in past US presidents, especially those in the 1800s, so I am always reading books about them, etc. Every president has had an issue or trial that he has presided over that the students can be made aware of. The more they know about a president, the more they will remember them. The Taft-bathtub story is a good one, but honestly Taft is known for a lot more and did a lot more in office so they don't even need to lean on that little fact to learn about him. There are two books you might want to check out: "U.S. Presidents Factbook" by Elizabeth Jewell is the first. She painstakingly goes over every president, listing the normal facts such as date of birth, last words, the members of their cabinet, etc, and also goes into detail about their presidency - a majority of which is never talked about in normal school textbooks. It also talks about how the presidents lived their lives and a bit about who they were and how they grew up, not just how they served in office. If students are having trouble remembering presidents, remember that often the first ladies of these presidents are often just as interesting. There is a newish book that I bought a couple of years back called, "Secret Lives of the First Ladies" by Cormac O'Brien. It is similar to the first book I mentioned, only about the first ladies of every president (that had one) and their lives. This could be a useful tool as well. I've learned a lot from just reading these two books and I often re-read them just for fun. There are a lot of fascinating things about our less-known presidents that most people will never know about because they are not taught them in school. I’ve always been interested in past US presidents, especially those in the 1800s, so I am always reading books about them, etc. Every president has had an issue or trial that he has presided over that the students can be made aware of. The more they know about a president, the more they will remember them.

The Taft-bathtub story is a good one, but honestly Taft is known for a lot more and did a lot more in office so they don’t even need to lean on that little fact to learn about him.

There are two books you might want to check out: “U.S. Presidents Factbook” by Elizabeth Jewell is the first. She painstakingly goes over every president, listing the normal facts such as date of birth, last words, the members of their cabinet, etc, and also goes into detail about their presidency – a majority of which is never talked about in normal school textbooks. It also talks about how the presidents lived their lives and a bit about who they were and how they grew up, not just how they served in office.

If students are having trouble remembering presidents, remember that often the first ladies of these presidents are often just as interesting. There is a newish book that I bought a couple of years back called, “Secret Lives of the First Ladies” by Cormac O’Brien. It is similar to the first book I mentioned, only about the first ladies of every president (that had one) and their lives. This could be a useful tool as well.

I’ve learned a lot from just reading these two books and I often re-read them just for fun. There are a lot of fascinating things about our less-known presidents that most people will never know about because they are not taught them in school.

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