7 Proven Ways to Help Students Remember History Facts

The bane of most teachers’ existence is somehow getting all the facts of who, what, where, when, and why to stick in their students' heads. The overload of these types of facts can make a student zone out. But we don’t want that!

Over the years, a plethora of strategies have been developed to aid student’s memory, everything from flashcards to field trips. Below are seven of my favorite ways to wrangle the facts into activities so my students can recall them in the future. They’re great for history, but I know there are other subjects they can be used for as well.

Putting it to Rhythm or Music

There’s something about music and beat that help solidify facts in student’s minds. Often repetition is part of this phenomenon. Something about how the brain stores it. You might ask Erika more about that.

We use this technique so much that we eventually decided to put together a curriculum packet. Check it out here.

Dramatic Story Telling with Interesting Props

Visuals displays and fascinating props capture students’ attention. Plus, I get a thrill out of flailing my arms around and using funny voices as I tell a story or lesson. Having the students repeat the name of a prop, like a helmet from WWII or an event location on a map, when you are telling story brings repetition back into the mix. Props often play a big part if remembering information without students even knowing it.

Student Prediction and Visualization

There’s something about asking students to predict what a story was actually about at the end that stretches their minds and creates a lasting impression. This is also a great way to introduce a new activity and generate excitement about the subject they’re about to dive into.

Additionally, I have them close eyes, heads on desk and tell a story about the subjects. Or tell them to use the mind’s eye to visualize as I read facts or primary sources. Recently I told them an “As the Empire Falls” soap opera to aid them in retaining the West African Empires of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai.

Debriefing Students

Another common practice in today’s modern education is reviewing with questions at the end of a lesson. Ask them questions like “What did I say when X?” or “What happened after X?” These sorts of questions use the associations from the lesson (and props, predictions, visualizations, and songs) to help them recall what they’ve learned.

Mnemonics

It’s a fancy word, but Mnemonics are just devices used to help them remember. There are dozens of ways to manipulate the information so your students will remember it. I use what is called an Acronym Mnemonic. An example is the funny word FARWASJBES for having my students remember the bill of rights. F stands for "freedoms" (religion, speech, press, petition, assembly), A stands for “arms", the right to bear arms, etc.

Let Students Have the Stage

Children remember what they act out and say. This can be a full on presentation or something as simple as turning to a neighbor and tell them the information. Transforming facts or famous persons to a skit or creating an action that symbolizes the data you want them to retain also uses the power of repetition (and with middle graders, humor) that will embed it into their minds.

Felder’s Cone of Learning

The Cone of Learning is a visual guideline to how we can preserve information from the undertakings we are engaged in. It has greatly influenced my style in the classroom, and proven over and over that student’s active involvement in their learning equals in higher test scores and greater recollection of lesson facts. See the image below for more details.

How do you get your students to remember all those facts and figures? Please share with us in the comments below.