lesson plan: working memory for kids - mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk€¦ · lesson plan: working memory for...

LessonPlan:WorkingMemoryforKidsGrades:Year3-6Age:7-11years

OverviewWorkingmemoryistheabilitytoholdinformationinmindandmanipulateit.Itisanessentialcognitiveskillforschoollearning.Thislessonintroducestheconceptofworkingmemorytochildren,showsthatthereisalimittothecapacityofworkingmemory,andintroducestrategiestomakethemostofworkingmemory.Thelessonisdividedinto4segments:Introduction,Exploration,Application,andConsolidation.

Introduction 5minObjective Thissectionisaimedtointroducetheconceptofworkingmemory–alimitedcapacity

systemtostoreverbalandvisuospatialinformationandmanipulateit.Materials smallwhiteboard,markerpen,listofexampleitemsActivity Theteacherintroducesthetopictotheclassfollowingtheoutlineofthe‘Introduction’

sheet

Exploration 20minObjective Inthissection,childrenwillhavetheopportunitytoexploretheconceptofworking

memoryandtoalsoexperimentwiththeirownworkingmemoryMaterials listofexampleitemsActivity Thisisastudent-leadactivityinwhichchildrenworkinsmallgroups.Theywillbeplayinga

gamethatrequiresworkingmemory.Thisisfollowedbyashortreviewwiththewholeclasstowrapuptheactivity.

Application 15minObjective Inthissection,childrenwilllearnhowworkingmemoryisusedindifferentclassroomand

leisureactivities.Theywillalsobemadeawareofsignsthatworkingmemoryisoverloadedandstrategiestoreduceworkingmemoryload.

Materials White-boardstickersActivity Thisisateacher-leadactivity.Childrenareaskedtocomeupwithexamplesofactivities

thatrequireworkingmemory.

Consolidation 10minObjective Thissectionaimstorecapitulatethatinformationcoveredinthelessonandcondenseit

tosometake-homemessagesMaterials ConsolidationworksheetActivity Studentsareworkingindividuallyontheconsolidationworksheet,whichcontains

multiplechoicequestionsandtextboxesforlong-formanswers.Studentsarealsoaskedtoreflectonthethingsthattheyfoundmostinterestingoruseful.

Introduction“Whatisworkingmemory?”

Note:Theinstructionsbelowprovideaguideforteacheronhowtointroducetheconceptofworkingmemory.Thetextdoesnothavetobeusedverbatim.Theillustrationsareintendedtobeshownonawhiteboardthatcanbeactivelymanipulated,e.g.byaddinganitem,addingatickmarketc.Today,wearelearninghowourbrainworks,specificallyaboutsomethingcalledworkingmemory.Whenwehearthewordmemory,weoftenthinkaboutrememberingthingsfromalongtimeago.Workingmemoryisdifferent.Workingmemoryisthetypeofmemorythatyouusetokeepthingsinmindwhileyouareworkingonthem.ImagineyourMumaskedyoutogotothesupermarket.Listencarefullyandseeifyoucankeepthefollowinginstructionsinmind:“Gotothehomebakingaisleandgetsomefinewhiteflour,thengotothefridgesectionandgetsomefree-rangeeggs,thengotothesweetsaisleandgetsomedarkchocolate,thengetsomealmondsfromtheaislewiththecannedfruit,andthengetsomecinnamonsticksfromthespicessection.”Whocanremembertheinstructions?It’sdifficult,isn’tit?Whenwekeepinstructionslikethisinmind,ourbrainusessomethingcalledworkingmemory.It’slikethebrain’swhiteboard:itcantakesomeinformationtostoreandmanipulateit,likethis:

Location - Item Baking aisle – white flour ✓ Fridge – free-range eggs ✓

Sweets aisle – dark chocolate ✓ Canned fruit aisle – almonds

Spices section – cinnamon sticks

cashier

cashier

Entra

nce

flour

cinn

amon

alm

onds

dark

ch

ocol

ate

eggs

Thebraincanalsouseworkingmemoryinadifferentway.Forexample,likethis:

Ineithercase,thereisalimittohowmuchinformationwecansqueezeonthisboard.It’sthesamewiththebrain’sworkingmemory.Itgetsfullandthingsneedtobetakenofftomakeroomfornewinformation.Somepeoplecankeepalotintheirmindandothersabitless.Thegoodnewsisthatyougetbetteratthisasyougrowupandyoucanusesometricksthathelpyoukeepthingsinmindmoreeasily.Wearegoingtolearnaboutthesetoday

WorkingMemoryforKidsActivitySheet-Scientist

Hello,welcometotheWorkingMemorygame.Inthefirstroundofthegame,youwillbethescientist.Asthescientist,youwillchallengeyourclassmate’sworkingmemory.Youwillalsohavetokeeptrackofhowwellyourpartnerisdoing.Followtheseinstructionscarefully:

1. Sitoppositeyourpartner.2. Put themagnets on the board as shown below.Make sure that your

partnercannotseethem.3. Showyourpartnertheboard(countto5)andthenturnitawayagain–

usethestopwatch4. Removeitemsasshownbelow5. Showyourpartnertheboardagainandcountto5.6. Showyourpartnerthebackoftheboard.7. She/hewillhavetosay:

a. whereontheboardtheitemswereb. iftheitemsthatyouremovedisfoodornot

8. Giveyourpartnerapointforeachcorrectlocation

Showfirst Showsecond Place? Food?

1.START

2.

FoldHere

Turnover

Showfirst Showsecond Place? Food?

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.FINISH

WorkingMemoryforKidsActivitySheet-Participant

Hello,welcometotheWorkingMemorygame.Inthefirstroundofthegame,youwilltakepartinanexperiment.Youwillhavetorememberwhereyousawobjectsontheboardandiftheyarefoodornot.Followtheseinstructionscarefully:

1. Sitoppositeyourpartner.2. Yourpartnerwillshowyouobjectontheboardforashortmoment.Look

atthemcarefullyandrememberwhereyousawtheobjects3. Yourpartnerwillshowyoutheboardagainforafewmoments.Thistime

oneobjectismissing.4. Pointtothelocationoftheobjectthatwasremovedonthebackofthe

boardandsayifthemissingobjectwasedibleornotedible.5. Youwillgetpointsforcorrectanswers

Application“Whatdoweuseworkingmemoryfor?”

Note:Thissheetcontainsmaterialsforateacher-leadactivityabouttheuseofworkingmemoryintheclassroomandathome.Childrenareaskedtocomeupwithexamplesonwhichsituationsmayrequireworkingmemory.Theteacherwillcategorisethemintoactivitiesthatareusedathomeandintheclassroom.Somepromptsareprovidedincasechildrenfinditdifficulttocomeupwithexamples.Childrenshouldhavesometimetothinkaboutexamplesontheirownandwritethemdown.Everychildshouldhavetheopportunitytocontributesomethingdependingonhowmuchtimeisavailable.Inthelastgame,welearnedthatourbraindoessomethingcalledworkingmemory.Workingmemoryisusedtostoreinformationinourmindandmanipulateitlikeyoudidinthegame.Now,Iwantyoutothinkwhenwemightuseworkingmemoryinschoolorathome.Everyoneshouldthinkofanexampleofwhenwemightuseworkingmemoryandwritetheexampledown.Collectexamplesfromthechildrenonthewhiteboard.Summarizespecificexampleswiththetemplatesprovidedorwriteadditionalexamplesonthewhiteboard.Looselycategorisetheexamplesinto‘atschool’and‘athome’.Makesurethatdifferentchildrencontributesomething.Theexamplesofactivitiesshouldhavesomememoryandsomeprocessingaspecttothem.Examplewhiteboard:

Ifchildrenfinditdifficulttocomeupwithexamples,trypromptslikethefollowing:WhendoyouneedtokeepthingsinmindduringEnglishlessons?WhendoyouneedtokeepthingsinmindinMaths?Inthenextstep,childrenwillthinkaboutsignsthatindicatethattheirworkingmemoryisoverloaded.Whendothesethingsbecomereallydifficult?Expectedanswers:moredifficulttasks,e.g.largesums;whentherearedistractions;whentherearealotofthingstokeepinmindThen,childrenareaskedtothinkofstrategiestohelpthem.Whatcouldyoudotomakeiteasierforyoutokeepthingsinmind?Expectedanswers:takenotes,makeadrawingtovisualiseinformation,useachartoftable,organizematerialsbeforestartinganactivity,planwhatyouaregoingtodobeforedoingit,writeinstructionsdown,askpeopletorepeatwhattheysaidwhenyounoticethatyouforgotsomething,avoiddistractions,dothingsthatrequireconcentrationinaquietarea

Recapitulation“Whathavewelearned?”

Pleasetickthecorrectbox:Workingmemoryis….

� keepingsthingsinmindandthinkingaboutthem� rememberingwhatyouhadforlunchlastThursday� thereasonwhyweuseshoppinglists

Howmanythingscanwekeepinmindatonce?Makeacrossonthelineonething________________________________________________everywordinabookGiveexamplesofanactivityinwhichyoumightuseworkingmemory:__________________________________________________________ Describeinasentencewhatyouhavelearnedtoday:___________________________________________________________