Step Seven: Memory Work & Student Presentations

When I first began to study Spanish in the sixth grade, my teacher had us do quite a bit of memory work. We learned short dialogues that we repeated chorally in class. Often we would act them out. Occasionally, we would memorize poems. In fact, that same year, my regular homeroom teacher held a contest: Who could memorize the most lines of poetry (in English) to recite in front of the class? I remember my best friend, Steve Krafft, scowling and gnashing his teeth when I recited a poem entitled the “The Little Engine That Could” because the refrain “I think I can, I think I can” repeated many, many times throughout the poem. He found it unfair that I got credit for all of those lines. My teacher, Mrs. Barker, a lovely woman from Oklahoma chided Steve, saying “Why, Steve Krafft, with friends like you, who needs enemies?” I got full credit for this poem, and won the year’s competition.

My feeling is that memory work is a long-lost art in the language classroom. Why don’t we have our students memorize things more nowadays? Does it feel too old-fashioned? Is it not “hip” enough or not “communicatively correct”? I can remember that my brother, a French student, memorized some silly dialogue in junior high school, which he repeated ad nauseum at our family dinner table. I can still hear this line: “Pauvre, petit. Vous n’avez pas de chance, vraiment!” Over the years, my brothers and I repeated this line back and forth to each other, saying the words with crisp accents and confidence. Forty years later, this sentence is still with me.

Memory work cements good grammar and vocabulary in place. Memorized phrases start to become part of a person’s working language. Authenticity creeps into the theoretical. A speaker is born!

I assign appropriate pieces for my students to memorize – a poem, a song, a proverb or a few famous refrains, an excerpt from a short story, a scene from a play – and then ask them to present their memorized piece before the class. Before each round of presentations, I make sure to review the importance of volume, clear diction, eye contact and posture. I’ll often give a mock presentation of my own, demonstrating the good, the bad, and the ugly of solid presentation skills.

If a student forgets his line half-way through, help him out. Do not let him suffer a slow death in front of his classmates while you shake your head back and forth before inviting him to take his seat. Do not give a little sermon saying: “Next time you better do your homework. You just received an ‘F.’” Students will feel embarrassed enough all by themselves if they are not ready. Don’t worry! They don’t need you to bury them further. They will be better prepared next time. There is nothing like being in front of one’s peers to inspire thorough preparation!

I know I have repeated this mantra many times before, but this is a crucial moment to say it again: Your role as a language teacher is to make your students look good. When students are doing memory work, I feel that they are at their most vulnerable. Feed them lines if they forget. If they are really stuck, give them a script and have them read it aloud. Talk to them after class and give them a chance to make their presentation again tomorrow – alone just for you or, ideally, in front of the whole class.

Memorizing a dramatic scene is another terrific classroom assignment. In the Breaking the Barrier series, the beginning and intermediate levels have a wonderful adventure series entitled “The Adventures of Rafael, Elisa and The Tiger” that’s full of themes students love: mystery, romance, travel, music. Each odd-numbered chapter of the text contains a new adventure. These adventures build on each other over the series to a dramatic, unexpected conclusion. During the “odd chapters,” we listen to professional actors on the CD, we do oral and written reading comprehension exercises, and we celebrate the great grammar and vocabulary we discover in each episode.

But when we are studying the “even chapters” (where there is no new adventure), I often have students memorize these dialogues. I assign parts (breaking the scenes into digestible sequences), have a read-through one day, a dress rehearsal the next, and then the final production. I bring in a video camera from home to capture the final scene. We then watch and celebrate these home movies. Students (despite what they may say) love seeing themselves on camera. Even if they only have a few lines, they love seeing themselves over and over. If you have a large class, you can have two or three separate casts film the entire sequence. Wait a few days to show it to your class. Bring in popcorn or some treat. Enjoy your new stars.

I have had more advanced students memorize entire short stories and poems. I still remember one student who memorized “La araña” and recited it in class. She did a spectacular job. For many years I have had entire classes memorize “Las estatuas,” also by Enrique Anderson Imbert.

Memory work will pay rich results. Your students will thank you one day. And when you run into former students, don’t be surprised by this kind of a greeting: “I think I can, I think I can!”

Step 7 - Memory Work & Student Presentations:

Key Things to Remember

What to Do:

Assign short, appropriately chosen pieces for your students to memorize.
Tell your students that part of the assignment is to present their memorized selections in front of the class.
Choose material that you, yourself, would like to commit to memory.
Draw from a wide variety of sources: a poem, a song, a famous refrain or proverb, a scene from a play, an excerpt from a short story.
Emphasize the importance of good presentation skills – volume, diction, eye contact, good posture – before students deliver their presentations.
If your students stumble, make sure to come to their rescue. Your role as a teacher is to set your students up for success. Help them look as good as they possibly can, especially in front of their peers.
When a student falters, give him/her the chance to present the piece again – either alone in front of you, or before the whole class. Use your judgment here.
Remember that you can have students make their presentations chorally – in pairs, in trios, in groups, depending on the size of your class.
Videotape student presentations (if you have time and equipment) and enjoy watching them together.

Why it Works:

Memory works cements good grammar and vocabulary in place.

Memory work becomes part of a person’s working language structure and vocabulary.
Memory work/Student presentation is fun and it’s a change of pace.
Students with a dramatic flair, and not necessarily an aptitude or interest in the language you are teaching, have a special place to shine.
Videotaping and watching student presentations, especially dramatic scenes, is a win-win proposition. Despite their initial protests, students love watching themselves on camera. It’s a class activity that guarantees camaraderie and fun.

The Big Picture: