Key+Word


 * Key Word Vocabulary Method**

This is an ancient memory technique dating back to the time when unschooled messengers had to recall long and explicit details. In this application a new word is linked to a mental image that it suggests and that in turn is connected in some logical way to the actual meaning of the word. The object is to create mental images that are easy to recall because they are easy to visualize, and even odd or amusing.
 * Step 1. Write the word on the board, pronounce it, and tell what it means.
 * Step 2. Ask students to use the sound of the word to come up with a visual image that will help them remember the word meaning. The visual image should link what the word sounds like to what it actually means. For example, a plateau (a large grassy flatland) could be linked to the image of a huge upside-down green dinner plate. Collage (an artwork created by random combination of bits and pieces of other pictures and/or objects) could be linked to the image of a bulletin board filled with pictures of different colleges.
 * Step 3. As an optional step, students can be directed to write each word and its meaning and draw a simple line drawing or stick figure to represent their visual image connector. Another option is to have students record the words in a form that can be used for later review by writing the word and drawing their picture represents on the front of a note card and writing the meaning on the back.

(Manzo, Manzo, & Thomas, 2009)