Mnemonic Devices

Why is it so hard to remember the definition of “abrogate” and so easy to remember the lyrics to our favorite songs? Chances are we've memorized the lyrics to hundreds of songs, but we still struggle to remember the year when the Pilgrims came to America. The reason for this disparity is simple: rhyming song lyrics act as mnemonic devices. They tap into the power of rhyme.

Rote memorization (i.e. flashcards) is one of the most ineffective and unenjoyable learning techniques. A simple rhyming mnemonic device, however, often makes even the most arcane facts easily remembered. We learn our first songs using rhyme to aid our memory. Ad agencies have long used rhyming jingles to make sure their product names stick in consumers' heads. Remember when Columbus sailed to America? In Fourteen-hundred ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. If only we had a rhyme like that for every historical date, piece of information or vocabulary word.

This is the motivation behind Flocabulary, the first learning tool to fully take advantage of the power of mnemonics. Rap turns out to be an ideal tool for memorizing rhymes and words quickly since many rap songs contain over 1,000 words and over 100 rhyming couplets.

Into those 100 rhyming couplets, Flocabulary slips vocabulary words and their definitions (on our Vocab CD + Book) or historical facts (on Hip-Hop U.S. History). On our SAT vocabulary songs, we define each word in context and in language that students can easily understand. Here’s how Flocabulary handles quid pro quo, the phrase meaning an equal exchange or substitution.

If I give something to you and get
something else back,
that’s a quid pro quo like we scratch
each other’s backs

Flocabulary not only teaches you the definition of the word, but the spelling (in the workbook) and pronunciation (on the cd) as well. Letting students hear the word means they are that much more ready to use the word in conversation, which is the true sign that they have learned it.

Not just for the SAT, but for life.

More Mnemonics -
There are two basic types of popular mnemonic devices: those involving rhyme, and those involving a phrase where the first letter of each word stands for another word. Both techniques have shown to be very effective for aiding memory.

Examples of Rhyming Mnemonics:

Mnemonic for remembering the ill fated wives of Henry VIII:

Divorced, Beheaded, Died,
Divorced, Beheaded, Survived

Mnemonic device for remembering when Alaska and Hawaii entered the United States:

'59 was the date,
When Alaska and Hawaii became new states

Mnemonic for remembering spelling:

I before E except after C,
and when sounding like "ay" as in Neighbor or Weigh
(unfortunately there are more than 200 exceptions including 'weird' and names like 'Sheila' and 'Freidman')

Mnemonic for predicting the next day's weather:

Red sky at night, sailor's delight,
red sky in morning, sailors take warning.

Mnemonic for remembering the zodiac signs:

The Ram, the Bull, the Heavenly Twins,
And next' the Crab, the Lion shines,
The Virgin and the Scales.
The Scorpion, Archer, and the Goat,
The Man who holds the Watering Pot,
And Fish with glittering scales.

Mnemonic for remembering the number of days in a month:

Thirty days hath September,
April, June, and November;
All the rest have thirty-one
Excepting February alone:
Which has twenty-eight, that's fine,
Till leap year gives it twenty-nine.

Flocabulary's mnemonic for remembering the definitions of "innate" and "peregrinate":

I travel on foot so I peregrinate,
My love of nature's natural, so it's innate,

Examples of Non-Rhyming Mnemonics:

Mnemonic for remembering Roman Numerals:

I Value Xylophones Like Cows Dig Milk
I V X L C D M
1 5 10 50 100 500 1000

Mnemonic for remembering the prefixes of metric measurements:

King Henry Died Drinking Chocolate Milk
Kilo - Hecta - Deca - Deci - Centi - Milli
x1000 x100 x10 x0.1 x0.01 x0.001

Mnemonic device for remembering the order of operations in algebra:

Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally
Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, Subtraction

Mnemonic for remembering the order of operations in long division:

Dad, Mom, Sister, and Brother
Divide, Multiply, Subtract, Bring-down,

Some mnemonics go out of style as the information they represent changes. Here is the old mnemonic device for remembering the order of the planets from the sun, back when Pluto was included:

My Very Easy Memory Jingle Seems Useful Naming Planets
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto

Here is a mnemonic for remembering the NEW list of planets (post-Pluto):

My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nachos
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune

Mnemonic for remembering groupings of animals in biology:

King Phillip Could Only Find Green Socks
Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species

Mnemonic device for remembering the colors in the rainbow in order:

ROY G BIV
Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet

Add to our list? Send yours to escher@flocabulary.com