Presidents Day Mnemonics

Tips, Tricks and Exercises for Recalling Important Facts About the U.S.

Who’s more likely to be able to recite all 44 presidents in order, a history major or a political science major? (HINT: It’s a trick question!)

Actually, it doesn’t matter what subject you’re studying when it comes to this challenge or others like it. In fact, there are many kids in elementary school who can recite our country’s leaders from start to finish while having distractions thrown their way – sometimes literally! Check out the winning entry from our 2013 LearningRx Presidents Day Challenge at LearningRx.com (watch Tillie recite the presidents while hula hooping and shooting baskets at the same time!).

Curious how it works? It’s all about strong brain skills, in this case, long-term memory, visual processing, attention and processing speed.

Using these cognitive skills, students of any age can recite the 44 presidents easily, linking them together in a storylike list of colorful visualizations. This type of tool is called a “mnemonic,” a memorization helper that uses a rhyme, image or other device.

Here are some examples of other Presidents Day mnemonics you can try at home or in the classroom:

ACRONYMS

1.     The First 11 Presidents

“Will A Jolly Man Make A Just But Harshly Treated President?”

• W = Washington

• A = Adams

• J = Jefferson

• M = Madison

• M = Monroe

• A = Adams

• J = Jackson

• B = van Buren

• H = Harrison

• T = Tyler

• P = Polk

EXERCISE: Make up your own mnemonic for the first 11 presidents using linking pictures. For example, someone WASHING a TON of bricks as they are being layered to build A DAM.

2.     The Four Heads of Mount Rushmore

“We Just Like Rushmore”**

• W = Washington

• J = Jefferson

• L = Lincoln

• R = Roosevelt

EXERCISE: Make up a mnemonic for the Seven Man-Made Wonders of the U.S.

3.     The Original 13 States

“My Nice New Car Needs Re Painting. Maybe Dark Violet? No Shiny Gold!”

• M = Massachusetts

• N = New Hampshire

• N = New York

• C = Connecticut

• N = New Jersey

• R = Rhode Island

• P = Pennsylvania

• M = Maryland

• D = Delaware

• V = Virginia

• N = North Carolina

• S = South Carolina

• G = Georgia

EXERCISE: Make up your own mnemonic for the original 13 states AND their capitals!


RHYMES TO REMEMBER DATES

1.     In 1903, the Wright brothers flew free.

2.     Fifty-nine was the date, when Alaska and Hawaii became a state.

3.     In fourteen-hundred and ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.

4.     In nineteen-hundred and forty-one, Pearl Harbor was hit and the war had begun.

5.     In ‘69, not a moment too soon, Neil Armstrong walked on the moon.

6.     Seventy-four was not so great, when Nixon resigned over Watergate.

EXERCISE: Make up a rhyme for each of five important historical dates.


SONGS TO REMEMBER EVENTS, PROCESSES & PEOPLE

1.     Billy Joel’s song, “We Didn’t Start the Fire” is a classic favorite among history teachers. It covers everything from war and the presidents to sports and our space program. Here’s a good link to the song with clickable links to the topics’ significance:

http://www.teacheroz.com/fire.htm

2.     Few can explain the separation of government powers or our legislative process better than the generation that grew up on “Schoolhouse Rock!” These short, catchy, animated cartoons had many a kid singing along to “I’m Just a Bill” and “No More Kings” in the 1970s. Here’s a good link to the many classics:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schoolhouse_Rock!#America_Rock

3.     “The American Presidents” is a song written by Genevieve Ryan to help her remember the presidents at her father’s request (as a Father’s Day gift). The song has since been transformed into a full musical composition and can be listened to on the White House History website:

http://www.whitehousehistory.org/history/white-house-media/american-presidents.html

EXERCISE: Using the lyrics from Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” have students explain the events from one stanza.


THE PEG SYSTEM

Choose a word to rhyme with each number 0 through 10, then incorporate that word into the visual of what you are trying to remember. The more ridiculous the imagery, the easier it will be to remember!

0 - hero

1 - run

2 - shoe

3 - tree

4 - door

5 - hive

6 - bricks

7 - heaven

8 - skate

9 - vine

10 - hen

For example, if you are trying to remember the presidents (and non-presidents) on our currency, you might do:

• $1 – picture George Washington RUNning in a track suit

• $2 – picture Thomas Jefferson as “TJ the DJ” dancing around in some bright pink SHOEs

• $5 – picture Abraham Lincoln, but instead of the tall black hat he frequently wore it’s a tall yellow bee HIVE

• $1,000 – for one, zero, zero, zero and Grover Cleveland, picture the blue Grover (from Sesame Street) RUNning with Superman, Batman and the Green Lantern (HERO, HERO, HERO)

EXERCISE: Using the peg system, create mnemonics to remember who is on the penny, nickel, dime, quarter, $.50 coin and $1 coin.


Whatever type of mnemonic you use at home or in the classroom, the key is to make it fun – and funny – whenever possible. Our brains like positive associations that entertain us and using mnemonics to strengthen cognitive skills like memory, attention and visual processing makes learning history – and ANY subject – easier.

To find out more about the 2014 LearningRx Presidents Day Contest or how you can train your brain to become a faster, more efficient learner, visit www.LearningRx.com.