Lesson Plan | I Remember: Teaching About the Role of Memory Across the Curriculum

Memory is among the most essential of human traits. At its best, it enriches our experience; when it fails, we lose our essence. But how conscious are we of its true power?

In this lesson, one that can be used across the curriculum since it addresses interdisciplinary themes, we explore the ways in which memory affects our lives. First we consider how one person’s memories might help to ensure the very survival of her culture. Then students can investigate the ways in which memory connects with other aspects of human society, from history and geography to food and science.

If You Have Only One Class Period …

Warm Up | Ask students to think of a story someone told them when they were young. As a quick “Do Now” exercise, ask them to jot down their memory of who told them the story, where it came from, and the language it was told in. Take a moment to discuss and record students’ memories and any specific words or sentences they recall. Do they think it’s important that this story continues to live on through memory?

In the video “Who Speaks Wukchumni,” the filmmaker Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee introduces us to Marie Wilcox, the last fluent speaker of a nearly extinct Native American language. After contemplating the gradual disappearance of these words from her life and memory, Ms. Wilcox began compiling a dictionary for future generations.

See, I’m uncertain about my language and who wants to keep it alive. Just a few. It’s sad. It just seems weird that I am the last one. And I don’t know, it will just be gone these days, maybe, I don’t know. (Or) it might go on and on.

Watch the video and read the accompanying story about Ms. Wilcox’s efforts. Then ask students to answer the following comprehension questions.

Focus Questions for Discussion

1. What prompted Marie Wilcox to begin making a Wukchumni dictionary, and what was her goal?
2. How has her work affected the rest of her family and community?
3. The Wukchumni language was little more than a memory for Marie Wilcox earlier in her life. What were the factors that allowed her to build on that foundation and improve it?
4. Ms. Wilcox says she isn’t sure what will come of her efforts to save the Wukchumni language. Do you believe that she will succeed? Find evidence from the film and story to support your opinion.

As a culminating activity or exit ticket, show students the list of New Words & Slang in the Merriam-Webster Open Dictionary. Then ask whether they know of any new words that have become popular within their family or friend groups. Might any of these words be worthy of inclusion in a dictionary, and in danger of being lost to history over time? Take nominations, write definitions, discuss the stories behind them and consider submitting the most popular entries for inclusion on Merriam-Webster’s list.

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If You Have More Time …

How can our understanding of memory be enhanced by viewing it through the lens of history, geography, science, psychology, or even cooking? Students can choose a focus for independent research from the list below. Or, ask small groups to each focus on a topic, with students researching different aspects for a group presentation.

When We Forget: Eyewitnesses, Bystanders and the Flaws of Memory
Something happens in front of numerous eyewitnesses, and not one person remembers it the same way. Why does memory sometimes break down when we need it most? Read about the episode last year in Manhattan, which everyone saw differently, and famous research studies about flawed eyewitness accounts. Then set up a class debate on a fundamental question: Should eyewitness accounts ever be used as part of a court case or school disciplinary hearing, or are they too unreliable? Consider recent court rulings and propose a list of guidelines for use in making high-stakes decisions.

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Just Remember It!

Scientists have learned a lot about how people recall information. Learn how the brain stores trivia, uses reinforcement and takes advantage of imagery to lock in information. Then read about ways in which people have drilled to remember poems, names and facts. Read about the secret stories behind passwords — those phrases and numbers that we try never to forget — and what they reveal about us. Test your memory with the classic find-the-penny quiz and some brain teasers from the World Memory Championships. As a culminating exercise, write yourself a tip sheet of strategies for retaining information. Then pick something significant or challenging to memorize, and track your progress over a month in remembering it.

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Linking Memory to Time and Place

Geography might seem abstract and remote from daily life, but it comes alive when you consider its connection to real people. Invite students to first choose a place they have strong memories of — whether a city they moved from or a place they visited on vacation — and write a list of what they remember about it. Some ways to generate these memories might include asking students to think about their five senses: what did they see, hear, taste, smell and touch that was new to them, or that was especially memorable? Or, invite them to create a map of the place and annotate it with memorable events and details. (This post from 2011, “What We Eat, Where We Sleep: Documenting Daily Life to Tell Stories,” has other suggestions.)

Once students have long lists, or even fully written essays or stories, about the place they remember, have them try looking that place up in Times search. How has The Times covered this place? What are the typical stories about it? If they can, have them find pieces with rich descriptions of the place and the daily lives of people there, like these from Liberia, Russia, or Canada. How do these pieces compare with the memories they noted? Does reading them help them remember more? Do the portrayals conflict with how they remember the place themselves?

Another activity? Type a country, city or region from anywhere into the world into the search field of The Times’s Lives column database, find a story that gives you new perspective on that place, and share your findings with classmates through a short presentation or bulletin board.

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Remember When: Personal Moments in History

History books often focus more on broad themes and leave out the stories of everyday people, but newspapers sometimes try for a more personal approach by collecting readers’ responses to major events or capturing reporters’ personal impressions. Read these reader responses to the deaths of the Apple founder Steve Jobs and the musician David Bowie, noting a few favorite memories. Consider also this personal memory from the Times videographer Jonah Kessel, in which he tries to explain how it felt in Kathmandu, Nepal, in the weeks before last year’s disastrous earthquake. How do these personal narratives convey a different aspect of history than a textbook might?

Then compare The New York Times’s front-page coverage of a historic event, the 1969 landing of men on the moon, with reader memories and photos of the event 50 years later. As a culminating project, curate your own “textbook” poster of the moon landing in which you use a combination of facts and readers’ memories to explain the moon landing’s impact upon everyday Americans.

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How Objects Remind Us of Others

Watch the Op-Doc “Love and Stuff,” about the objects which meant something to Judith Helfand and her dying mother, and choose one object that resonated with you. Draw a picture of the object, then write a paragraph in which you explain how it represented certain memories or meanings for the Helfands.

Then, create a poster with photographs that comprise a “museum” of the key objects in your own life. As scaffolding for this project, students can respond to this Student Opinion question asking: What objects tell the story of your life?

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Food as Memory Trigger

What’s your most memorable meal? What taste reminds you of a long ago time and place? Read some of these stories about memorable meals from Times readers and contributing writers. Then put together an annotated menu featuring some of your favorite dishes and the memories which you associate with them. As a culminating activity, write a more detailed piece that describes a memorable meal. You can publish your descriptions as a response to our related Student Opinion question.

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When Something Fails: Taking Steps to Remember

Alzheimer’s disease has been described as “cruel” because its onset is marked by a deterioration in memory. Victims and their relatives often go to great lengths to preserve the stories of their lives, or investigate ways to stimulate or awaken memories in danger of being lost.

Read about Pam White, a woman who began keeping a video diary as her Alzheimer’s symptoms began to progress, and a video tribute by Alan Berliner to a mentor who suffered from the disease. Then consider “Alive Inside,” a film documenting how a social worker, Dan Cohen, used iPods to share music with elderly patients stricken with dementia.

Which of these projects seems most effective to you and why? Develop an argument supported by evidence from these sources, and then try to persuade your classmates in a discussion or debate.

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