I. Topic: Chunking and Memory

II. Purpose: To show students how chunking increases our capacity for remembering based on the creation of meaningful word units.

III. Description: Demonstration

Phrases, strings of letters, lists, and other similar classes of things to be remembered are easy to learn and later recall by using the method of chunking.

IV. Procedure:

1. On an overhead, place the following sentence in large, preferably font size 14 or larger:

Th era inhe lpsf arm ersgr owcro ps.

Give the students about 30 seconds to attempt to memorize the sentence. Ask them to repeat it back to you the best they can and inquire as to how difficult this task was.

2. On a separate overhead, place the following sentence, (again in a large font):

The rain helps farmers grow crops.

Explain to them that this is the same string of letters you asked them to recall on the first overhead. They should immediately recognize how forming letters into meaningful units facilitates remembering.