Moonwalking+With+Einstein+Writing+in+Math+&+Science+Resources


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 * Mind Mapping- create a mind map on a content area topic **

 The purpose of this activity is to get the students actively engaged in metacognitive skills, or thinking about thinking. After reading the section on mind mapping, the students will take a concept in physics and create their own mind map of the information. Not only will this give them a new way to organize information and study, but it also helps them fully understand that section of the book. If they can take the information they learned about mind mapping from the book and successfully create their own, then I will know that they fully understood it. An example, and a how to of this activity is located in the bibliography.


 * Read section on //Memory Palace//; find key words and points that make an effective memory palace. **

 In order to successfully create a mental palace, one needs to know the theory behind it, and the necessary images needed to make it effective. Students will read the section on the memory palace and locate key words and ideas that they feel are important to making a mental palace. When students find these, they are tasked with explaining why they feel this is important to the creation of the mental palace. By doing this activity, students must carefully read the text to find the areas that explain the important building blocks needed. The book explains why these things are important and students must further explain why in their own words, this helps reinforce this information they have just read.


 * Double-Entry Journal **

 This activity is to get students to write and think critically as they read. While they read, students must find quotes or sections of the text they feel are important or something they would like to write about or comment on. They will copy this on the left side of their notebook along with citing the page number. On the right side, students can write whatever they like about what they found. I find this activity is really great to not only identify main themes, but comment their feelings and connect their personal lives to it. This will help create a deeper understanding of the material. While reading your student’s work, you can also get a sense of how the students feel about the book and how it relates to them at all.


 * Guided reading questions **

 This would be a good activity to do along with the teaching guide given as my primary source, as it contains many questions you could use. Guided reading questions would be short answer questions that students would have to answer as they read the book. It serves the same purpose as the double entry journal, but this ensures the students focus on the main themes you’re asking them about. The students will be able to look at these questions while they read so they can pay close attention to the text and make notes. You can make them up if you would like, but the teacher’s guide in the bibliography has plenty to use.


 * Book Review **

 After the students have finished reading the book, they will be tasked with writing their own review of the book as if they were a journalist writing for a paper or a magazine. This activity helps student build summarization skills as well as letting them talk about personal opinions on the text. I’t a semi-formal writing activity that the students can have fun with. They get to learn another genre and practice their writing skills at the same time. To be able to write an acceptable review, students must have read the entire book and understand the material as well.


 * Traditional Research **

This book provides great information on memory regardless of the fascinating plot provided by Joshua Foer. The purpose of this activity would be to have students to look into a topic that is interesting, and encourage them to perhaps utilize memorization techniques.


 * Note Taking with Writing a Note Card **

In reading of this book or perhaps only a section of this book, students can focus the key ideas Joshua Foer is making by using note cards. They can write down key words and concepts described by Foer to see what the focus of the section is about.


 * Extra Credit writing assignment/response to book **

For a classroom that I believe deserves or requires an extra credit opportunity, offering this book along with a writing assignment would be a great option. It isn’t content specific to my class, which is what a good extra credit opportunity would include. Students who have the ambition to take on this task will benefit from it by seeing how memory can be used in their own learning process.


 * Create your own memory palace for topics in class **

The memory palace is a main focus in of this book. Having students first read about the memory palace and then attempt to use it can encourage new study techniques they can use, and also encourage students to work on their own memory ability. It is also a way to apply the somewhat artificial memory strategies discussed and used by Joshua Foer in his book.