When she mentioned there was a t-shirt involved – my daughter made the decision right then and there: she was going to be a memory master. Our director started talking about it during our morning community meetings and my daughter’s ears perked up. We were in this camp our first year of Classical Conversations. I have a simple Memory Work Review Routine here.īUT… some kids are not even aware of what memory master is until directors start talking about it in the spring semester. The simple answer to when a student should start memory master prep is: the first week of the year! Casual review of the memory work during your homeschool day or as part of a memory work routine is usually enough to start on your way to memory master. In years past, there was the suggestion that each proof should take place a few days apart, but that is not detailed in the current guidelines. Each memory master candidate would need to discuss the timing of her proofs. The current Memory Master guidelines do not specify the timing of these proofs. The Director proof is more of a celebration of the student’s knowledge, where the director only queries the student on 25% of the material. Once the student reaches the tutor proof, he must be able to recite all the memory work with the appropriate prompts without any helps. The proofing process has changed a bit over the last couple of years, but the parent proof is the opportunity for the parent to check the student’s mastery of the subject with a few helps along the way. The student is “proofed” by his parent (at home), by another adult (at home), then by his tutor (in community), and finally checked by his Community Director. Thus, a Memory Master is demonstrating mastery of 168 different facts, lists, or statements. The student is tested or “proofed” in each subject, testing their memory of 24 different facts in each of the seven subjects.

The information can be in the form of a list, a sentence, a song, or an identification.

In order to become a Memory Master the student (or parent) has to memorize information in seven different subjects (Math, English Grammar, Latin, History, Timeline, Geography, and Science). Most people don’t understand what a HUGE deal this is.įor those of you reading this, hoping to make a similar announcement, direct your unknowing family members here and I will give a quick run-down. When one announces proudly that Junior has achieved this accolade, the vacant smiles appear and the “Con… gratulations!?! What’s that?” start. This term is extremely foreign to non-CC families. Here we are in our 4th year of Classical Conversations and I am finally telling you my simple memory master prep thoughts and suggestions.Ī word about Memory Master. And each year (3 years) I have gotten behind and have not gotten around to it. Each year we have prepared for Memory Master for Classical Conversations, I have thought about writing an article explaining our process (and my best tips).

Memory master social study 1