How to Memorize History Lessons

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Step 1: Gather your materials together and find a quiet place to work.

   Get rid of distractions.
   
   Get away from the computer (or log out of email, Facebook, and your instant messenger) and put your phone away.
2. 2

   Step 2: Start by making a very broad outline of the material you need to remember.

   Chronological order is a good basic way to start.
   
   Use your textbook as a guide (many of them have an outline or list of key concepts).
   
   Just list the big events in chronological order.
   
   Leave a lot of space between them because you will be filling them in with details. , As you read, fill in key details on your outline.
   
   Don't write everything down
   - you can't memorize everything.
   
   Instead, think about what are the most important things and write them on your outline. , The information covered in class will be what your teacher thinks is really important.
   
   So be sure to include that in your outline. , You can draw arrows from one person or event to another and add notes to them to show relationships between events.
   
   Make a timeline.
   
   There are many online places that allow you to make a digital timeline of your own.
   
   When you make it yourself, it tends to stay in your memory better, as it's your own creation. , Big events in history don't just happen.
   
   Remember to think about the story in history.
   
   This is how you will really make sense of everything. , You can review your outline much faster than you can read the whole text or go over all your notes.
   
   Make flashcards for important things you need to review. , Once you have studied your outline and know things pretty well, put your outline away and try to recreate it from memory.
   
   This will tell you what you really know.
   
   If you don't get everything right the first time, at least you now know what to study.
   
   Once you can recreate everything from scratch, you know you have your history lesson memorized!
3. 3

   Step 3: Read your assigned text.

4. 4

   Step 4: Follow your reading by reviewing any class notes.

5. 5

   Step 5: Continue building your outline until you have a complete description of the main events you need to learn in your own words.

6. 6

   Step 6: As you study

7. 7

   Step 7: focus on the overall narrative.

8. 8

   Step 8: Study your outline.

9. 9

   Step 9: Test yourself.

Detailed Guide

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