How Do I Remember All That? - Bryan Smith

Braden's schoolwork seems to be getting tougher each year. It's getting so tough that Braden fears it will soon become impossible to get everything done! What happened to the good old days when school assignments were way simpler?!

Word problems are getting more and more complicated. Reading passages are waaaay longer. When Braden's teachers quiz him on story details, they seem to get lost in translation and everything blurs together into a jumbled word soup! But it's not just at school that Braden is having to remember more things, it's happening at home, too!

With help from caring teachers and plenty of opportunities to practice at home, Braden starts to learn and practice strategies for improving his working memory! Working memory is an important executive function because it helps children (and adults!) recall information required to complete tasks or functions, such as notetaking, spelling, or the order of operations in math. To improve his working memory, Braden is introduced to reading comprehension strategies such as the “Stop and Jot” method, and even makes up wacky sentences where the first letter of each word stands for the first letter of one of his chores.

Author and school counselor Bryan Smith offers another funny but relevant story in the very popular Executive FUNction book series. The included strategies are sure to be useful to all young people (and adults)! Examples model breaking down complex problems into smaller, manageable tasks, using mnemonic devices, visualization, and other practical tools for improving working memory!

Great for students in grades K through 6 and the adults in their lives! Included at the end of the story are tips for parents and educators to help children practice and improve working memory. 31 pgs.