Memory: Learning the atomic symbols for the Periodic Table of Elements in my 9th grade chemistry ...

1. Related Memory Fragments

1.1. My friend was really disappointed when I made the puns for the elements because they were so terrible

1.2. Working together with my friend to do the forensics unit after the periodic table unit.

1.3. Taking the test about the atomic symbols and numbers.

1.4. Doing a worksheet where we made words out of the atomic symbols for the elements.

1.5. Drawing on the lab table with an eraser when bored in class.

2. Declarative Memory

2.1. It's an episodic memory because I'm remembering a specific event that happened in my life.

2.2. It is also a sematic memory because when I remember the event, I also recall the facts and data that were memorized during the event.

3. Reconstruction Errors

3.1. The only reconstruction error I can think of is the way I remember my friend looking. She changed her hair a lot, so my mental image of her is likely inaccurate.

3.2. I also might have some of the other students in the class mixed up or I might remember some being there that weren't because I had a lot of repeat students in other classes.

4. Cognitive Hook: Puns and Wordplay

4.1. Sn for Tin, Sn means snails, and tin makes you sluggish.

4.2. Copper (Cu) and Tellurium (Te) together spell CuTe

4.3. Iron (Fe), Iron man is (Fe) male

4.4. The main reasons I remember this is because I remember a lot of the puns I used to help me remember the elements, and those puns also irritated my friend, which also helped me remember.

5. Cognitive Hook: Methods of Loci

5.1. Distinctly remembering the location of the periodic table in the classroom and remembering which spaces were where.

5.2. My desk was located against the wall furthest from the door, and one desk back from the front of the classroom.

5.3. My classroom was in the 9th grade wing of my school, on the right side of the wing, toward the middle.

6. Sensory Details

6.1. The desks in the classroom were two person lab tables with cold, black tops.

6.2. The cold air of the classroom because it was always circulating to keep fumes out.

6.3. Sticky tile floors in the lab.

6.4. The smooth papery feel of the flashcards we were making.

6.5. The chemical smell that was usually in the lab.

6.6. My friend that I sat next to usually had a pretty strong perfume that I remember smelling.

6.7. I remember the air conditioner in the classroom being very loud.