Lesson Objectives
1. The Word Layout
2. How to add a picture to a word
Introduction
This lesson is all about the basic page that Memrise uses to test you for a specific word or phrase and the options that this page offers you, to help you memorize the word.
Actions
1. The Word Layout
In the previous lesson you already learned a few Spanish words with Memrise, so the following screen should be familiar to you:
(you can click on the images to make them bigger)
So now let’s review the elements on this page, since it is one of the main pages you will be using with Memrise. Please reference the cloud numbers for each section and the following explanations for the sections.
1. Starting with the blue bar at the top of the page, going from left to right, you first see the Memrise Logo followed by the exit button which allows you to leave the course you are practicing:
2. To the right of that are two vertical, white lines that allow you to pause the exercise:
3. Following the two vertical lines is this part of the blue bar:
This section tells me that you are “Learning” the course entitled “Learn Basic Spanish” and are currently working on “Level 1” of that course. Also, it says, on the far right, that you have accumulated zero points in this session. Below these words, is a small, thin bar that is a slightly darker blue color (you may not have even noticed it). Since you have not started this lesson, the bar is empty, however, as you advance with the session, the bar will begin to show your progression to show how far you have gone and how much of the session is left.
4. Finally, on the far right, it shows your username (in this case, TestSL), your photo, if included. Since I don’t have a photo included, there’s a green box. And below the username is your current Memrise “rank”. This rank is based on your lifetime, accumulated points and has no real use with Memrise other than to motivate you and to show others how addicted you are to Memrise!
5. Now, in the grey (or white) section, starting on the far left, in a really light grey color, you have two symbols. The first is a speaker symbol and this is the MUTE button if you want to turn on/off the volume quickly. The second button below that gives you a quick menu of keyboard shortcuts.
6. This small plus symbol is used to report an error in the word. When you place the mouse over the plus symbol, it rotates into an X and a flag drops down to allow you to report the error. Initially, there is no need for you to use this function.
7. Although hard to see, this grey speaker icon is used whenever there is audio for the word. Just place the mouse over this icon and if the word has an audio recording of someone pronouncing the word, you will here it. Sometimes there are several pronunciations for the same word so there will be more than one speaker icon.
8. This one is simple, it’s the word or phrase you are learning in the target language.
9. This is the translation of the word from #8 that you are learning.
10. This section includes any extra information about a word’s part of speech, or other information the course creator includes. Generally, this section is not necessary to learn the words.
11. The “Help Me Remember This” button is a fundamental feature of Memrise. It allows you to create a visual or mnemonic association with the word or phrase you are learning. When you select this button, a section opens up below it with a visual or mnemonic that someone else has added to that word. You can scroll through all the visuals that already exist to choose one, or look for the box that says “Add a Mem” to create your own. (NOTE: This function is explained in more detail below.) In the future, each time you are learning this word, your visual / mnemonic will appear to remind you of the word’s meaning. This is an optional part of Memrise, but a powerful one for anyone who learns visually.
12. This is a graphic icon that changes as you become more familiar with a word. It starts with the picture of a person planting a seed, and as you learn the word it changes into a growing flower. Just below that are a star and a circle with a line in the middle. The star is a premium feature so may be ignored for now, and the circle allows you to ignore a word so it does not appear again.
13. The More option here is only useful if there is extra information related to this word, such as definitions for various languages. It allows you to toggle seeing all or none of the extra information.
14.The NEXT button allows you to advance to the next word once you are comfortable with the current word.
15. On this page, the circle has no use, however once you begin to test your knowledge of words, this is the timer, telling you how much more time you have left to respond to the question that is shown.
2. How to Add a Picture To A Word
This section explains how to add a picture to your “flashcard” or mem. This feature will be especially useful for you if you are a person who enjoys seeing what they hear or are learning.
You can add a picture or mnemonic text to a word by selecting the “Help Me Remember This” button which is shown in #11 above. You can access this from a page when you are first learning a word or when you have been tested and gotten it wrong.
Once you select the button, a section like the following will appear:
If you like the first option that appears and want to use it, then just hit the NEXT button on the upper right.
However, if you would like to review the other options or create your own, then select one of the arrows on the right or left of the picture. You can scan through the available options and select one or create your own.
To create your own Mem, scroll through the options until you see this screen:
Click on the ADD A MEM and you should then see this screen:
This is a fabulous feature of Memrise. It allows you to search for images based on the word or phrase you are trying to learn. Test it out if you’d like by typing in some basic searches, like “black”, “63” or “house”. You’ll see that different images appear. You can select any of these images by clicking on it and then entering any text you would like to add, or just hit save to select it without adding text. That’s it! Back to studying…
Or if you prefer to create your own, then look for the blue “skip search” in the upper right. Select it and this new window opens:
This window allows you to create your own MEM or upload an existing image from your computer. Once you are finished, save it and head back to learning more words.
CONTINUE TO THE NEXT MEMRISE LESSON IN START SPANISH TODAY ยป