Non-Linguistic

Representations
AKA:
Creating Pictures in the Mind
 Did U Know?
• Linguistic= learning from talking
• Non-Linguistic= learning from not talking
(mental images)

• Teachers present most of their new info by

talking or by reading.
• This means students have to come up
with their own mental images (non-
linguistic representations) to get it.
 Try These NL Reps:
2. Creating Pictures/Pictographs
3. Kinesthetic Activity
4. Creating Graphic Representations
5. Physical Models

MAKE IT STICK!
(symbolic pictures in the mind)
 Creating Pictures
• Powerful way to generate
non-linguistic
representations in the mind.
• Pictograph is just a drawing
that uses symbols to
represent information.
 First Concept of the Year:
“Social Studies…Is a Tree”

History
p hy
ra
l ture
Cu
og
e
G
m ent
rn
G ove
Economics

S.S.
 Boring Concept:
5 Themes of Geography
Introducing Mr. Lip:
Movement, Region, Location, Interaction, Place
 Boring Concept:
Four Major World Religions

HI, CJ!
•Hinduism
•Islam
•Christianity
•Judaism
 Need Ideas?

Use the Gallery tab of

your Smartboard to get
all kinds of pictures and
ideas!
(learning using physical movement)
 Specific knowledge
+ physical movement=
mental image
in the mind of the learner.
 Specific Knowledge
I wanted them to know:
• Mesopotamia was located in present day
Iraq.
• Mesopotamia means “land between two
rivers”
• The rivers are the Tigres and Euphrates
• Sumer and Tyber were two major city-states.
• Babylon was the most famous known for its
beautiful hanging gardens.
• Hammurabi was the king of Babylon.
 Mesopotamia Song
I created a kinesthetic song that got them
out of their seats and helped their brain
retain the knowledge I was trying to teach.
 Mrs. Warrell’s Closet Songs
• SS is a Tree • Ancient Chinese
• Mr. Lip Dynasties
• Hi, CJ • Meso-America Song
• Mesopotamia Song • Spanish Alphabet
• (Exploration Period)
Egypt Song
• 13 Colonies Song
• Ancient Greek
Alphabet • US state songs
• Ancient India Song • US capital songs
***I was able to teach the northern border US states to my flex class and
assess them in just three minutes using a song. All but 3 students could
correctly label all of the northern border states just three minutes after
learning the song.
 Not comfortable
moving and shaking?
• Try having the students take some of
your toughest content and have them
compete to make a song with
movements that will help them retain the
information.
• Example: Molly’s Art Elements Song
written by Molly, Dave’s Elements of
Music Song written by students.
• Make up acronyms and incorporate
simple movements.
(combine linguistic and non-
linguistic)
 Six Types of GOs
• Descriptive Pattern
• Time-Sequence Pattern
• Process/Cause-Effect Pattern
• Episode Pattern
• Generalization/Principle Pattern
• Concept Pattern

***Students retain info in the brain by seeing and

learning patterns.
Representations of what is being
learned
 Physical Models
• A.K.A. “manipulatives” by science and
math teachers.
• The very act of generating a concrete
model makes an “image” in the students’
minds.
 The Key
• Instead of just having students listen to
you talk about the new content or having
them read about it, it is essential that you
help provide non-linguistic representations
to help them develop images in their
minds.
• This will help the students retain the
concepts you are teaching at greater
rates.
Help Them Visualize
it in their minds!

The Evil Mr. Hippocampus:

takes away all the info you
don’t regularly use!

Help fight against Mr.

Hippocampus by giving
your students non-linguistic
representations!
 CCT Time
• As a team, share the non-linguistic
representations that you currently use to
teach concepts in your class.
• Are there any NLReps that you could use
in all your classes? EX: MR. LIP in SS,
The “Toolbox” in Language Arts.