Mnemonics are often used to help remember words. Keyword strategy is a form of mnemonics. In this technique, students are taught to associate the new word to a familiar keyword so they can easily recall the new word and remember its meaning whenever they come across it in their reading. For example, when learning Spanish as a second language, a student may need to learn the word "playa," which means "beach." A good keyword for "playa" would be "play." This helps the student create a mental picture of playing in the beach to recall the word "playa."
To help students develop a keyword, identify the new term and give the students its definition. Find a keyword that relates to the new term using a visual image or a familiar phrase. If possible, show the students a picture that makes an association between the keyword and the new word. This will help cement the definition of the new word in their minds. For example, when learning the word "ranidae," a specific term for a family of frogs, a good keyword would be "rain." You could show students a picture of frogs dancing in the rain to help them remember.
Keywords are most effective when they are easy and readily available. Therefore, students should not have to spend a lot of time thinking up an appropriate keyword. Keywords are also most effective when the relationship between the keyword and the new term can be pictured. The connection between the keyword and the new term should not be too abstract. It should be a connection that students can easily understand and explain.
Keyword strategy is useful in helping students understand new ideas and new information. Keywords also help students remember new vocabulary words. They can be helpful in learning a second language. For example, students learning French could remember "pain," the French word for "bread," by visualizing or seeing a picture of a loaf of bread in a pan.