Functional Memory Tasks Exercise 1

Memos

Read the memo to your client or have him read it. If he reads it, encourage him to
study it and code it. If you read it aloud, ask your client if he would like it repeated.
Be prepared to repeat it as many times as necessary until your client is comfortable
that he coded the content. Then cover the memo and have your client answer the
questions, either by listening to them or reading them.

MEMO
TO: All Office Staff

RE: The meeting scheduled for 2:00 Tuesday

afternoon has been changed to Wednesday at
3:30. It will be held in Conference Room F.

1. Who was the memo for?

To: ____________________________________________________________

2. When was the meeting originally scheduled for?

Day: ___________________________ Time: _______________________

3. When was the meeting rescheduled?

Day: ___________________________ Time: _______________________

4. Where will the meeting be held?

In: _______________________________________________________

WALC 10: Memory 153 Copyright © 2007 LinguiSystems, Inc.

Functional Memory Tasks Exercise 2
Appointments

Explain to the client that John has appointments with two doctors next week. Have
the client read or listen to the information about the appointments and encourage
him to code the information. Tell him to reread the information as many times as he
needs, or repeat it for him until he feels comfortable that he has learned the details.
Then present the questions verbally or have him read and answer them.

Eye doctor appointment with Dr. Akbar

Tuesday, August 17th at 3:00

General checkup with Dr. Payne

Friday, August 20th at 11:00

1. Who is John’s eye doctor? _________________________________________

2. What day is the eye doctor appointment? _____________________________

3. What date is the eye doctor appointment? ____________________________

4. What time is the eye doctor appointment? ____________________________

5. Which doctor is seeing John on Friday, August 20th? _____________________

6. Why is John seeing Dr. Payne? _____________________________________

7. What time is his appointment on Friday? ______________________________

WALC 10: Memory 154 Copyright © 2007 LinguiSystems, Inc.

Functional Memory Tasks Exercise 5
Paragraphs with 3-4 Elements – Inclusion

Have the client read or listen to each paragraph. Then have him answer the question
from memory.

1. After washing and drying his clothes, he put away the detergent and dryer sheets.
He hung his shirts and pants in the closet and put his T-shirts in the drawer.
What clothing did he put away? ________________________________________

2. Marietta is an animal lover. She has two cats and a German Shepherd. She
keeps a fish in a large tank in her living room. It’s a good thing she has a large
apartment.
What animals does Marietta have? _____________________________________

3. Henri reads anything he can get his hands on. He reads any books and
magazines he can find. He loves to go to the grocery store and read the labels
on the containers. He even reads all the junk mail he receives every day.
What does Henri read? ______________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

4. On Saturday mornings, Jacquette gets up early and goes to any yard sale she
can find. This past Saturday she bought two games, a vacuum cleaner that was
missing its cord, and three chipped plates that she thought might be collectors’
pieces.
What did Jacquette buy last Saturday? __________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

5. Tanya really enjoys living in the city. Yesterday when she went to Central Park, she
saw a mime performing for a small crowd, bought a hot dog from a vendor, and sat
on a bench to watch the children playing. She thought it was a perfect day.
What did Tanya do and see in the park? _________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

WALC 10: Memory 157 Copyright © 2007 LinguiSystems, Inc.

Functional Memory Tasks Exercise 6
Paragraphs with 3-4 Elements – Inclusion

Have the client read or listen to each paragraph. Then have him answer the question
from memory.

1. Carlos waited until Saturday to do his chores. First he straightened his

-V
workbench in the garage. Then he mowed the lawn and mulched the
He felt good when he saw how nice everything looked.
+ garden.

What chores did Carlos do on Saturday? ________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

2. Craig likes to watch the home shopping channel. Within the last month, he
ordered an embroidered blazer for his daughter, a cooking set to give as a
wedding present, and some Super-Duper Car Wax for himself. He likes being
able to order things by phone because he doesn’t like shopping in stores.
What did Craig order? _______________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

3. Bette’s daughter called her from school. Her daughter said she had forgotten
some things and asked Bette to bring her lunch that was packed and in the
refrigerator, her math homework that was on her desk, and her gym clothes that
were somewhere on her bedroom floor. Bette said, “Okay,” hung up, and went to
look for the items.
What did Bette’s daughter forget to take to school? ________________________
________________________________________________________________

4. They had decided to get a pet dog so they looked at several breeds of puppies
before narrowing the choice to three breeds. The Shetland sheepdog was
friendly but seemed very high-strung. The chow chow looked like a little teddy
bear but the owner said that the breed was usually a “one-person” dog. The
golden retriever, however, seemed perfect in every way. After a short discussion,
they decided to get the retriever.
Which breeds did they consider? _______________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

5. The Saturday schedule for the Shelbys was going to be busy. They planned to go
to the nursery and buy some bushes for their front yard. Then they would have to
plant the bushes by 1:00 because they were expected at a picnic by 2:00. After
the picnic, they planned to go home and watch TV.
What were the Shelby’s Saturday plans? ________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
WALC 10: Memory 158 Copyright © 2007 LinguiSystems, Inc.
Functional Memory Tasks Exercise 7
Paragraphs with 3-4 Elements – Exclusion

Have the client read or listen to each paragraph. Then have him answer the question
from memory.

1. Mindy received many gifts for her birthday. Grandma gave her some clothing.
Uncle Bill gave her a doll and a book bag. Aunt Sheryl gave her tickets to the
zoo and a basketball.
Which gifts did Mindy get that were not toys? _____________________________
_________________________________________________________________

2. Geraldo liked to collect many things. He had a book of rare stamps and a book
of foreign coins. He added to his butterfly collection every summer. He wondered
what else he could collect.
What did Geraldo collect that was not an insect? __________________________
___________________________________________________________________

3. Beverly welcomed her out-of-town guests warmly. She took them to the park and
then to the museum downtown. They bought lunch from a street vendor before
going to the fishing pier.
Where did Beverly and her guests go that were not buildings? ______________
____________________________________________________________________

4. Her son participated in several after-school activities. In the fall, he was a

fullback on the football team and an active member of the debate club. In the
spring, he ran the 100-meter dash on the track team and participated as a soloist
in the spring concert.
Which activities was he involved in that were not sports? ___________________
____________________________________________________________________

WALC 10: Memory 159 Copyright © 2007 LinguiSystems, Inc.

Functional Memory Tasks Exercise 8
Paragraphs with 3-4 Elements – Exclusion

Have the client read or listen to each paragraph. Then have him answer the question
from memory.

1. Christine reviewed her telephone bill carefully. She had made an overseas call to
France to talk to an old college friend. She had a collect call from her brother in
Georgia and two calls that she had made to friends in Texas and Arkansas.

Where did Christine call that was not in the United States? __________________
________________________________________________________________

2. She decided to cook a special meal. She baked fresh bread and made a Caesar
salad. She prepared broiled flounder stuffed with crab meat and had strawberry
cake for dessert.

What did she have that was not fish? ____________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

3. It was a Saturday night and they were trying to decide what to do. They could go
visit friends or treat themselves to a movie. They talked about taking a walk in
the park but finally decided to rent a movie and stay home.

Where did they consider going that was not indoors? ______________________
_________________________________________________________________

4. Before Oscar began his Saturday chores of mowing the lawn and washing the
car, he ran some errands. First he went to the library and then to the hardware
store to buy some wood screws. On the way home, he remembered to stop at
the grocery store for milk and bread.

What did Oscar do that did not cost him money? __________________________
________________________________________________________________

WALC 10: Memory 160 Copyright © 2007 LinguiSystems, Inc.

Functional Memory Tasks Exercise 13
Paragraph Retention

Have your client listen to or read the paragraph. If he is reading, encourage him to
underline or highlight the key information. If he is listening, encourage him to take
notes. Then have him answer the questions from memory.

The Bureau of Engraving and Printing, located in Washington, D.C., prints

the United States’ paper money. Steel plates are engraved and used in a
printing press to make money. There are 32 bills printed on each sheet of
special paper. The paper must go through the press three times before
it looks like the bills we use. The first time through the press, the back of
paper money is printed. The front is printed on the second pass. Finally,
before the sheets of paper are cut into separate bills, all the numbers,
letters, and words are printed on the money.

1. Who is responsible for printing the United States’ money?

________________________________________________________________
2. Where is the Bureau located? ________________________________________
3. How many bills are made on each sheet of paper? ________________________
4. How many times must the paper go through the printing press? ______________
5. In what order are the components of a bill printed?

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________
6. What is the last thing done to the sheet of bills so they can be put into
circulation?

_________________________________________________________________

WALC 10: Memory 165 Copyright © 2007 LinguiSystems, Inc.