U.S. patent application number 10/350849 was filed with the patent office on 2003-09-11 for literacy system.
Invention is credited to Blank, Marion S..
Application Number | 20030170596 10/350849 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 27791573 |
Filed Date | 2003-09-11 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030170596 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Blank, Marion S. |
September 11, 2003 |
Literacy system
Abstract
A literacy system provides teaching for reading and writing
skills. In one embodiment, the literacy system may include
exercises for teaching visual sequencing, motor skills, phonology,
semantics, syntax, and text. The literacy system may have a
pre-reading section, which includes exercises for developing visual
sequencing skills and motor skills prior to teaching the skills of
reading and writing words.
Inventors: |
Blank, Marion S.; (Tenafly,
NJ) |
Correspondence
Address: |
FISH & RICHARDSON P.C.
3300 DAIN RAUSCHER PLAZA
60 SOUTH SIXTH STREET
MINNEAPOLIS
MN
55402
US
|
Family ID: |
27791573 |
Appl. No.: |
10/350849 |
Filed: |
January 24, 2003 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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60362749 |
Mar 7, 2002 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
434/178 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G09B 17/00 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
434/178 |
International
Class: |
G09B 017/00 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A literacy system comprising: a pre-reading section that
includes sequencing exercises, the sequencing exercises including
foreign symbols that are not associated with letters of a written
language taught by the literacy system; and a language skills
section that includes language exercises for teaching at least one
language skill selected from a group consisting of phonology,
semantics, syntax, and text.
2. The literacy system of claim 1, wherein the sequencing exercises
teach the physical skill of visually scanning symbols in a
left-to-right sequence.
3. The literacy system of claim 1, wherein the sequencing exercises
teach the physical skill of memorizing sequences of symbols.
4. The literacy system of claim 1, wherein the foreign symbols are
Greek symbols.
5. The literacy system of claim 1, wherein the pre-reading section
includes motor skills exercises for teaching handwriting letters of
the written language.
6. The literacy system of claim 4, wherein the motor skills
exercises introduce letters in order of shape, size, and placement
simplicity.
7. The literacy system of claim 5, wherein the motor skills
exercises introduce letters in a non-alphabetical order.
8. The literacy system of claim 1, wherein the language skills
section includes language exercises for teaching both phonology and
text skills.
9. The literacy system of claim 1, wherein the language skills
section includes language exercises for teaching phonology,
semantics, syntax, and text skills.
10. A literacy system comprising: a pre-reading section that
includes motor skills exercises for teaching handwriting letters of
a written language taught by the literacy system, wherein the motor
skills exercises introduce letters in order of shape, size, and
placement simplicity; and a language skills section that includes
language exercises for teaching at least one language skill
selected from a group consisting of phonology, semantics, syntax,
and text.
11. The literacy system of claim 10, wherein the motor skills
exercises introduce single-shaped letters before double-shaped
letters.
12. The literacy system of claim 10, wherein the motor skills
exercises introduce letters in a non-alphabetical order.
13. The literacy system of claim 10, wherein the pre-reading
section includes sequencing exercises, the sequencing exercises
including foreign symbols that are not associated with letters of a
written language taught by the literacy system
14. The literacy system of claim 13, wherein the sequencing
exercises teach the physical skill of visually scanning symbols in
a left-to-right sequence.
15. The literacy system of claim 13, wherein the sequencing
exercises teach the physical skill of memorizing sequences of
symbols.
16. The literacy system of claim 10, wherein the language skills
section includes language exercises for teaching both phonology and
text skills.
17. The literacy system of claim 10, wherein the language skills
section includes language exercises for teaching phonology,
semantics, syntax, and text skills.
18. A method of practicing visual sequencing skills, comprising:
viewing a first array of foreign symbols; viewing a second array of
foreign symbols, wherein the second array includes: all of the
symbols of the first array in left-to-right sequence, and
additional symbols intermingled with those from the first array;
identifying the same symbols in the second array that appear in the
first array in order of left-to-right sequence; and receiving
feedback regarding the proper or improper identification of the
symbols.
19. The method of claim 18, wherein the first array of symbols is
not viewable when viewing the second array of symbols such that the
first array of symbols are memorized in order to identify those
symbols in the second array.
20. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions
that when executed perform the following functions: displaying a
first array of foreign symbols; displaying a second array of
foreign symbols, wherein the second array includes: all of the
symbols of the first array in left-to-right sequence, and
additional symbols intermingled with those from the first array;
receiving a user's input that identifies a selection of symbols
from the second array; determining if the user's selection of
symbols from the second array match the symbols that appear in the
first array in order of left-to-right sequence; and outputting an
indicator to inform the user whether the user's selection of
symbols from the second array match the symbols that appear in the
first array in order of left-to-right sequence.
21. The computer-readable medium of claim 20, further comprising
instructions stored thereon that when executed perform the
following functions: repeating the functions of claim 20 after
determining the user's selection of symbols from the second array
does not match the symbols that appear in the first array in order
of left-to-right sequence.
22. The computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the first
array of symbols is not displayed when displaying the second array
of symbols.
23. The computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein displaying
the symbols is performed using a computer screen.
24. The computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein outputting
the indicator is performed using an audio speaker.
25. The computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein outputting
the indicator is performed using a computer screen.
Description
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional
Application Serial No. 60/362,749 entitled "Literacy System," filed
on Mar. 7, 2002, which is herein incorporated by reference in its
entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] This invention relates to a system of literacy education,
and more particularly to methods and systems for teaching reading
and writing skills.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Literacy is a skill often taken for granted even though
mastery of that skill eludes millions of people from all age
groups. For those that are literate, an intricate set of skills
enable reading and writing to be smooth and automatic processes.
This set of skills, referred to as "hidden abilities," generally
appear first at a young age when a person begins to comprehend the
speech of others and when that person begins to speak. For example,
even a young child may know that the statement "I am looking at
she" is incorrect while the statement "I am looking at her" is
proper. Generally, any individual does not know the technical
reason behind the proper version, but instead, may offer the
rationale that "it just sounds right." (The technical reason is
that when a pronoun referring to a feminine individual is used as
the object of a preposition, the correct form of the pronoun is
"her," not "she.") This example illustrates the essence of the
hidden abilities that allow a literate person to do amazingly
intricate constructions with language without knowing why. These
same abilities are constantly operating in written language as
well. For example, in a sentence such as The soldier decided to
desert in the desert. a skilled reader automatically uses different
pronunciations for the two instances of the identically spelled
word. For people who are not literate, and especially for young
children, these hidden abilities must be developed via literacy
education. However, modern systems for teaching literacy fail to
address the full range of necessary skills to promote the
development of hidden abilities.
[0004] In general, two major systems dominate the literacy
education field: phonics and whole language. Phonics emphasizes the
skill of converting the letters on a page into sounds that become
real words (i.e. teaching children to read a word by "sounding out"
each letter so that c-a-t becomes "cat"). The processing of sounds
falls under a language category known as phonology. The phonics
system seems logical because phonology is a significant element in
reading, but in practice, phonics teaching is hindered by the
complexities of the English language. Phonics relies on teaching
that each letter makes a single, distinctive sound. The reality,
however, is that this concept holds true for only a tiny fraction
of English words. Indeed, of the seventeen words in the preceding
sentence, not a single one meets this criterion. The problem is
illustrated by the fact that, under the phonics system of teaching,
the word "phonics" itself should be spelled "foniks." In order to
overcome this problem, the system relies on children memorizing
hundreds of rules, such as the "silent e" rule, the double vowel
rule, and the consonant combination rules. However, the
memorization of these rules and "sounding out" individual letters
may cause reading and writing to be a laborious process and may
discourage individual students. The whole language system of
teaching literacy focuses on complete stories or groups of words to
form meaningful messages, which is different from the phonics
system that concentrates on the dissection of individual words.
However, children in early stages of reading may encounter a wider
range of words that they can mange. As such, the situation may
appear overwhelming to the student.
[0005] The prevailing assumption is that these two systems, in
combination, address all of the skills necessary to literacy.
Unfortunately, these two systems, alone or in combination, cover
only a portion of the skills that reading requires. The skills that
are not addressed by these systems may leave gaps in the literacy
education that many students are able to overcome. For those
students who are not able to overcome the gaps of the current
literacy systems, reading and writing may become a frustrating
activity that is to be avoided.
[0006] Among the components needed for an effective literacy system
are ones that develop the pre-reading skills of visual sequencing
and fine motor abilities.
SUMMARY
[0007] In one embodiment, a system for teaching skills associated
with literacy can include a pre-reading section having visual
sequencing exercises. The visual sequencing exercises can include
foreign symbols.
[0008] In another embodiment, a system for teaching skills
associated with literacy can include a pre-reading section having
motor skills exercises. The motor skills exercises can teach
handwriting of letters in order of motor skill simplicity. For
example, the motor skills exercises may begin teaching handwriting
with single-shaped letters.
[0009] The details of one or more embodiments of the invention are
set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below.
Other features, objects, and advantages of the invention will be
apparent from the description and drawings, and from the
claims.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0010] FIG. 1 is a chart depicting aspects of one embodiment of a
literacy system in accordance with the invention.
[0011] FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of the literacy system of FIG.
1.
[0012] FIG. 3 is a diagram of a computer system that may be used to
operate the literacy system in accordance with one embodiment of
the invention.
[0013] FIG. 4 is an image of a visual sequencing exercise in
accordance with one embodiment of the invention.
[0014] FIGS. 5A-C is a series of images showing another visual
sequencing exercise in accordance with one embodiment of the
invention.
[0015] FIG. 6 is an image of a visual sequencing exercise in
accordance with one embodiment of the invention.
[0016] FIGS. 7A-C is a series of images of a visual sequencing
exercise in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.
[0017] FIG. 8 is a flow chart of instructions for a visual
sequencing exercise in accordance with one embodiment of the
invention.
[0018] FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of motor skills exercises in
accordance with one embodiment of the invention.
[0019] FIG. 10 is a flow diagram of a further embodiment of the
motor skills exercises of FIG. 9.
[0020] FIG. 11 is a flow diagram of a further embodiment of the
literacy system of FIG. 2.
[0021] Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like
elements.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0022] Certain embodiments of the invention teach one or all of the
following skills associated with total competence in literacy:
[0023] (1) sequencing--the ability to read, and retain, letters in
the appropriate order,
[0024] (2) motor skills--the hand-eye coordination required for
writing,
[0025] (3) phonology--the ability to recognize and produce the
sounds of letters,
[0026] (4) semantics--comprehension of the meaning of words,
[0027] (5) syntax--the ability to recognize and use grammar,
and
[0028] (6) text--combining words to form meaningful messages.
[0029] Sequencing and motor skills are both types of physical
skills associated with reading and writing, as described later in
more detail. Briefly, visual sequencing exercises may be used to
teach left-to-right scanning and memorization of symbols, letters,
and words. Motor skills exercises may be used to develop
handwriting abilities in a student such that subsequent reading and
writing skills may be taught in tandem.
[0030] Phonology is a language skill relating to the processing of
sounds, such as the sounds of individual letter combinations in a
word. For example, a literate reader may know that "ph" has the
sound of "f" in certain instances (i.e. elephant), but not in other
instances (i.e. uphill is not pronounced as "ufill" and shepherd is
not pronounced as "sheferd"). The skill of recognizing the proper
sounds of letter combinations falls under the category of
phonology.
[0031] Semantics is another language skill and is associated with
the meaning of words. For example, in the statement "the girl did
not hear the band," the word band refers to a group of musicians,
while the word band in the sentence "the girl did not wear the
band" refers to a piece of jewelry that can be put on one's body.
The skill of phonology may be used to show that the pronunciation
of "band" and "band" are identical, but the language skill of
semantics enables a student to recognize the different
meanings.
[0032] The language skill relating to the grammar of sentences is
referred to as syntax. One example of a syntax skill is the proper
usage of the words "they're," "there," and "their" in a sentence
such as "they're there at their house." In another example, the
word "read" may be pronounced as "red" or "reed" depending upon the
grammatical construction of the sentence (i.e. "yesterday, they
read the magazine," or "usually, they read the magazine").
[0033] Lastly, the language skill of text is associated with the
ability to use combinations of words and sentences to form
meaningful messages. In the early stages of learning to read, a
student may be able to read only several words, and those words may
not be combined so as to form a statement or sentence. As that
student learns to read additional words, that student must also
develop textual skills of combining those words in the appropriate
order in order to express a desired message.
[0034] In one embodiment of the invention, as shown in FIG. 1, a
literacy system 8 comprises two sections 80 and 90, which focus on
teaching physical skills and language skills, respectively. The
literacy system 8 is divided into distinct levels. By way of
example, the literacy system shown in FIG. 1 comprises seven levels
10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, and 70, but the literacy system 8 may
include any number of levels. Each level teaches particular skill
sets that may be used as building blocks for the following level in
the literacy system 8. For example, the sequencing and motor skills
taught in level I 10 and level II 20, respectively, may be used as
foundations for the language skills taught in subsequent levels 30,
40, 50, 60, and 70.
[0035] In general, sequencing and motor skills are physical skills
that may be taught to a student before the student actually begins
to read words. Level I 10 teaches sequencing skills that are
fundamental to the subsequent skills of reading and writing.
Sequencing skills developed in level I 10 include the concept of
scanning in a left to right pattern and retaining in memory
sequences of letters or symbols. Level II 20 teaches the motor
skills of writing letters of the alphabet in a manner that removes
the mental "roadblocks" developed by traditional handwriting
systems. The section 80 of the literacy system that includes level
I 10 and level II 20 is referred to as the pre-reading section 80
because the skills taught in level I 10 and level II 20 may be
developed before the student learns to read.
[0036] Section 90 of the literacy system 8 includes level III 30,
level IV 40, level V 50, level VI 60, and level VII 70. Each of
these levels 30, 40, 50, 60, and 70 develops the language skills of
phonology, semantics, syntax, and text in the context to teaching
the student to read and write. Thus, section 90 is referred to as
the early reading section 90, or the language skills section 90,
and may include both reading and writing exercises. The difficulty
of the reading and writing exercises in each level 30, 40, 50, 60,
and 70 increases as the student progresses to the subsequent level.
Although the reading and writing exercises of each level may be the
same, the words used by the literacy system increase in difficulty
due to the length, meaning, and grammatical category. The reading
and writing exercises of each level may be used to teach the
student particular rules or words and develop hidden abilities
generally possessed by literate people.
[0037] Referring to FIG. 2, one embodiment of the literacy system 8
includes a series of assessment tests 15, 25, 35, 45, 55, 65, and
75 to enable the student to bypass particular levels of teaching
where the student has already learned that material. The literacy
system 8 may be individually tailored to the needs of particular
students using the assessments 15, 25, 35, 45, 55, 65, and 75. For
example, if a student possesses satisfactory sequencing and motor
skills but not necessarily language skills, then the assessment-I
15, assessment-II 25, and assessment-III 35 may be completed to
show that the student should bypass the pre-reading section 80 and
begin learning from the literacy system 8 at level III 30.
[0038] As shown in FIG. 2, the student first completes assessment-I
15 to determine if the student's abilities surpass the sequencing
skills taught in level I 10. The assessment-I 15 may include
several example and practice exercises similar to those that are
used in the actual teaching of level I 10 (described in further
detail below). If the student performs satisfactorily during the
assessment-I 15, the literacy system 8 may recommend that the
student should bypass the teaching of level I 10 and proceed to
assessment-II 25. However, if the student's performance during
assessment-I 15 is not satisfactory, then the literacy system 8 may
recommend that the student should begin receiving instruction from
level I 10.
[0039] After the student satisfactorily completes assessment-I 15,
or after the student satisfactorily completes level I 10, the
student then proceeds to assessment-II 25 to determine if she
already possesses satisfactory motor skills as taught in level II
20. Again, if the student's motor skills are beyond the teaching of
level II 20, then the student should proceed to assessment-III 35.
Otherwise, the student should complete level II 20 before
continuing on to assessment-III 35. Alternatively, the student may
perform both assessment-I 15 and assessment-II 25 at the same time
before proceeding to level I 10, level II 20, or both. Because a
student may have a solid grasp of some pre-reading skills and not
others, the assessment-I 15 and assessment-II 25 are not
necessarily dependent on one anther. For this reason, the
assessment-I 15 and assessment-II 25 may be grouped as pre-reading
assessments 85. For example, a student may need further instruction
on sequencing skills, but that same student may have a satisfactory
understanding of the alphabet and handwriting skills. As such, the
student may complete assessment-I 15 and assessment-II 25 prior to
working on any levels 10 or 20 so as to determine which levels 10
or 20, if any, should the student bypass before proceeding to
assessment-III 35.
[0040] If the student satisfactorily completes assessment-III 35 to
show that she possess language skills beyond the teaching of level
III 30, then that student should proceed to assessment-IV. This
pattern continues until the student does not satisfactorily
complete an assessment 35, 45, 55, 65, or 75, in which case that
student proceeds to receive instruction from the appropriate level
30, 40, 50, 60, or 70. If the student satisfactorily completes all
of the early reading assessments 95, then that student should
proceed to more advanced instruction 9 beyond the early reading
sections 90.
[0041] Because level III 30 through level VII 70 teach the same
type of skills while increasing in difficulty, the early reading
assessments 95 may be developed to be dependent on one another. For
example, if a student satisfactorily completes assessment-III 35
but fails to perform as well on the subsequent assessment-IV 45,
then that student should begin to receive instruction from level IV
40. After that student successfully completes level IV 40
instruction, then the student proceeds directly to level V 50
without the need to complete assessment-V 55, which results is a
more productive use of time. Because level V 50 provides
instruction on language skills similar to level IV, but having a
greater degree of difficulty, the early reading assessments 95 may
be developed so that there is no need to return to the assessments
95 after the student has not satisfactorily completed a particular
assessment. One reason for this is that a student who does not
possess language skills for a particular set of words is unlikely
to possess those same language skills (phonology, semantics,
syntax, and text) for words having a greater degree of difficulty.
Alternatively, the early reading assessments 95 may be implemented
such that the student does return to an assessment corresponding to
the subsequent level after completing the prior level.
[0042] Once the early reading assessments 95 lead the student to
the appropriate starting level 30, 40, 50, 60, or 70 for that
individual, the student proceeds through the levels in order. For
example, if the early reading assessments 95 lead the student to
begin instruction at level III 30, then the student should proceed
to level IV 40 after successfully completing level III 30. This
pattern continues through completion of level VII where the student
may then proceed to more advanced instruction 9 beyond the early
reading levels 90.
[0043] The teaching of the literacy system 8 may be delivered to
the student in the format of paper workbooks, video or classroom
presentations, computer software, or a combination thereof. For
example, the individual reading and writing exercises may be
presented in a conventional workbook format such that the exercises
occupy individual worksheets in the workbook. As shown in FIG. 3,
the literacy system 8 may alternatively be used as a computer
software such that the student interacts with the computer system
105 to complete some or all of the exercises. In one embodiment,
the literacy system 8 may be executable as a software program
stored on a computer readable medium in a computer memory storage
device 101, such as a computer hard drive, a floppy disk drive, a
CD-ROM drive, or other conventional devices. The user may utilize a
user interface device 102, such as a keyboard, computer mouse,
touchscreen, or a combination thereof, to execute the literacy
system 8 from the computer memory storage device 101 using a
central processing unit 100 (CPU). The display device 103 may be
used to display the various images, instructions, and exercises of
the literacy system 8. The computer system 105 may include an audio
speaker device 104 for delivering audible instructions or feedback
to the user. In addition to the computer system 105, a workbook 106
may be used in conjunction with the computer system 105 to provide
the student with further instructions and a tangible medium for
particular reading and writing exercises.
[0044] Returning to the description of the pre-reading section 80
of the literacy system 8, the physical skill of sequencing may be
developed through repetition of carefully constructed exercises. In
one embodiment of the literacy system 8, sequencing exercises may
be taught by the literacy system in level I 10 of the pre-reading
section 80, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. While scanning from left to
right to read letters may seem automatic to most literate people,
the skill of sequencing is not necessarily a natural skill
possessed by non-literate students. This is especially true for
young children. Unlike the sequencing of letters to form words,
most other objects that people visually perceive do not require
left-to-right sequencing. For example, a car is still a car
regardless of whether the student visually perceives it from the
left or the right. From the perspective of a young child who has
spent her past 4 or 5 years learning to overlook the left-to-right
sequencing of objects, learning a language in which the sequence of
objects forms the basis of understanding may be a daunting task.
Even minute changes in the left-to-right sequence of letters may
cause critical changes to the meaning of the letter or word. For
example, left-to-right sequencing plays an important role in the
difference between the letters "b" and "d", the letters "p" and
"q", or the words "top" and "pot". Despite the fact that
left-to-write sequencing is a critical skill required for reading
and writing, the dominant view among literacy systems is that
students will "pick it up." While some students do glean the
necessary skills without instruction, those students who do not
"pick it up" often experience frustration and displeasure with
learning to read and write.
[0045] A student who cannot read may be familiar with the letters
of the alphabet and give the appearance of knowing how to read
sequences of letters. Without the physical skill of sequencing,
however, actual reading may not be taking place. This is due to the
fact that the student may rely on memorizing the letter names
rather than on visually retaining the set of symbols during the
sequencing exercises. As such, the use of foreign symbols which
cannot be named by the child is one component that may be used by
the literacy system 8 to teach visual sequencing. Foreign symbols
may be any symbols that are not associated with the letters of the
written language taught by the literacy system. In one example, a
literacy system that teaches the English language may use symbols
of the Greek language (.alpha., .beta., .gamma., and so forth) as
foreign symbols in the sequencing exercises. The use of foreign
symbols in sequencing exercises mirrors certain aspects of reading
without requiring actual reading.
[0046] Visual sequencing may be so novel to a student that even
sequences of two elements may be problematic. Therefore, the
initial sequencing exercises of the literacy system 8 begin with
short patterns of two or three symbols that will be easiest for the
student, as shown in FIG. 4. In one embodiment of a sequencing
exercise 210, the student is shown two rows 211 and 212 of symbols
with the top row 211 presenting a short sequence of two symbols 213
(.delta. .phi.). The symbols 214 (.gamma. .delta. .phi. .lambda.)
of the bottom row 212 includes the same two symbols intermingled
with additional ones. Thus, the bottom row 212 includes all of the
symbols as the top row 211 in left-to-right sequence, but the
bottom row 212 includes additional symbols intermingled with those
from the top row 211. The student is instructed, via an instructor,
a workbook, a computer system, or other instructional means, to
view the symbols on the top row 211. Then the student is instructed
to identify the symbols in the bottom row 212 that are the same as
the symbols in the top row 211. To successfully complete the
individual exercise 210, the student must identify, in the correct
left to right order, to the same two symbols 213 in the bottom row
212 that appear in the top row 212. This type of sequencing
exercise 210 is repeated over several sessions until the student
displays a high level of skill. At this point, the student has
begun to develop an important hidden ability possessed by literate
people. The student is scanning, in a left-to-right order, short
sequences of symbols that are not necessarily easy to label.
[0047] One embodiment of the next type of sequencing exercise 220
is shown in FIGS. 5A-C. This sequencing exercise 220 may be used to
develop the skill of retaining in short term memory the sequence of
symbols. The exercise 220 includes a top row 221 and a bottom row
222 of symbols 223 and 224. In addition, the exercise 220 may use a
covering element 226, which may be used to cover either the top row
221 or the bottom row 222 of symbols. The sequencing-memory
exercise 220 may be practiced using a workbook format, a flash card
format, a computer system format, or another convention format.
Certain formats, such as a computer format, might eliminate the
need of the covering element 226.
[0048] To successfully complete the exercise 220, the student is
instructed to view the symbols 223 in the top row 221 while the
symbols 224 of the bottom row 222 are not displayed, as is shown in
FIG. 5B. The covering element 226 may be used to cover the bottom
row 222. Then, the symbols 223 from the top row 221 are hidden from
the student's view, and the symbols 224 in the bottom row 222 are
displayed, as shown in FIG. 5C. Without looking back to the symbols
223 in the top row 221, the student is instructed to select, in
left to right order, the same symbols from the top row 221 that
included in the bottom row 224. At this point, the student is
working from memory. Without being able to see the top row 221, the
student is forced to make the correct selection is by retaining an
image of the original pattern, which develops a hidden ability
possessed by literate people to memorize sequences of symbols.
[0049] After the student has become accustomed to retaining
sequences of two and three symbols, the patterns increase to four
symbols. While four symbols are merely one more than three, it may
represent a significant leap in difficulty for the student. When
the longer patterns are introduced, the literacy system 8 may
revert back to sequencing exercises of direct matching with no
memory demands, similar to that of FIG. 4. This is an example of a
teaching principal that uses review of prior material with steady
additions of new material. In such a case, the literacy system 8
begins to incorporate new, slightly more complex content after the
student has shown a mastery of less complex content. However, the
literacy system 8 continues to systematically use the less complex
skills attained by the student when exposing the student to
slightly more complex content.
[0050] As shown in FIG. 6, one embodiment of such a sequencing
exercise 230 includes two rows 231 and 232 of symbols with the top
row 231 presenting a sequence of four symbols 233. Similar to the
embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the bottom row 232 includes all of the
symbols as the top row 231 in left-to-right sequence, but the
bottom row 232 includes additional symbols intermingled with those
from the top row 231. The student is instructed to identify the
symbols in the bottom row 232 that are the same as the symbols in
the top row 231. To successfully complete the individual exercise
230, the student must identify, in the correct left to right order,
to the same two symbols 233 in the bottom row 232 that appear in
the top row 232.
[0051] FIGS. 7A-C show another embodiment of a sequencing exercise
240 using a sequence of four symbols. In this exercise 240 the
student progresses to memorization of sequences having four
symbols. The exercise 240 includes a top row 241 and a bottom row
242 of symbols 243 and 244. Similar to the exercise 220 shown in
FIGS. 5A-C, the student is instructed to view the symbols 243 in
the top row 241 while the symbols 244 of the bottom row 242 are not
displayed, as is shown in FIG. 7B. The covering element 246 may be
used to cover the bottom row 242. Then, the symbols 243 from the
top row 241 are hidden from the student's view, and the symbols 244
in the bottom row 242 are displayed, as shown in FIG. 7C. Without
looking back to the symbols 243 in the top row 241, the student is
instructed to select, in left to right order, the same symbols from
the top row 241 that included in the bottom row 244.
[0052] In accordance with one embodiment of the literacy system 8,
the visual sequencing exercises may be implemented using a computer
system. As shown in FIG. 8, a series of functions 250 may be
preformed by the computer system so as to enable the student to
practice the sequencing exercises. The computer system may display
a first array of symbols, as shown in step 251. In this example,
the symbols are the same foreign symbols shown in FIG. 6. The next
step 252 displays a second array of symbols. Depending on the type
of visual sequencing exercise that is used, the first array may be
displayed while the second array is also displayed such that the
student performs direct matching exercises. Otherwise, the first
array of symbols may be removed from display while the second array
is displayed such that the student performs the sequencing exercise
using memorization of the symbols. The student is instructed to
identify, in left-to-right order, the symbols in the second array
that match those of the first array. In step 253, the computer
system receives the student's selection of symbols. The student may
input the selection using a user interface device, as previously
described. In step 254, the computer system determines whether the
student's selection of symbols from the second array correctly
matches, in left-to-right order, the symbols from the first array.
As shown in step 255, if the student's selection was correct, then
the computer system outputs an indicator informing the student of
the correct selection, such as a visual indicator on a computer
screen or an audible indicator from a speaker. If the student's
selection was incorrect, then the computer system outputs an
indicator informing the student of the incorrect selection, as
shown in step 256. In such a case, the computer system may repeat
the steps 251, 252, 253, and 254 so that the student may retry the
identical sequencing exercise.
[0053] Other physical skills that may be taught in the pre-reading
section 80 of the literacy system 8 are the motor skills associated
with writing. In one embodiment of the literacy system 8, the motor
skills exercises may be taught in level II 20 of the pre-reading
section 80, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. One reason for teaching a
student to effectively write letters prior to reading, or at the
start thereof, is that the student may then be able to write any
word that she reads. Reading and writing may then be practiced in
tandem, each promoting the other. Unlike the skills of visual
sequencing, the alphabet generally receives significant attention
in the area of early literacy instruction. For example, young
children are exposed to the alphabet via letters printed on toys,
discussed in songs, or used in children's games. While exposing
young children to the alphabet may encourage their tendency to
learn reading, the act of writing those same letters calls upon a
range of intricate motor skills, which may be difficult to master.
As described below, the literacy system 8 may include certain
aspects to develop these intricate motor skills, such as an early
emphasis on lower case letters (in contrast to the emphasis on
upper case letters in most early instruction) or sequencing
handwriting exercises from simple to complex letter shapes (not by
letters in alphabetical order).
[0054] In accordance with one aspect of the inventive literacy
system 8, the student is not necessarily instructed to practice
handwriting of letters in alphabetical order. Learning to write
letters in alphabetical order (i.e. practicing the letter "a" prior
to practicing the letter "b") may seem more instinctual to a
literate person who was previously instructed in this manner or to
prior art systems, but the letters "a" and "b" are relative complex
shapes compared to other letters. Instead, the literacy system 8
may use exercises of handwriting the letters in order of motor
skill simplicity. As such, letters with simpler shape, size and
placement may be practiced during the initial steps of the motor
skills exercises, and after the student has successfully learned to
write these letters, the exercises proceed to teaching letters of
more complex shape.
[0055] In accordance with another aspect of the inventive literacy
system 8, the motor skills exercises emphasize the use of lower
case letters in writing. In prior art systems, capital letters
dominate the early handwriting training, or at least play an
overly-prominent role, which cause students to focus on the less
commonly used capital letters and to develop poor habits. By some
estimates, less fewer than 1% of the letters on pages read by early
reading students appear as capital letters, which may lead to
conflict between their reading systems and writing systems. The
inventive literacy system 8 highlights the similarities between
reading and writing, not necessarily the differences.
[0056] One embodiment of motor skills exercises of the literacy
system 8 is shown in FIG. 9. The motor skills exercises are divided
into seven steps 310, 320, 330, 340, 350, 360, and 370, wherein
four steps 310, 320, 340, and 360 introduce new letters of the
alphabet to the student. Letters composed of single shapes (c, i,
j, l, and o) are introduced to the student in the first step 310.
The student may produce each letter by modeling movements of an
instructor, such as a human instructor, an image displayed from a
computer system, or the like. In the next step 320, the student is
introduced to exercises involving double-shape letters (e, f, k, s,
and t), but these letters are produced in separate actions. For
example, the letter "e" may be constructed with two separate
actions: a small horizontal line (-) and a curved shape (C). In
such a case, the student would model the horizontal line (-) after
the instructor's line, and then the student would model the curved
shape (C) after the instructor's action. In keeping with the
teaching principal of reviewing prior materials with steady
additions of new material, the single-shaped letters that were
practiced in the previous step 310 are continued in the handwriting
exercises of step 320.
[0057] The third step 330 does not introduce new letters, but
instead the letters from steps 310 and 320 are produced by the
student using a single action. Unlike the previous example of using
separate actions to produce the letter "e," this step 330 of the
motor skills exercises requires the student to model the letter "e"
in a single action after the instructor initially produces the
letter in a single action. The next step 340 in the motor skills
exercises proceeds to more complex letters that require a retracing
action. For example, the letter "n" requires a vertical line
(.vertline.) in the downward direction with a retracing action over
part of the vertical line in the upward direction before completing
the letter with a curved shape (). The letters requiring a
retracing action that are practiced in step 340 include a, b, g, n,
p, r, y, and w. Each of these letters is produced by the student
using separate actions, such as the downward vertical line
(.vertline.) for the letter "n" followed by the vertical retracing
action in combination with the curved shape (). Again, the teaching
principal of reviewing prior materials with steady additions of new
material is utilized so that the letters from previous step 330 are
continued in the handwriting exercises of step 340. Step 350 is
similar to the previous step 330, in which all of the letters
previously taught are practiced using single actions. However, step
350 includes the letters that were practiced in step 340 (a, b, g,
n, p, r, y, and w).
[0058] So as not to overload the student, the letters which require
retracing are introduced in two different steps 340 and 360. Step
360 introduces the remaining letters of the alphabet that have not
yet been introduced (d, h, m, q, u, v, x, and z), including some
letters that do not require retracing actions (x and z). Each newly
introduced letter is produced by the student using separate
actions, as described in previous examples. Also, previously
practiced letters are included in the exercises of step 360 so as
to review prior material with steady additions of new material.
Subsequently, step 370 includes exercises involving all letters,
but the student is required to complete each letter using a single
action.
[0059] FIG. 10 shows one embodiment of the steps 310, 320, 330,
340, 350, 360, and 370 used in the motor skills exercises of the
literacy system 8. Each step includes sessions in which the student
produces certain letters in a particular order. For example, step
310 includes three sessions 311, 312, and 313, which provide
exercises for writing the single-shaped letters in a certain order.
The student is not necessarily required to write the same letter in
a repetitive manner, but instead the student shifts from one
single-shaped letter to the next so as to resemble actual reading
and writing skills. In one embodiment, the student may be required
to complete each session 311, 312, and 313 up to six times for a
total of eighteen sessions, at which point the student may proceed
to the next step 320.
[0060] The sessions 321, 322, and 323 of step 320 in FIG. 10 show
the intermingling of single-shaped letters (c, i, j, l, and o) with
double-shaped letters (e, f, k, s, and t) throughout the exercise.
Certain letters in step 320 (i, j, e, f, k, s, and t) may be
completed by the student using separate actions. Again, one
embodiment of the motor skills exercises may require the student to
complete each session 321, 322, and 323 up to six times for a total
of eighteen sessions. After the student has completed the required
sessions, then the student may proceed to the subsequent step 330.
The pattern continues in a similar manner until the student has
completed the required sessions through step 370, at which point
the student has completed the motor skills exercises of the
pre-reading section 85 of the literacy system 8.
[0061] An exemplary embodiment of a literacy system 408 is shown in
FIG. 11, which may be implemented using a computer system, a
workbook, an instructional video or classroom presentation, or a
combination thereof. Similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the
literacy system 408 teaches the skills of visual sequencing, motor
skills, phonology, semantics, syntax, and text via multiple levels
of instruction. The first section, termed "Get Set" 480, teaches
visual sequencing and motor skills of alphabet writing through two
preparation levels: "Sequences to Sight" 410 and "Letters to Write"
420. While both levels 410 and 420 are building blocks for the
subsequent levels, they may be independent from each other such
that one does not build upon the other. For example, a student may
already have the satisfactory motor skills in handwriting, but may
not have satisfactory sequencing skills. In such a case, the
"Sequences to Sight" Skills Check 415 and the "Letters to Write"
Skills Check 425 would show that the student should complete
"Sequences to Sight" 410 while bypassing "Letters to Write"
420.
[0062] The subsequent levels 430, 440, 450, 460, and 470 teach the
language skills of phonology, semantics, syntax, and text while
building upon the visual sequencing and motor skills covered in
"Get Set" 480. The level progression includes "Boarding" 430,
"Runway" 440, "Liftoff" 450, "Airborne" 460, and "Soaring" 470, and
the exercises increase in difficulty with each subsequent level.
These levels may not isolate each of the language skills in
different exercises, but instead the language skills section 490
combines the four language skills (phonology, semantics, syntax,
and text) in exercises using content words, non-content words, and
books. The content steadily increases in complexity so that with
each succeeding level, the words become more intricate, the
concepts more abstract, the sentences longer, and the books
richer.
[0063] A set of skill checks 415, 425, 435, 445, 455, 465, and 475
assess the student's ability such that the student may bypass
levels that teach content already known by the student. Similar to
the literacy system 8 of FIG. 2, the student may bypass levels by
successfully completing skill checks until a particular skill check
suggests that the student completes a certain level. The literacy
system 408 may be implemented such that the student progresses
through the subsequent levels without returning to the skill
checks. Alternatively, the literacy system 408 may be implemented
such that the student returns to the skill checks on a regular
basis to determine if any subsequent levels may be bypassed.
[0064] A number of embodiments of the invention have been
described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various
modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and
scope of the invention. Accordingly, other embodiments are within
the scope of the following claims.
* * * * *