Method and apparatus for teaching and learning reading

• US 6,685,477 B1
• Filed: 09/28/2000
• Issued: 02/03/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hand2mind, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Eta/Cuisenaire
• Inventors: Watanabe, Mary, Goldman, Dennis K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Banks, Derris H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Miller, Bena B.
• Application Number:
  US09/675,073
• Time in Patent Office: 1,223 Days
• Field of Search: 434/171, 434/172, 434/178, 434/403, 434/17, 273/156, 273/157.R
• US Class Current: 434/172
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 1/36 the elements being connectible by corresponding projections and recesses
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 17/00 Teaching reading teaching lip-reading G09B21/00

Abstract

A method and apparatus for teaching and learning reading is disclosed. The apparatus comprises blocks that are removably connectable and bear various reading indicia on their faces. The reading indicia includes pictures, vowels, consonants, combinations of vowels and consonants, rimes, parts of speech, and punctuation. Preferably, any selected block has only one type of reading indicia and has color-coding associated with that type of indicia. By connecting two or more blocks so that the reading indicia form an appropriate pattern or unit, students can form parts of words, words, phrases or even sentences. Different subgroups of reading indicia may be used in progression to teach and learn at different skill levels.

Claims

1. A method of teaching and learning reading using a group of universally connectable blocks, wherein each of said blocks comprises at least three faces, each of said at least three faces bearing a type of reading indicia, the type of reading indicia being the same on said at least three faces, and each of said block has a color, said color assigned particularly to the type of reading indicia on the faces, the method comprising:

(a) selecting a first and a second block from said group of universally connectable blocks, said selecting based solely on the reading indicia or the color of the blocks;

(b) selecting any indicium-bearing face of said first block and any indicium-bearing face of said second block;

(c) connecting said first block and said second block so that the connected blocks are horizontally adjacent and the selected indicia-bearing faces of each of said block are visible from the same direction; and

(d) viewing the color or selected indicia of said connected blocks to determine whether said indicia appear together to form an intelligible reading unit,

wherein said connecting step involves threading a string through a hole in the blocks.

2. A method of teaching and learning reading using a group of universally connectable blocks, wherein each of said block comprises at least three faces, each of said at least three faces bearing a type of reading indicia, the type of reading indicia being the same on said at least three faces, and each of said block has a color, said color assigned particularly to the type of reading indicia on the faces,

wherein the type of reading indicia is selected from the group consisting of:

vowels, consonants, pictures, initial consonants, rimes, “

magic”

es, consonant combinations, vowel combinations, affixes, root words, nouns, noun endings, pronouns, verbs, verb endings, adjectives, adjective endings, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, interjections, and punctuation marks,

the method comprising;

(a) selecting a first and a second block from said group of universally connectable blocks, said selecting based solely on the reading indicia or the color of the blocks;

wherein one of said and second blocks bears at least three affix indicia and the other of the said first and second blocks bears at least three root indicia;

(b) selecting any indicium-bearing face of said first block and any indicium-bearing face of said second block;

(c) connecting said first block and said second block so that the connected blocks are horizontally adjacent and the selected indicia-bearing faces of each of said block are visible from the same direction; and

(d) viewing the color or selected indicia of said connected blocks to determine whether said indicia appear together to form an intelligible reading unit.

3. A method of teaching and learning reading using a group of universally connectable blocks, wherein each of said blocks comprises at least three faces, each of said at least three faces bearing a type of reading indicia, the type of reading indicia being the same on said at least three faces, and each of said blocks has a color, said color assigned particularly to the type of reading indicia on the faces,

wherein the type of reading indicia is selected from the group consisting of:

vowels, consonants, pictures, initial consonants, rimes, “

magic”

es, consonant combinations, vowel combinations, affixes, root words, nouns, noun endings, pronouns, verbs, verb endings, adjectives, adjective endings, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, interjections, and punctuation marks,

the method comprising;

(a) selecting a first and a second block from said group of universally connectable blocks, said selecting based solely on the reading indicia or the color of the blocks;

wherein one of said first and second blocks bears at least three picture indicia and the other of the said first and second blocks is from the group consisting of blocks bearing at least three consonant indicia and blocks bearing at least three vowel indicia;

(b) selecting any indicium-bearing face of said first block and any indicium-bearing face of said second block;

(c) connecting said first block and said second block so that the connected blocks are horizontally adjacent and the selected indicia-bearing faces of each of said blocks are visible from the same direction; and

(d) viewing the color or selected indicia of said connected blocks to determine whether said indicia appear together to form an intelligible reading unit.

4. A method of teaching and learning reading using a group of universally connectable blocks, wherein each of said blocks comprises at least three faces, each of said at least three faces bearing a type of reading indicia, the type of reading indicia being the same on said at least three faces, and each of said blocks has a color, said color assigned particularly to the type of reading indicia on the faces,

wherein the type of reading indicia is selected from the group consisting of:

vowels, consonants, pictures, initial consonants, rimes, “

magic”

es, consonant combinations, vowel combinations, affixes, root words, nouns, noun endings, pronouns, verbs, verb endings, adjectives, adjective endings, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, interjections, and punctuation marks,

the method comprising;

(a) selecting a first and a second block from said group of universally connectable blocks, said selecting based solely on the reading indicia or the color of the blocks;

Wherein one of said first and second blocks bears at least three consonant indicia and the other of the said first and second blocks bears at least three rime indicia;

(b) selecting any indicium-bearing face of said first block and any indicium-bearing face of said second block;

(c) connecting said first block and said second block so that the connected blocks are horizontally adjacent and the selected indicia-bearing faces of each of said blocks are visible from the same direction; and

(d) viewing the color or selected indicia of said connected blocks to determine whether said indicia appear together to form an intelligible reading unit.