WO2002037450A1 - Method and apparatus for teaching alphabet lettering - Google Patents

Abstract

A method and apparatus for lettering through graphical and color association. Each letter (10) is composed of strokes or motions which the pen follows to create the letter. By assigning each motion to a particular color, a student can visualize the creation of the letter. By differentiating the color for motions that proceed in diffent directions, the student can distinguisch between letters that are similar, but facing different directions such as the 'b' and the 'd'. Additionally, when the letters are presented as finished letters with the individual 'strokes' of the letter shown in the layered collage of stroke colors and with directional arrows (24) provided, a student can 'see' the parts that make up the letter and more easily understand how to reproduce the letter. A book for teaching the method is also presented.

Description

Method and Apparatus for Teaching Alphabet Lettering

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. TECHNICAL FIELD (FIELD OF THE INVENTION)

The present invention relates to an improved method and system for teaching the formation of alphabet letters ("lettering") by breaking letters down into basic motions and color coding the types of motions used in letter to help students visualize and remember the motions.

2. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

The mechanics of writing are so elemental for most of us, that we can barely remember the process by which we learned to form the individual letters of the alphabet. However, for children, adult education students, and non-English speaking immigrants and others learning the latin ("roman") alphabet for the first time, the process can be long and daunting.

Although natural to most adults, learning the distinction between a "d" and a "b" when trying to write the word "boy" can be difficult. It can be as easily confused as the words "effect" and "affect" are in most adult's vocabulary. Similarly, remembering the direction of the middle slant of an "N" from the top left to the bottom right or from the top right to the bottom left can be extremely difficult for those trying to learn the alphabet if they are new to the English language with its Roman alphabet.

It has been the standard practice for many decades to teach lettering of the alphabet by tracing letters presented on paper or on a chalkboard or similar device. The letters are presented in hyphenated form and the student connects the dashes or traces the letters to form the letters. In more advanced classes, the student is presented with a finished copy of the letter and mimics the letters on ruled lines below the letter. Copies of the letters are often provided on the walls of the classroom and often above the blackboard to aid the students when memory fails them on the proper construction of the letters. Learning focuses on the rote repetition of forming the letters exactly as the models of the letters are shown to the students. When the models are removed from the sight-line of the student, it is often difficult for the learning student to remember the exact form of the letter, causing the "s" drawn from memory to look like a "z" and so forth.

The present invention takes the process of learning lettering a step further by breaking the process of lettering down into discrete steps or motions. Each motion is assigned an associated identifying color according to the direction or type of motion involved. Students can remember the difference between, for example, a "b" and a "d" both by the overall form of the letter as well as the easily distinguishable "colors" associated with the letter even when the model is removed. None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION (SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION)

The current invention describes a method and apparatus for teaching lettering using an entirely new and different, graphic-oriented method. Each letter in the English alphabet (also called the Roman or Latin alphabet) is composed of strokes or motions which the pen follows to create the letter. By assigning each motion to a particular color, the student can visualize the creation of the letter. By differentiating the color for motions that proceed in different directions, the student can distinguish between letters that are similar, but facing different directions such as the "s" and the "z". Additionally, when the letters are presented as finished letters with the individual "strokes" of the letter shown in the stroke colors, the student can "see" the parts that make up the letter and more easily understand how to reproduce the letter.

Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a method and apparatus for teaching lettering. It is another object of the invention to provide a method and apparatus for teaching lettering which graphically differentiates between different types of strokes used in lettering.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a method and apparatus for teaching lettering which uses color to differentiate between similarly formed letters such as the "b" and "d" to provide graphical tools to assist a student in recalling the difference between the letters by association with the colors.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus for teaching lettering which uses colors to show the stroke patterns within a letter to form an associative bond between the letter and its makeup. It is a further object of this invention to provide a novel method of teaching lettering through sequential drawings, which allows for self-guided instruction by parents to children, or by students using their own initiative to progress through the lessons at their own speed or pace. It is another object of this invention to provide an instruction manual and method of teaching which can be used by students of any age who immigrate to a country having a new alphabet or by individuals in another country who want to learn the latin ("roman") alphabet.

It is yet a further object of this invention to provide a novel apparatus and method of teaching students with dyslexia or other learning disabilities to read at a much earlier age.

It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof in an apparatus for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes. These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS (BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS)

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view of the instructions for lettering the letter A along a first stroke according to the invention.

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view of the instructions for lettering the letter A along a second stroke according to the invention. Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view of the instructions for lettering the letter A along a third stroke according to the invention.

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view of the assembled the letter A including the individual strokes according to the invention. Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view of an exercise in lettering the letter A with lettering guidelines.

Fig. 6A is a diagrammatic view of a first set of letters formed according to the present invention with individual strokes represented in color patterns.

Fig. 6B is a diagrammatic view of additional letters formed according to the present invention with individual strokes represented in color patterns.

Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

(DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(s))

The present invention an apparatus and method for teaching lettering. With reference to the figures, a representative method of teaching lettering through color association of the individual strokes of each letter to form a letter will be explained.

As shown in Figures 1-4, the letter A 10 is formed by three independent strokes. Each alphabet, whether Roman, Japanese, or Cyrillic, generally uses a limited number of types of strokes (up, down, across, slant to the right, etc.) to form all of the letters. While not all of the strokes are used on each letter, each letter is formed by a permutation of a certain number of limited strokes ("lettering stroke types").

According to the present invention, each stroke type is assigned a certain color so that the student learning to letter the alphabet can associate each stroke type with that color. According to a preferred embodiment, but by no means limiting the scope of the invention to a certain combination, the colors and strokes are associated as follows:

It is possible to form all of the letters of the alphabet using these eight strokes as shown in Figure 6A & B. The letters are shown in cross-hatching representing the proper colors that would be used in practice, but one skilled in the art would appreciate that a graphical pattern could be used for color blind students or to reduce the cost of instruction manuals and facilitate reproduction of the manuals.

Returning to Figures 1-4, the lettering of a representative letter is shown. To form the letter A 10 (Figure 4), the student begins by forming the leftmost leg of the letter 12 (Figure 1) by a left-slanting, downward stroke. Next the right leg 14 is formed by a right-slanting, downward stroke (Figure 2). Then the horizontal cross bar 16 is formed (Figure 3) to create the letter A (Figure 4).

In practice, a student would be presented with a sheet 20 (Figure 5) preferably as part of a book, workbook, manual, serial publication (not shown), or the like. The individual strokes are shown in series in the order needed to form the letter. Each stroke is shown in color as denoted by the cross-hatching of the strokes. Each stroke may be provided with indications of the starting point and progression of the stroke. The head 22 shows the student where to begin the stroke. An arrow 24 or other indicator may then be used to show the direction of the stroke along which the pen will travel during the stroke. As shown in Figure 1 , the left sloping, downward stroke to form the left leg of the letter A is formed by setting the pen down at the top of the leg and drawing the pen downward and to the left as shown by the arrow.

The student may use the blank guidelines 38 below the letter to draw in the letter as he learns the stroke. The student forms the left leg of the letter A by viewing the first stroke 12 as shown on the page 20 and then begins recreating the letter between the guidelines 38 to emulate the stroke shown. The student then moves on to the second stroke, placing the pen down in the second stroke starting area shown by the circular head 28 of the second stroke and continuing downwardly and slanting to the right. The student then places the pen in the starting area 30 of the third stroke and makes a horizontal line 16 to complete the letter. Practice may be continued by repeating the formation of the letter a number of times to learn by repetition and practice. As a significant improvement over the earlier "tracing" methods taught in lettering in school, the stroke type used to form each part of a letter is reinforced in several ways. According to prior art teaching methods, a letter is merely shown in its

finished form on or above a blackboard or even on a piece of paper. The students would use guide-lined paper to form the letters by looking at the letter and remembered how the teacher had instructed them to begin and progress.

The present method greatly improves on the prior art method by reinforcement

and association through several levels.

The first level is the color association. A student viewing the lettering page 20 sees that the initial stroke is represented by a blue stroke. Through repetition, the

student associates the blue and left-sloping, downward stroke as one and the same, doubly reinforcing the direction of the stroke necessary to form the left leg of the letter

A.

The second level of reinforcement is accomplished through the arrow shown beside the letter. A student does not have to remember how the teacher had formed the letter in an earlier lesson to understand how to form the stroke. The student can

merely refer to the arrow to see which direction the stroke progresses. The arrow and

the color of the stroke will mutually reinforce the association of the color and direction

of the stroke, as each color is associate with a stroke formed in a particular direction.

The third level of reinforcement is the graphic stroke representation by

graphically showing the stroke as having a head 18 and a tail ("body") 26. As shown in Figures 1 and 5, an enlarged, circular head 22 represents the "ink splotch" that would

be formed when a pen used to form a letter sets down on the surface of a paper during formation of the letter. The tail is slender and follows a regular shape ("constant width"). Viewing the lettering stroke in the manual, a student can visualize from the graphic shape of the stroke where the pen sets down on the paper and where the stroke continues along the stroke.

The forth level of reinforcement is the composite representation of the completed character shown graphically and in color. When a letter is completed by drawing strokes of a similar color and pressure, it is difficult, if not impossible, to see or understand how the letter was formed or which strokes were completed prior to others or in what direction strokes were made. However, by showing the letters in graphic, colored layers, the elements required to form a letter can be easily understood and the letter can be dissected to its individual strokes. As shown by the letter A 10 in Figures 4 and 5, the letter A is a collage of three different colored strokes making up the different stroke "layers." Dissecting the letter, the horizontal bar must have been made last because it overlaps both of the other strokes. The color is green so it is a horizontal stroke, which are always made left to right. A direction arrow reinforces the direction of the strokes, as does the graphic presentation of the head and tail of the strokes indicating that the pen is placed to the left and moved to the right. Therefore, the final stroke must have been a horizontal bar connecting the left leg to the right leg.

Similarly the order and direction of the other two strokes can be determined and peeled back until the student can recognize which stroke was first. As shown in Figures 6A & B, each letter can be dissected similarly to determine how to form the letter. Thus a student needn't rely on his memory of how the teacher formed the letter, but can determine the order by the graphic, color layers of the model letters.

Eventually through repetition and practice, a student who wants to form the letter A will see in his mind a blue, red and green letter and form the strokes properly even if he can no longer "see" the position of the heads and tails or direction arrows. A blue leg of the letter A will be formed from top right to bottom left and so on. Further, the multicolored letters will also help stimulate studenst by better capturing their interests over traditional, all black lettering. Additionally, the graphic and color association taught through this method has an additional benefit. In poorer countries where resources are scarce and budgets are limited, a teaching resource for teaching literacy and letter such as this would be especially valuable. It is possible to practice lettering without having to use a pen or pencil to form the letters thereby allowing unlimited reuse of the workbooks and manuals. The letters and strokes can be traced with a finger or pointing device to build the association of the stroke elements and the letter. By placing the pointer on the head of the stroke and following through to the tail of the stroke, students can learn the proper formation of the letters and associate the direction of the strokes with the color easier than forming a simple black and white form of the letter without the reinforcing associations. And here the color distinction between similar letter such as a "b" and a "d" becomes exceptionally important.

This graphic association also has an important benefit in distinguishing letters which are very similar to each other to the beginning student. For example, the small letters "b" and "d" (or "p" and "q") are often confused, not only by beginning students, but also by adults learning English as a second language or learning to read and write for the first time. (One need only try writing the letters upside down quickly to remember how hard it can be to remember the proper orientation of letters such as "s" and "z.") By associating the curve of the letter b with the color brown as a circular, clockwise stroke and the letter d with the color orange ("half circle, counterclockwise stroke"), it will be easier to remember when forming the letter which direcdtion the letter will face formed. In this way students can associate the color of the letter with its proper shape. It is expected that this will be especially valuable in teaching students having learning, visual or other disorders such as dyslexia in learning to form letters properly by color association rather than geometric orientation. Even using the best teaching methods available today, a disproportionate number of dyslexic students do not learn to read before the age of 10.

By continuing through the other letters, capital and small, from A to Z, the lettering can be learned with great precision. The applications for such a learning technique are endless, from teaching immigrants to learn the roman alphabet, to helping provide a process for non-native English speakers to learn the alphabet and to read to teaching children or adults with learning disabilities how to distinguish letters. The method and apparatus taught herein are expected to have particular value in teaching individuals from third world countries to read and write in their own native languages as well as more international languages using the roman alphabet such as English, French and German. The simplicity of the teaching methods are such that a motivated student can use the self-guided lessons to learn the alphabet and lettering independently at his own pace or with the assistance of a teacher, parent or tutor. The self-guided nature of the instruction book will also help compensate when classes are self-taught or taught by an instructor with limited experience or familiarity with the target alphabet/language or where the instructor does not speak the same language as the students.

The importance of such a teaching method is even clearer when used in conjunction with other international teaching methodologies having wide ranging goals. Some example of current teaching methodologies include TESOL (Teaching Englishto Speakers of Other Language), TEIL (Teaching English as an International Language), TELWC (Teaching English as a Language of Wider Communication), and TEAL (Teaching English as an Auxiliary Language). The use of the inventive method taught herein is as easily adaptable to being taught in international trade language classes as it is to being used in teaching adult literacy classes, by providing an accelerated process by which individuals can learn the roman alphabet.

One skilled in the art would recognize that "lettering" could refer as well to numbers or foreign alphabets such as Japanese, Chinese, Greek, etc. without departing from the scope of the invention. Likewise, other graphical patterns such as shading and hatching can be used in place of or in addition to the color as a form of reinforcing the association of the stroke with the letter. Additionally models of the letters showing the same information can be used, for example models made of wood blocks, or flat adhesive sheets which can be overlapped to form the letters. It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the sole embodiment described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is that I claim:

1. A method of teaching lettering comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a model of at least one letter to be emulated;

(b) graphically presenting said letter as a series of discrete strokes needed to form said letter model;

(c) differentiating each said discrete stroke as a particular stroke type from a list of lettering stroke types;

(d) associating a color with each said lettering stroke type; and

(e) graphically presenting each said discrete stroke in said letter model in the color associated with said particular stroke type of said stroke.

2. A method of teaching lettering according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of:

(f) providing a graphic arrow associated with each said stroke to denote the desired stroke direction to form said discrete stroke of said model letter.

3. A method of teaching lettering according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of:

(g) providing each said discrete stroke of said letter model with a head portion and a body portion, said head portion denoting a starting point of said discrete stroke necessary to form said discrete stroke.

4. A method of teaching lettering according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of:

(h) graphically presenting each of said discrete strokes on at least one page as a series of discrete pictures.

5. A method of teaching lettering comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a model of at least one letter to be emulated;

(b) graphically presenting said letter as a series of discrete strokes needed to form said letter model;

(c) differentiating each said discrete stroke as a particular stroke type from a limited list of lettering stroke types;

(d) associating a color with each said lettering stroke type;

(e) graphically presenting each said discrete stroke in said letter model with a color associated with said particular stroke type of said stroke;

(f) providing a graphic arrow associated with each said stroke to denote the desired stroke direction to form said discrete stroke of said model letter;

(g) providing each said discrete stroke of said letter model with a head portion and a body portion, said head portion denoting a starting point of said discrete stroke necessary to form said discrete stroke; and

(h) graphically presenting each discrete stroke as a layered collage to form a single model of a letter.

6. A manual for teaching lettering comprising:

(a) at least one page graphically showing at least one letter to be emulated;

(b) said at least one letter being formed as a series of discrete strokes needed to form said letter;

(c) each of said discrete strokes being represented as one of a plurality of colors to distinguish the shape of said discrete stroke.

7. A manual for teaching lettering according to claim 6, wherein further said letter has a graphic arrow associated with each stroke to denote a desired stroke direction to form said discrete stroke of said model letter.

8. A manual for teaching lettering according to claim 6, wherein further each said discrete stroke of said letter model has a head portion and a body portion, said head portion denoting a starting point of said discrete stroke necessary to form said discrete stroke.

9. A manual for teaching lettering according to claim 6, wherein said manual graphically shows a series of letters to be emulated.

10. A manual for teaching lettering according to claim 6, wherein said manual graphically shows all of the letters of an alphabet to be emulated.