Method for developing cognitive skills in reading

Abstract

Methodologies for improving a student's phonemic awareness, decoding, spelling, oral and written comprehension are described herein. The method is embodied in a suite of twelve exercises operable on a computing device. The exercises are geared towards training of 1st and 2nd grade students but are not limited to that. The methods present an entertaining screen environment, with target stimulus, and foil or distracter stimulus presented visually, textually, and aurally. The student is required to identify the target stimulus from the distracter stimulus within the context of each exercise. Progress from easier trials to more difficult trials is made as the student successfully completes particular difficulty levels.

1 . A method on a computer for improving phonemic awareness in a student by aurally and graphically presenting phonemes for sorting, the method comprising: 
 providing a plurality of target phonemes to be used for sorting;    providing a plurality of stimulus phonemes to be paired with one or more of the plurality of target phonemes;    presenting the plurality of target phonemes;    presenting one of the plurality of stimulus phonemes for sorting with one or more of the presented plurality of target phonemes;    determining whether the student correctly sorted the one of the plurality of stimulus phonemes with the one or more of the presented plurality of target phonemes;    continuing to present other ones of the plurality of stimulus phonemes for sorting with one or more of the presented plurality of target phonemes;    ceasing presentation of the other ones of the plurality of stimulus phonemes after the student has correctly responded to the trials according to a predetermined threshold;    wherein, upon meeting the predetermined threshold, another plurality of target phonemes are used for continued training.    
   
   
       2 . The method for improving phonemic awareness as recited in  claim 1  wherein the plurality of target phonemes comprise: 
 a set of phonemes having an initial consonant;    a set of phonemes having a final consonant; and    a set of phonemes having a medial vowel.    
   
   
       3 . The method for improving phonemic awareness as recited in  claim 1  wherein the target phonemes are single syllable phonemes, aurally presented, and graphically displayed.  
   
   
       4 . The method for improving phonemic awareness as recited in  claim 1  wherein the target phonemes are presented to the student, two at a time.  
   
   
       5 . The method for improving phonemic awareness as recited in  claim 1  wherein the target phonemes are presented to the student, four at a time.  
   
   
       6 . The method for improving phonemic awareness as recited in  claim 5  wherein the presented stimulus phoneme should be paired with one of the four presented target phonemes.  
   
   
       7 . The method for improving phonemic awareness as recited in  claim 1  wherein said step of determining requires the student to indicate which one of the plurality of target phonemes should be matched with the one of the plurality of stimulus phonemes.  
   
   
       8 . The method for improving phonemic awareness as recited in  claim 7  wherein the match is correct if the initial consonant of both the indicated one of the plurality of target phonemes and the initial consonant of the one of the plurality of stimulus phonemes is the same.  
   
   
       9 . The method for improving phonemic awareness as recited in  claim 7  wherein the match is correct if the final consonant of both the indicated one of the plurality of target phonemes and the initial consonant of the one of the plurality of stimulus phonemes is the same.  
   
   
       10 . The method for improving phonemic awareness as recited in  claim 7  wherein the match is correct if the medial vowel of both the indicated one of the plurality of target phonemes and the initial consonant of the one of the plurality of stimulus phonemes is the same.  
   
   
       11 . The method for improving phonemic awareness as recited in  claim 1  further comprising: 
 providing sets of pluralities of target phonemes; and    repeating said step of providing a plurality of target phonemes thru said step of ceasing, for each one of the sets of pluralities of target phonemes.    
   
   
       12 . The method for improving phonemic awareness as recited in  claim 11  wherein each of the sets of pluralities contains four target sounds.  
   
   
       13 . The method for improving phonemic awareness as recited in  claim 12  wherein the four target sounds comprise: 
 initial consonants;    final consonants; or    medial vowels.    
   
   
       14 . The method for improving phonemic awareness as recited in  claim 1  wherein the predetermined threshold comprises a predetermined percentage of correct responses over total responses.  
   
   
       15 . The method for improving phonemic awareness as recited in  claim 14  wherein the predetermined percentage is approximately 90%.  
   
   
       16 . The method for improving phonemic awareness as recited in  claim 1  wherein the predetermined threshold comprises a predetermined number of correct responses for a predetermined number of trials.  
   
   
       17 . The method for improving phonemic awareness as recited in  claim 1  wherein said step of determining further comprises: 
 recording a selection by the student of one of the plurality of target phonemes;    comparing the selection of one of the plurality of target phonemes with the presented one of the plurality of stimulus phonemes; and    determining whether the initial consonant of the selected one of the plurality of target phonemes and the one of the plurality of stimulus phonemes is the same.    
   
   
       18 . The method for improving phonemic awareness as recited in  claim 1  wherein said step of determining further comprises: 
 recording a selection by the student of one of the plurality of target phonemes;    comparing the selection of one of the plurality of target phonemes with the presented one of the plurality of stimulus phonemes; and    determining whether the final consonant of the selected one of the plurality of target phonemes and the one of the plurality of stimulus phonemes is the same.    
   
   
       19 . The method for improving phonemic awareness as recited in  claim 1  wherein said step of determining further comprises: 
 recording a selection by the student of one of the plurality of target phonemes;    comparing the selection of one of the plurality of target phonemes with the presented one of the plurality of stimulus phonemes; and    determining whether the medial vowel of the selected one of the plurality of target phonemes and the one of the plurality of stimulus phonemes is the same.    
   
   
       20 . The method for improving phonemic awareness as recited in  claim 1  wherein a grapheme is a pictorial representation of a phoneme.  
   
   
       21 . A method for improving phonemic decoding using a computer, the method comprising: 
 providing a plurality of blocks of phonemes;    presenting ones of phonemes within a first block as target phonemes;    presenting another phoneme within a first block as a stimulus phoneme;    requiring a student to correctly sort the another phoneme into the ones of phonemes presented;    repeating said step of presenting ones of phonemes thru said step of requiring;    if the student correctly sorts a predetermined amount, repeating said step of presenting ones of phonemes thru said step of repeating, for all of said plurality of blocks of phonemes.    
   
   
       22 . The method for improving phonemic decoding as recited in  claim 21  wherein the phonemes comprise: 
 initial consonant blends;    final consonant blends; and    medial vowel blends.    
   
   
       23 . The method for improving phonemic decoding as recited in  claim 21  wherein a block of phonemes comprises: 
 a plurality of phonemes that are presented together at a given level.    
   
   
       24 . The method for improving phonemic decoding as recited in  claim 23  wherein the plurality of phonemes presented together comprises four phonemes.  
   
   
       25 . The method for improving phonemic decoding as recited in  claim 21  wherein said step of presenting ones of phonemes comprises: 
 aurally presenting the ones of phonemes; and    visually presenting a pictorial representation of the aurally presented ones of phonemes.    
   
   
       26 . The method for improving phonemic decoding as recited in  claim 21  wherein said step of presenting another phoneme comprises: 
 aurally presenting the another phoneme; and    visually displaying the another phoneme.