Parent/Teacher's Guide to OLPC Typewriter
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Overview
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The OLPC Typewriter teaches phonics, vocabulary and typing.
For phonics, it covers the 44 sounds (phonemes) in the English Language as identified by The National Right to Read Foundation (www.nrrf.org).
For vocabulary, it covers 660 words chosen from the Oxford 3000 word list published by Oxford University Press for English Language Teaching (www.oup.com/elt).
This list is carefully selected by language experts and experienced teachers as the words which should receive priority in vocabulary study because of their importance and usefulness.
The curriculum addresses the California State Board of Education English-language Arts Content Standards for Kindergarten - Grade Two (www.cde.ca.gov )
Word Analysis, Fluency, and Systematic Vocabulary Development including
- Concepts about Print
- Phonemic Awareness
- Decoding and Word Recognition
- Vocabulary and Concept Development
The target typing speed is 40 wpm, the basic minimum standard required by many employers.
Target learners' age group: 7-8 years old
No previous knowledge of English required.
The following provides short descriptions for each mode, controls, how to customize the application and who to contact for more information.
A suggested lesson plan and of how to use this application and suggested worksheets are provided.
Free Mode (Building blocks icon - top left)
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Learning Objectives:
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1. Able to Identify all 26 letters (naming of letters, and upper & lower case discrimination)
2. Understand each letter corresponds to one or more (in this current version, only one to one) sounds
3. Correct finger placement on the keyboard
Lesson Mode (Blackboard icon - top right)
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Phonics:
The 44 sounds can be categorized into the following groups:
1. 5 short vowels
2. 18 consonant sounds
3. 7 Digraphs
4. 6 long vowels
5. 3 r-controlled vowel sounds
6. Diphthongs and other special sounds
Learning Objectives:
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For a single lesson
1. Pronounce the phoneme sound
2. Associate the phoneme with the corresponding letter(s)
3. Give 15 examples of words containing the phoneme
4. Use the correct hand and finger for each letter of the words (correct typing technique)
At the end of each lesson, the words where the students had errors are highlighted.
Assessment Mode (Stopwatch and papers icon - bottom left)
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Three assessment modes are provided, learners need to type the correct word regardless of mode:
1. Sounds Only
- Plays the sound only.
- Objective: Assess learner's ability to decode phonemes of a word.
2. Images Only
- Shows the image only.
- Objective: Assess learner's ability to recall vocabulary learned.
3. Words Only
- Shows the word only.
- Objective: Assess learner's ability to type the word shown.
For all three modes, learner's typing speed and accuracy is shown.
At the end of each assessment, the student's percentage accuracy, speed in words per minute and the words where the students had errors are highlighted.
Collaborative Mode (bottom right)
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Currently under development.
Controls
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The student selects modes and lessons by pointing and clicking with the mouse. The students advance lessons by using the keyboard to type the sequences requested by the application. The '<' button will always return the student to the previous screen.Suggested Lesson Plan (based on NRRF)
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Time Frame
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Phonics: 4 months based on 15 min/day, 5 days/wk. This is based on recommendation from the National Read to Right Foundation (www.nrrf.org).
Typing: Depends on individuals, how much practise and how quickly you learn. Beginners normally take 56 hours of typing to reach 40 wpm (based on Prof. Jared Diamond, noted American biologist & physiologist)
Step 1
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Introduce the 26 alphabets using FreeMode.
Learners should know all 26 letters (what they are called), recognize and discriminate between upper and lower case.
Introduce the Alphabetic Principle early to learners: each sound can be represented by a corresponding letter (or combination of letters).
Learners should also learn the correct finger placement on the keyboard. Emphasis is on learning where the keys are and which fingers should be used for each key.
This will form the basis for long term good typing habits.
Step 2
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Start with the short-vowels (suggested time: 1 week). Add several consonant sounds each day to drill short-vowel and consonant sounds.
Keep drilling until all sounds are memorized, which usually takes 2-4 weeks.
For each lesson, suggested time is 15 min. Learner can proceed on their own but should be encouraged to sound out each word as much as possible as they type.
After each lesson, teacher may choose any of the three assessment modes to assess and reinforce what learners have learned.
It is helpful for students to write down their scores after each assessment in order to track their progress e.g. see worksheet section below.
After assessment, give additional examples that are not covered in the lesson to see if learners can apply what they have learned in reading new, decodable words.
It is highly recommended to work on phonics for at least 15 minutes a day, 5 days a week.
Frequency and consistency are more important than the length of time spent on each lesson.
For typing, emphasis is on forming the right technique first. Practice frequently to reinforce.
Learners should also practice without looking at the keyboard; put a hand cover / peice of cardboard over hands if necessary.
Focus first on hitting each key accurately every time. Then gradually increase speed while working on good accuracy at the same time.
Speed will increase once typing becomes a more automatic physical motor process. Learners normally learn where the keys are on the keyboard very quickly; developing the skill and speed to hit the letters quickly, accurately and in the correct sequence involves more effort and takes much longer.
Focus learners' thinking on about the content of what is being typed, the words, and not the physical act of pressing the correct keys.
Step 3
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Practise two-letter and three-letter blends with learners.
Start with two-letter blends first. E.g. b + a = ba, j + 0 = jo
After learner can read two-letter blends, then proceed to three-letter blends. E.g. b + a + g = bag
For both blends, teacher can reuse many of the words in the short-vowel lessons as examples and practise.
Step 4
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Teach the digraphs (ch,sh,th,wh,ng,nk).
Step 5
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Introduce a few high-frequency words necessary to read most sentences e.g. a, is, the, etc
After learners can read 3 and 4-letter words easily, add a few high-frequency words that are necessary to read most sentences.
Some of these words are irregular (don't follow rules of phonics) and teacher guidance is necessary to read them correctly.
A list of suggested basic high-frequency words can be found at National Right to Read Foundation (http://www.nrrf.org)
Step 6
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Teach the long vowels and the r-controlled vowel sounds.
Step 7
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Teach the diphthongs e.g. oo, ce, etc
Step 8
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After 3-4 months of daily phonics instruction, teacher may begin introducing short, decodable stories.
Learners should read all stories aloud, carefully and accurately. Explain the meaning of all new words.
Encourage learners to read each story several times to gain fluency, but not to memorize.
Basic punctuation (. , ! ?) can be introduced at this time as well.
How to Customize OLPC Typewriter Lessons (Advanced Technical Users)
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OLPC Typewriter supports the following customizations
Remove Lessons
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Edit the lesson.ln file and delete the necessary lesson letters e.g. a, oo
Also delete the corresponding lesson line. When you reload OLPC Typewriter the deleted lessons will no longer be available.
Add/Edit Lessons
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Edit the lesson.ln file and add or move the necessary lesson letter
Also add/edit the corresponding lesson line with each individual word separated by commas e.g. bag, cat, etc.
You can also rearrange the order of vocabulary words in a lesson.
When you reload OLPC Typewriter the deleted lessons will now be available
Note that sounds and images for each of the words must be added separately if they are not already available.
Adding/Removing Sounds
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To remove a sound, navigate to the sounds folder and locate the sound and delete it.
To add a sound, copy the new sound into the sounds folder. Sounds must be .wav format and smaller file sizes <20K are recommended.
Adding/Removing Images
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To delete an image, navigated to the images folder and then locate the folder for the lesson that you wish to modify and delete the specific image.
To add an image, copy the new image into the folder for the lesson that you wish to modify.
Add/Edit Assessment
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Edit the unknown.mem file and or move the necessary vocabulary word. For the assessment 20 words are randomly selected from all possible words.
When you reload the OLPC Typewriter, the assessment vocabulary list will be chosen from the currently available words.
Note that sounds and images for each of the words must be added separately if they are not already available.
Worksheets
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Contacts
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For any additional questions, comments or concerns, please contact Aneto Okonkwo oaneto@gmail.com