About
The Entry Dance is a choreographed performance by a Phonetic
Literacy teacher, showing the Entry Path, the path to literacy, the
easiest, clearest, gentlest, most loving path to basic literacy:
- It should take very few minutes.
- It should give the student full confidence to complete the path
by self-study.
- It should bring an uninterested even defensive person
into curiosity and sincere learning.
- It should request and accept questions and feedback and improve
and customize itself according to the student's needs.
Remember the respect and love. Respect in the form of:
- offering immediate prospect of advantage and empowerment therefore creating interest,
- giving early and obvious indicators of success therefore creating determination and
persistency.
Love in the form of:
- non-hurry, giving time to let the words sink in and be accepted,
- attentive awareness of any mental struggle or not understanding,
- ability to change the performance to meet the student at their level and pace,
- gratitude that the student has accepted and appreciated this and that they may pass it on to others.
Writing Conventions
- Indicate ideas communicated with CAPITAL LETTERS
- Indicate words spoken with ".."
- Indicate expected response with --
- Indicate sounds pronounced with [..]
- Indicate actions such as giving or pointing with |..|
- Indicate a break point if there is no time by ---- optional break ----
- Indicate explanatory comment with /*...*/
Entry Dance Policy
With more time give more information, but even with less time still
give what you can. Consider the potential impact, the opportunity
cost if nothing is given. Below are a few introductions of different
duration.
Entry Dance (0 words)
Free papers on the counter or in a box for passersby to take one at a
post office or मन्दिर as प्रसाद or any place, also free documents found
by internet search to download and print for oneself, free, for anyone
anywhere. These are all a Very Good Idea, according to me.
The Instrument is intended and designed to be self explanatory,
communicating the sound for each letter unambiguously without a
teacher. Look and think, the intelligent, diligent, thoughtful,
creative ones can and will get it. Surprise: The poor illiterates are
intelligent, diligent, thoughtful, and creative. I think they can and
will get it.
At least, this use case has not been proven futile, yet.
Until then, if it possibly effective, it should be given: Until proven futile!
Can it be proven futile? Yes, by experiments!
Entry Dance (3 words)
When walking past an aggressive, possibly-illiterate beggar, don't
stop or slow down (don't engage, which offers yourself as prey to
their predatory efforts to extract your attention and money; don't
participate in their agenda, but act with your own benevolent agenda),
still, place it on their hands, and say:
| English:
Learn to read.
| Hindi:
लिपी है लिपी
|
Entry Dance (5 words)
| English:
Read and Write by Sounds
| Hindi:
यह लो भय्या / बहन जी लिपी है । ((while giving to a passing bicycle delivery man)
|
Entry Dance (25-50 words)
| English:
Do you know your letters? (No).
Perfect! Take this.
Discuss, study, keep it.
The magic is revealed in this paper
by drawings of your mouth,
which makes every sound.
Study this to easily learn
the secrets of literacy.
| Hindi:
हिन्दी लिपी आती ? (हां)
अंग्रेजी लिपी आती ? (नहीं) …
बडीया । यह लो
साथ रख
धर पे देखो
पढाई लिखाई के रहस्या
जादु सा हाता था मगर अभी से तो
इस में दिखाई देती हैं साफ़ सरल रूप से
रेखचित्र के माध्यम से ।
|
Entry Dance (100 words)
| English:
Do you want to learn basic reading and writing? (Yes)
Here. (Give the Instrument, a practice notebook, a pen.)
May I explain?
Phonetics means sounds. International Phonetic Alphabet is the doorway to literacy. 1 sound 1 letter.
IPA writes every language, every sound.
Roman scripts like English can be read more or less as IPA.
See here.
This is your head.(upper left)
This is breath. (upper right)
This is voice. (upper middle)
So this mark is [h]. (hold ear so as to say, listen)
This mark is voice. Where else? (let them point; turn it over there too)
This mark is voiceless.
Look at this (point to [a] row).
This drawing says Open the mouth and do voice.
What happens? That is [a] (point to a).
Did I say it or did the drawings say it? (the drawings).
These are [a u i o e schwa]. The drawings say what to do for each sound.
From the phonetic script the secrets of reading and writing that are
absolutely hidden that will never ever be guessed, those secrets
become obvious and easy with phonetic drawing.
| Hindi:
लिपी चाहये? (हाँ)
लीजिये । International फ़ोनेटिक लिपी मतलब ध्वनिवाली लिपी है। हिन्दी शब्द अगर अंग्रेजवाली लिपी में लिख गया हैं तो इस धवनिवाली लिपी के साथ समझ में आएगा ।
आपको सिखाऊँ? (हाँ)
यह सर है आपका ना?(point)
यह सांस [h]। यह आवाज़ ।
मतलब यही अक्षर (point to h) का मतलब यही ध्वनी [h] (hold ear, indicating, listen to the sound)
यहाँ भी आवाज है ना? (Point to [a] row, [/+] mark.)
मतलब यह है कि आवाज़ के साथ मुँह खोल दो ना? (हाँ)
तब तो क्या आती ? (say [a], point)
[a u i o e schwa]
मेरे साथ सुनाये ।
ध्वनीवाली लिपी है इससे पडाई लिखाई रहस्याएं जो एकदम गुप्त होते थे,
कभी नहीं सिखाया जाएगा शिक्षक बिना, वहि रहस्याए जादुएं साफ - सरल बन जाते हैं ।
|
Entry Dance (400 words)
|
| | What's this? | |Show 4 letters Devanagari (na, u:, ha, bae, me),
4 English (t s e b z). Write down name contact, answers.| |
| (If pass any) Read this: | |Show "baba", "mandir", "gita".| |
| Do you want to read and write? Here are the secrets. | |Give the paper, top end forward. Record if they turn the paper around. If not, turn it for them.| |
| Here's your head | |Point to upper left head.| |
| This is breath | |Point to upper right head.| |
| This is voice | |Point to upper middle head.| |
This letter means breath. [h]. Say [h].
Not the name "aitch" but the sound [h].
Not the syllable [ha] but the sound [h].
| |point to [h]| |
| One sound one letter. | |
This letter says [h].
| |Point to [h] letter.| |
Where is [h]? haha.
| |
Look, is there a sign with [h]?
| |Look for h on a nearby sign, point it out| |
After you learn a letter, look for it everywhere:
signs, papers, computers, TV.
Always read! | |
| Next, this is voice. | |Point to upper middle head.| |
This [+/] means [voice].
| |Point to [+/] by upper middle head.| |
| This [/-] means without voice | |Point to [-/] by upper left head.| |
We say "Voiceless".
| |
| Where is [voice]? | |Point out each, front and back.| |
| Where is voiceless? | |Show back [+/-] pairs.| |
| |Look at the big Table with a u i o e.| |
| Voiced [+/] is here and here. | |Point out [+/] both on upper middle head and [a] row| |
What does it say?
Arrow says open mouth.
The box with [+/] says voice.
| |
What happens if I open mouth wide. Look at me!
| |Open mouth, without voice.| |
What happened? Nothing. Why? No [voice].
If it says voice, do not forget voice. | |
| Watch again as I open my mouth wide, with voice. | |Say [a aa aaa]| |
| Say it. [a] (together) [a]. So this letter says [a]. | |Point to [a].| |
| Understand? For every single sound, line drawings say which sound,
and the letter shows how to write it. Ok? | |
Let's draw. Can you draw a smiley face? Take a pencil and paper, draw a smiley face now.
That's good but you can also do better with practice. | |Help set up notebook on writing surface; help hold pencil. Give patience, let them do it.| |
Can you draw [h]? And [a]? Another [h], another [a].
Read it out loud. [haha]. | |
| Now you can laugh AND read! | |
For each letter ask yourself:
what sound, what action,
what place, what voice?
Line drawings answer and teach.
To
understand, use your mouth and voice and compare with
pictures. | |
Some letters are for other languages, Marathi, Chinese, German.
Practice drawing each letter until beautiful,
while saying the sound. | |
Write easy words. Write your name.
Write what needs to be remembered, what is important to save, what you want others to read.
Write letters, lists, receipts, prices, agreements.
Read others' writings and letters, read signs, directions, read the owner's name on things. | |
Learning is not very easy,
but it is very possible.
This was made for you and your people together.
You can do it.
Help each other,
until everyone can read and write. | |
Entry Dance (Classroom)
INTRODUCE
| Say This | Do This |
| |Give the paper, present it upside down, if they don't rotate it then you rotate for them; remember and record.|
|
| "Take this." | |
POSSIBLE END POINT.
/* This method could succeed with no discussion, by airdrop alone. */
|
| "The secrets of reading and writing are made visible in this paper using line drawings." | |
| "One sound one letter, means clear and easy." | |
| "Keep it, study it, very soon you can follow English signs." | |
VOICE
| Say | Do |
| "This is the head." | |Point to [-/] (voiceless) head, upper left.| |
| "This is breath." | |Point to [h] head, upper right.| |
| "This letter means breath." | |Point to letter [h].| |
| "[hhh]" | /* the sound [h] not the name "aitch".
No vowel as in [hə] (2 sounds), say [h] (1 sound). */ |
| "This is voice." | |Point to [/+] (voiced) head, upper middle.| |
| "On this Nothing is happening," | |Point to the [-/] (voiceless) head, upper left.| |
| " without voice, voiceless." | |
| "This box means, voiceless." | |Point to the [-/] box.| |
| "With voice, without voice." | |Point back and forth to [-/] and [/+] boxes.| |
| "See voice here and here and here." | |Point to the [/+] boxes for each vowel| |
| "Turn to the other side." | |Flip page over.| |
| "Voice is here, here here..." | |Point to the [/+] boxes for each action.| |
| "Voiceless is also here and here." | |Point to Stops and Fricatives.| |
| "See voiced, voiceless here?" | |Point with two fingers on one hand to both - and + on [-/+]| |
| | "So here also with voice/without voice." | |Point two fingers at f/v, s/z, š/ž.| |
/* This is giving the idea that one square box can have two letters, */
/* upper left is voiceless, lower-right is voiced */ |
VOWELS
| Say | Do |
| | |Turn page back to vowels side up.| |
| "Here is with voice." | |Point to [/+] in the [a] row.| |
| "What does this say?" | |Point to down arrow on the jaw in the [a] row.| |
| "See the arrow (on the jaw)?" | |
| "It says, open the mouth." | |
| "I will do it for you" | |Open mouth wide. Hold mouth open until they look up.| |
| "Nothing came out, why? | |
| "I did no Voice. This says Voice, I must also do Voice." | |
| "I will do it again." | |Open mouth wide, wait 2 seconds, do voicing very briefly, then longer, then long.| |
| "What is that?" | |Point finger to [a].| |
| "That is [a]." | |Point finger to [a].| |
| "See this letter, remember [a]" | |
| "Got it?" | /* Noone has said No, so far. */ |
| "These are [a u i o e ə].". | |Point finger to each while saying each one, a bit slowly.| |
/* This is a performance. By lingering on each sound a little,
communicate that they should say it after you, at least next time. */ |
| "Say it after me." | /* Make sure they actually say it. Encourage them to do a public performance. */ |
| [a] - [a], [u] - [u], [i] - [i], [o] - [o], [e] - [e], [ə] - [ə] | |Point to each.| |
| "Short one, long one." | |Point to short black box, long black box.| |
| "Say after me:" | |
| [a a:] - [a a:], [u u:] - [u u:], [i i:] - [i i:], [o o:] - [o o:], [e e:] - [e e:] | |Point to each.| |
| [ə] is always short. | |Point to ə.| |
In Hindi [ə] is short, [a:] is long.
अ is not the sound [a] it is the sound [ə]. [a] is full open [ə] is mid not open.
| |Point to ə.| |
| "Got it?" | /* so far noone says No */ |
| "Look at [a], see the arrow?" | |
| "The arrow says open the mouth. The name of this one arrow is [open]. Where else is the [open] arrow?" | |
/* They should look and indicate the [open] arrow in the line-drawings for [e] and [o].
Give time to find and see and point.
Respect their process to understand and perceive and act.
Since this is new they may take a moment; no hurry.
But if there is struggle, then show the answer soon, the [open] arrow on the [e] drawing
and ask, is there another?
*/ |
|
| "Now say [i u] " - [i u]. | /* demonstrate with extreme rounding and extreme smiling/lip retraction */ |
| "Do your lips move together in [u]?" -- "Yes." | /* lips for u is easy */ |
| "What about your tongue?" | |
| "See the arrow on the tongue?" | |Point to the tongue arrow for [u].| |
| "Does it say the tongue goes back?" | |
| "Does your tongue actually go back a little for [u]?" -- "Yes". |
| /* This may be easier to communicate by doing both [u] and [i], by sense of contrast. */ |
| "So these three arrows on lips and tongue mean [u]." | |
| (If academic, say, "We call the lips "rounded" and the tongue body [back]. So [u] is [back-rounded].") | |
| "Does [back-rounded] occur again? Where?" -- "[o]" | |
| "Do [u o u o]." [u o u o] | |
| "Does your mouth opens more for [o]?" -- "Yes" | /* After some thought, patience, perception, trying it */ |
| "Now [i u i u]" | /* Again, with extreme rounding and extreme smiling/lip retraction */ |
| "Do your lips spread back, a little bit, in [i]?" -- "Yes." | /* Note: to smile say cheese */ |
| "What about your tongue?" | |
| "See the arrow on the tongue?" | |Point to the tongue arrow for [i].| |
| "Does it say the tongue goes forward?" | |
| "In [u i u i] Does your tongue go forward for [i]?" -- "Yes". | |
| /* Easier by sense of contrast */ |
| "So these two arrows on lips and tongue mean [i]." | |
| (If academic, say, we call the lips "unrounded" and the tongue body [front]. So [i] is [front-unrounded].) | |
| "Does [front-unrounded] occur elsewhere? Where?" -- "[e]" | |
| "Do [i e i e]" - [i e i e] | |
| "Does your mouth open more for [e]?" -- "Yes" | /* Give time for some thought, patience, perception, trying it */ |
/* Now we have done all departures from [ə]:
[open], [front-unrounded], [back-rounded], and
combinations of [open] with the others.
Next it is time to do [ə].
*/
|
|
ə
| Say | Do |
| "This one has a name and a sound, the name is 'schwa' and the sound is [ə]. Say [ə]." -- [ə] | |
"Say [i: ə u: ə a: ə]" -- [i ə u ə a ə]
| |
"[ə] is in the middle. Every other action starts from [ə], goes away from [ə], comes back to [ə]."
"[ə] is the source, the base, the center, the default." | |
| "For every vowel you can do one action or two actions, but for [ə] no action is needed, only [voice], to have [ə]." | |
| "See the airway, no stoppage no constriction just equally open all the way, no
distortion of shape by opening fronting backing lip-rounding
lip-spreading, everything neutral, this is ə." | |
| "In Devanagari [ə] is written अ and usually is hidden inside a consonant letter and unwritten." | |
| "But one sound one letter says, write every sound, so we write [ə]". | |
| "Examples?: [ə] in 'bus', 'matlab, 'jagah', 'un-paR'." | |
| "Okay, vowels are done." | |
CONSONANT PLACES
| Say | Do |
| |Turn the page over to the consonant side.| |
| "5 places 1 2 3 4 5, 6 actions 1 2 3 4 5 6." | |Point the finger in turn to each place, each action.| |
| "Place means what? Listen and watch." | |
| /* produce 3-6x each, voiceless bursts for */ [p t ʈ č k] | |Point finger to each place.| |
| "Point to the place, ... [p]" | /* they should point to labial. */ |
| /* If elsewhere, say look at my lips. Is my lips? [p p p]. | Then they get it.*/" |
| Now [k k k] (release bursts), where?" | /* They should point to velar. */ |
| /* If elsewhere, produce what they pointed at, e.g. [č č č], that is palatal. Repeat [k].*/ |
| /* Do each place, make sure they can point to each place drawing correctly */ |
| "How many places?" -- 5. | |
| "Do you know where they are? (by now, they pointed!)" -- Yes. | |
ONE ACTION (NASAL) WITH ALL 5 PLACES
| Say | Do |
"Let's do one action, we call it nasal (naasika)."
"[m n ɳ ñ ŋ]."
"Repeat with me" | |Point with two fingers to both the letter and the place graphic.| |
| "[m n ɳ ñ ŋ]" -- [m n ɳ ñ ŋ] | |
| "Show me, I will point to a place, you make the sound." | |Point to lip graphic and letter m.| |
/* Be ready to exemplify [m] on any hesitation. */
/* When they say it right, point to the letter, say "yes, that is m(etc.)" */ |
| /* Continue in random order: */ | |Point, exemplify or correct if needed, approve, until they can make them all| |
"We call this nasal. Why? I will prove it."
"Do [m:], count to 5."
"Can you continue as long as you want?" -- yes | |
| "Make [mmmm] and I will count to three with my fingers and we all pinch our noses shut, together | |
| [mmmmmm] | |Pinch nose.| |
"Did it stop? -- Yes
"Can you make [mmm] continue with the nose closed?" -- No. | |
"If its dies with nose closed, it must require the nose,
so we can call it nasal. Proven?" -- Yes | |
| /* With more time do same with [ŋ], or with all of them. */ |
| "Are all these nasal?" -- yes. | |
"Nasal is one action of six; the names of the actions are
nasal, stop, fricative, flap, glide, lateral. | |Point out each action graphic.| |
ONE PLACE (DENTAL) WITH MANY ACTIONS
| Say | Do |
| "Put tongue behind teeth, like [d]." | |
| "Now watch where is your tongue when you do these sounds," | |
| "repeat after me [n d t θ ð r l]" -- [n d t θ ð r l] | |
| "Is the tongue always touching behind the teeth?" -- Yes. | |
"We call these dental, dental means at the teeth.
Make a dental nasal." [n] -- [n]. | |
| "Make a dental voiced stop [dddd ə]" | /* long prevoicing before stop release */ |
| "Is it a stop? Door closes, that's the tongue tip, door opens, voicing is going on during the closure?" | |
| "Make a dental voiceless stop [t t t] bursts, then [tttt ə] | /* unvoiced until ə starts afterwards */ |
| "Is it a stop? Door closes, that's the tongue tip, door opens, no voicing during the closure?" | |
| "This is the fricative action, the air pushes hard at the constriction
and begins to tumble in all directions, making noise." | |Point to fricative graphic.| |
| "I will demonstrate each fricative for you. | |
| "[f,θ,s,š,ʂ,x,h] | |Point finger to each one separately.| |
| "Explain back to me, What is a fricative? -- (I have no idea what they will say; that's why we must ask this question.) |
| "Now, make [s], where is the tongue?" -- "A little behind the teeth." | |
| " "Close enough." | |
| "Is [s] with voice or without voice?" -- "without voice" | |
"Next do [r]" --- [r]
"Do you feel the tongue tip bounces behind the teeth? [r] [r] [r] [rr] [rrr]."
"One bounce we call it flap. More than one bounce we call it trill. Write more than one [r] to write the trill."
"This action is bouncing, or in English we say flap."
"Retroflex flap [ɽ] we write as [ɽ].' | |
"Next do glides [w] [y]. No bounce, no fricative, no stop, these are a tiny bit open."
"They are just [u] and [i] but in consonant position, so they glide from
almost-closed to the next open vowel. Do you see [w] uses the lips like [u] is [rounded]?" -- Yes. | |
| "Do you see [y] has tongue body forward toward palate like front vowel [i]? We say [y] is palatalized.
What is the place for [y]?" -- [palatal] | /* if they don't point to palatal, point to palatal and say palatal, and
ask them to repeat after you [č ž y]: Are those made with the same place? */ |
| "Last one, do [l]" --- [l] | |
| "Do you feel the tongue tip closes behind the teeth? [l] [lll]" | |
| "Do you feel the opening goes around the side of the tongue? Lateral means Side."
| | "so this action is called lateral. Can you do voiceless lateral? That is in Native American languages,
like Nahuatl, the Aztec language. I am skipping that, maybe we don't
need it." | /* Linger on the voiceless l in the word 'Nahuatl'*/ |
| "Retroflex lateral [ɭ],
we write [ɭ] or Devanagari ळ which is in Marathi and the older
Vedas. Not in Panini, but in the older vedas. Maybe we don't need it." | |
| What are the actions? | |Point to each randomly: nasal, stop, fricative, flap, glide, lateral.| |
| /* Make sure they know the names, in case of difficulty. */ |
PRACTICE WRITING: SMILEY
| Say | Do |
| "Draw a smiley face" | |open notebook, inside cover,
find a writing surface to put the notebook on, draw one as example; a
nice circle, dots for eyes. Show pencil-holding.
Watch patiently. Encourage.| |
| "Now you can draw anything you want." | |
| "Draw any picture" | |
| "Also draw beautiful letters, to be kind to readers." | |
| "Write aaa uuu iii ooo eee." | |
| "Ask yourself, is this beautiful? Improve." | |
| "Write mmm nnn only." | |
| "Write muni, namah, ham, man, nana." | |
| /* If time, watch, help to hold the pen, show stroke directions,
First praise any attempt, then praise improvements. */ |
KEEP AND SHARE
Explain: photograph the qr code to keep and to share with others.
In future YouTube video links will be here:
- for some languages
- for 2nd 3rd sessions
- for teaching instructions, how to teach students
- for teacher-teaching instructions, how to become a teacher-teacher.
- more resources are also there.
More For Later
2) Second session
Draw columns for open, front-unrounded, back-rounded
Put x in applicable rows.
Do remainder of tones and consonants individually
Do a reading challenge. mama, omani, unema, show some signs.
Write all letters 3x. Later at home, improve, practice
until beautiful and comfortable.
3) Third session:
Teacher and Teacher-Teacher content.
Experiment participation.
Teaching family-tree/parampara. Submit your name/email/number and
who was your teacher and who are your students. We accumulate a world-wide
tree of recursive benefax. Not for ego but so every knows they
have parents and grandparents in this family tree of literacy.
4) Graduation. What is your goal? How will you use it?
school-less basic literacy
preliteracy acceleration for schoolkids
school integration of speakers of non-school languages:
teach IPA, ask them to us it to teach a bit of your language with IPA to us
IPA helps them to write and understand the school language first,
then by matching IPA with school-spelled words, they quickly learn both.
IPA enables confident accurate learning.
to write unwritten languages
give basic English-like literacy for Devanagari literates facing English signs
&c.
* Create/edit/improve ProofExperiments.php
features required: proved by [open] without [voice]
nasality: proved by pinching nose during any nasal: no nose, no sound.
learning proved by before-and-after tests. Self-recorded.
More travels:
* Visit Delhi or nearby bastis.
* Visit Kerala, visit Assam/Guwahati
* Kumbh Mela? Maybe after EntryDance is perfected and with a big box of copies, then maybe ok.
|
