Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Kumon Reading Curriculum - Learning Material

The Kumon Reading Table of Learning Material consists of the following levels; 7A 6A 5A 4A 3A 2A AI AII BI BII CI CII DI DII EI EII F G H I J K L

7A
In this beginning level of the Kumon Reading Program, young children start to build the necessary pre-reading skills they will need to become beginning readers. Children will begin to connect words to familiar objects and will repeat words starting with the same sound.

6A
"In 6A, children are exposed to rhyming words, phrases, and sentences. Students continue to develop critical pre-reading skills, including phonemic awareness," in preparation for later phonics study in 5A and beyond.

5A
Phonics exercises help students learn individual letter sounds and consonant-short vowel combinations. Students increase concentration, improve hand-eye coordination, and develop writing skills.

4A
More sound parts, including consonant clusters, are introduced. Students trace words and begin freehand letter writing by filling in missing letters within words. These exercises, as well as exercises that focus on rhyming words, help develop students' spelling skills.

3A
Students develop greater pencil control by writing properly proportioned and spaced letters within box guidelines. Students develop their ability to read longer words through exercises focusing on syllables. Spelling skills are developed throughout the level, and for the first time, students demonstrate reading comprehension through matching exercises.

2A
Students identify nouns, verbs and adjectives, and use them within sentences. Students learn the singular and plural forms of nouns and verbs, and the comparative and superlative forms of adjectives. Spelling skills are reinforced throughout the level.

AI
Level AI marks the beginning of the Sentence Building Block. Students study the structure of simple sentences and learn expressions which convey attitude or intention, such as "can," "must," "may" and "should." Students learn to write negative sentences, questions, and sentences using the past tense. Punctuation exercises appear for the first time. Students continue to develop their vocabulary and reading comprehension skills.

AII
Through reading stories and answering questions, students improve their reading comprehension and writing skills. Technical skills such as punctuation, spelling and capitalization are also solidified. Students develop the ability to recognize a sequence of thoughts developed within a short paragraph.

BI
Students refine their ability to identify subject and predicative in longer sentences containing modifiers such as adjectives and adverbs. Students conjugate irregular verbs, as well as study pronouns, prepositions and irregular plurals of nouns.

BII
Students focus on reading comprehension and vocabulary building. Students develop their ability to define words using context clues in the stories; to identify main ideas that occur within a story to better understand the story as a whole; and to compare and contrast actions, characters and information from a passage.

CI
In Level CI, students further refine their ability to identify subjects, verbs and objects, as well as learn how to conjugate the future, progressive and perfect tenses. Students' punctuation study continues with commas in a series and singular and plural possessives. By the end of the level, students write complete sentences independently.


CII
Level CII is the last level on the Sentence Building Block. Children continue to develop their reading comprehension, vocabulary and writing skills. Students develop their ability to construct and respond to questions using who, what, where, when and how; to interpret information in charts as well as take information from passages and organize it into a chart format; and write answers independently.

DI
Level DI marks the beginning of the Paragraph Building Block. Students learn to write compound and complex sentences by combining simple sentences. Then, students learn to extract statements from paragraphs to identify a statement as a single unit of thought. Students also expand their vocabulary by studying selected words from expository passages.

DII
Students continue to build their reading comprehension by identifying the topic and then the main idea. Using their knowledge of main idea of a paragraph students then develop their understanding of how paragraphs flow within a passage. Students also practice expanding their vocabulary by studying selected words from literary and expository passages.

EI
Students learn how clauses can function as nouns, adjective, or adverbs. In addition, the student learns to convert direct speech to indirect speech and vice versa. Diagramming exercises enable the student to visualize information within a passage, which helps develop his or her ability to follow and organize content logically. Students also expand their vocabulary by studying selected words from expository passages.

EII
The student develops a better understanding of a story's sequence of events and imagery. Diagramming exercises help the student visualize a story, and learn how events in a passage affect a certain result or outcome. Reason and logic exercises build the student's ability to compose answers and develop skills of rephrasing. Students also expand their vocabulary by studying selected words from literary and expository passages.

F
Level F is the last stage of the Paragraph Building Block. Paraphrasing and concision exercises show students how to combine, condense and rewrite information found in a reading passage. The ability to identify the main topic and elements of a paragraph is emphasized and practiced. Vocabulary exercises also assist students in successfully paraphrasing.

G
Level G marks the beginning of the Summary Block. Students learn to condense all the important information from a passage into a summary one third of length of the original passage. Students are formally introduced to story elements such as plot, character and setting. Included in the level are excerpts from the writings of Edgar Allen Poe, Louisa M. Alcott, and Oscar Wilde.

H
Students develop greater sensitivity to authors' use of descriptive language. Summation exercises help students focus on specific points within passages. Vocabulary exercises introduce Greek and Latin suffixes, prefixes and roots. Included in the level are excerpts from Jane Eyre, Treasure Island, and The War of the Worlds.

I
Students analyze the persuasive writing style found in speeches, advertisements and political documents. They also learn the components and strategies of the more formal 'argument'. The level concludes with a study of précis, the most complex form of summary. Among the readings included are speeches by Dwight Eisenhower and Albert Einstein, and fiction by General Durrell and Agatha Christie.

J
Exercises which focus on more subtle details of structure, theme and character lead students to a closer reading of text than in previous levels. The reading selections develop students' understanding of how a writer's intentions are reflected in various aspects of the work under review. Students read extensive excerpts from To Kill a Mockingbird, Pride and Prejudice, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

K
Level K continues to develop students’ critical reading and thinking skills through the study of advanced literature. In introductory sets throughout the level, students read non-fiction pieces introducing and explaining various literary terms such as Plot, Setting and Atmosphere, Irony, and Comedy. In subsequent sets, students then read extracts from novels, plays or poems, demonstrating these devices in action. Students read extensive excerpts from classics such as Macbeth, Hamlet, and King Oedipus, as well as from more modern works such as The Spy Came in from the Cold, and The Importance of Being Earnest.

L
Students gain a greater ability in understanding the meaning of a text beyond the obvious, common meaning of the vocabulary the author uses. Students are exposed to the basic elements that comprise figurative language and the interpretation of it, making them better able to decipher the plot, the values in which the author might believe, and the virtues and vices of the characters involved in the story.

How Kumon is filling US Public School gaps

Something magical is happening at many Kumon centres in North America, students are studying beyond school grade level and actually enjoying it. Not surprisingly, their parents have great things to say about Kumon.

One mom, Sandy Frazier, said: "Kumon gave my son the challenge that he needed. He wasn't challenged in school. I started him in Kumon in the fourth grade and he reached algebra before middle school."

Another mom, Kim McCarley, said: "We initially got our children into Kumon to help with giving them a foundation for math and reading. The thing we really like about Kumon is that our children don't just learn math and reading, but it's set up in a way that allows them to master math and reading. They don't progress until they master something. Whereas in school, it's once you have knowledge of, an awareness of, you move on. At Kumon, it's once you master it. And I think that's a big difference in that foundation for them."

Adoline Shodiya, credits Kumon for the success of her two daughters. Tayo recently graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a degree in biomedical engineering, and Titi is in her final year at Penn State University studying material science engineering with a minor in math.

What is Kumon? It's an after-school math and reading program that employs a unique learning method designed to help each child develop the skills needed to perform to his or her full potential. The curriculum ranges from preschool to high school.
Founded by Toru Kumon in 1958 in Japan, Kumon has 26,100 centers in 46 countries and regions serving over 4.1 million students worldwide, making it the largest and most established program of its kind in the world.

Kumon broke into the North American market in 1983. Now boasting 1,300 centers and 194,000 students in the U.S., Kumon has surpassed competitors Huntington Learning Center and Sylvan Learning.
The shortcomings of public schools have fueled Kumon's robust growth. In less than a decade, the number of Kumon students has doubled.
As public schools have progressively embraced reform math over traditional math and whole language over phonics, the continent has fallen farther behind other nations in scholastic performance.
Many U.S. public schools are not doing a good job of teaching students basic skills in math and reading, which is why many parents are sending their children to Kumon.
Kumon has found what works and has not tinkered with that successful formula for over fifty years. During those same fifty years, the U.S. public education system has gone through several waves of reform, none of which have led to a successful formula.


In "Learning for Life: The Kumon Way", author Reiko Kinoshita writes that the foundation of the unique learning method used by Kumon—called the "Kumon Method"—can be traced back to the Edo period (1603-1868) in Japan. During that period, private educational institutions known as "terakoya" taught basic skills. The terakoya were abolished in 1872 when the Japanese government established a compulsory public education system. However, the tenets and practices of the terakoya would resurface 86 years later through the work of Toru Kumon.

I learned that the Kumon Method consists of seven principles:
1 Students experience success from the start. After taking a placement test, students begin learning at a level below their current proficiency level. This reduces frustration and builds confidence.
2 Students advance in small, manageable steps. Each new assignment is only slightly more challenging than the last. Advancing is gradual and easy.
3 Students learn primarily by teaching themselves. Kumon instructors assign worksheets that provide examples of concepts to be learned.Students solve the worksheets on their own. If they have problems, instructors are there to help. Self-learning fosters independence and a sense of accomplishment.
4 Students master concepts before advancing. Mastery means earning a perfect score on a worksheet within a prescribed period of time. There are 200 worksheets for each level of learning. Some students may develop mastery after one worksheet while others may require several. Mastering basic concepts establishes a strong foundation for more advanced concept.
5 Students practice daily. As the saying goes, "Repetition is the mother of all learning."
6 Students learn at the "just right" level. Each student studies according to his or her own pace and level regardless of age or grade level. In a Kumon classroom, each student is studying different concepts. Learning at the "just right" level prevents students from becoming bored with a pace that's too slow or frustrated with a pace that's too fast.
7 Students realize their potential. Unlimited by age, grade level, prescribed teaching agendas, or the needs of a group, each student can advance according to his or her ability and initiative.
The Kumon Method works. It works for the 4 Million children around the world that do Kumon.

As long as public schools fail to provide students with a strong foundation in basic math and reading skills, Kumon will be there to fill in the gaps.


Bill Costello, M.Ed., is an education columnist and blogger. He can be reached at www.makingmindsmatter.com.