The Kumon Method

Successful people in all walks of life seem to have one thing in common; they all feel that their dedication to accomplishing seemingly impossible goals has been nothing more than genuine fun. They have discovered the delight and sheer joy of achievement.

The Kumon Educational Institute has long known this fact. Since its beginning in the fifties, The Kumon Math Learning Method has introduced students to an arithmetic and math learning method that does more than build self confidence and self pride...it teaches arithmetic and mathematics in a way that enables each student to discover a previously unknown sense of joy and fun in achieving success.

Kumon students, now numbering 3 million in 45 countries, discover something beyond math comprehension that will serve them well for the rest of their lives...they discover a joy of learning...a joy of discovery and accomplishment...and improved self value...a true confidence to seek perfection with curiosity and interest rather than with fear and intimidation. Now Kumon has taken this successful philosophy and created an equally innovative reading program for students of every age and skill level.

Children today live in a world where they must absorb more information in less time than any other generation before them. Much of that information can only be learned by reading. Therefore, knowing how to read quickly and with good comprehension is one of the most important and valuable life skills a child can acquire.

The Kumon Reading Program is an individualized study program designed to improve your children's reading ability as well as their ability to easily comprehend what they read. Whether your child is just learning to read, needs to catch up to the class in school or simply enjoys reading and is anxious to advance, Kumon will help.
 
 

Why More Parents Are Choosing The Kumon Reading Program

Learning how to read and comprehend the written word is learning how to acquire knowledge. Knowledge is the power to accomplish and achieve. The Kumon Reading Program enables students to develop reading skills for successful, life long learning.
 
 

In addition to gaining lifelong reading and reading comprehension skills, Kumon students also improve their concentration, develop good study habits, increase their self-confidence and experience the satisfaction of self-achievement.
 

How The Kumon Reading Program Works

For the student who is just learning to read, the Kumon Reading Program begins by teaching them how to recognize letters and the sounds these letters represent. From phonics, Kumon reading students learn how to combine letters into words.

Building on their Kumon study of phonics and how to read words, students learn the function of words within sentences as well as how to combine words into complete sentences. Next, students learn how sentences are organized into paragraphs and how paragraphs are linked to form passages. Throughout the entire Kumon Reading Program, students are presented with exercises to reinforce their knowledge of grammatical structures, develop vocabulary power as well as reinforce rapid reading and reading comprehension skills.

Many different types of stories and literature examples are used to heighten student interest as well as to gently lead them into more difficult and challenging topics. Kumon also supplies a recommended reading list at every study level to further encourage the discovery of reading for pure pleasure as well as for knowledge.
 

Free Diagnostic Test

Before enrollment in the Kumon Reading Program, every student is given a Free Diagnostic Test. This short test will help determine the most appropriate starting point, within the comprehensive Kumon Reading Curriculum, that will allow each student to complete that required work quickly and accurately from the very first lesson. The levels are as follows:

•  7A, 6A -- Introduction to Familiar Words and Phrases, Vocabulary Revie
• 5A -- Letter and Word Tracing, Introduction to Phonics
• 4A -- Phonics, Rhyming Skills, Sentences Tracing
• 3A -- Exercises with Words and Word Puzzles, Sentence Copying
• 2A -- Nouns, Verbs, and Adjectives
• AI -- Simple Sentences I, Pronouns, Verb Tense, Subject/Verb Agreement
• AII -- Simple Sentences I, Sentence Topics, Thought Sequence
• BI -- Simple Sentences II,Subject and Predicate, Adjectives and Adverbs
• BII --Simple Sentences II, Elements of Statements, Organizing Information
• CI -- Simple Sentences III, Parts of a Sentence, Expressions of Language, Voice
• CII – Simple Sentences III, Elements of Statements, Organizing Information
• DI -- Paragraph Development I, Combining Sentences, Statements from Paragraphs
• DII -- Paragraph Development I, Topics, Main Idea
• EI -- Paragraph Development II, Clauses, Graphing and Charting
• EII -- Paragraph Development II, Sequence and Imagery,, Underlining, Reason and Result
• F -- Paragraph Development III, Sentence Analysis, Paraphrasing, Definition, Concision
• G -- Point Making, Theme, Story Elements, Summary
• H -- Fact and Opinion, Passage Organization, Interpretation of Language, Summation
• I -- Persuasion, Argument and Description, Précis
• J -- Critical Reading, Passage Structure, Character Analysis
• K-- Plot, Setting and Atmosphere, Irony, Comedy, Content Evaluation
  

A Complete Study Program

The Kumon work sheets focus on improving student reading and reading comprehension skills while also addressing phonics, spelling, traditional grammar and syntax. This comprehensive Reading Program incorporates an effective self-learning method that is supervised by an instructor.

In addition, Kumon reading students learn about other subjects such as science, history and art, through the carefully selected stories and exercises supplied as part of the study program. The Kumon study materials include interesting passages from classic literature such as: Heidi, Peter Pan, Around the World in 80 Days, Romeo and Juliet, Jane Eyre, and To Kill A Mocking Bird.

The Kumon Educational Institute has long known this fact. Since its beginning in the fifties, The Kumon Math Learning Method has introduced students to an arithmetic and math learning method that does more than build self confidence and self pride...it teaches arithmetic and mathematics in a way that enables each student to discover a previously unknown sense of joy and fun in achieving success.

Kumon students, now numbering 2 million in 24 countries, discover something beyond math comprehension that will serve them well for the rest of their lives...they discover a joy of learning...a joy of discovery and accomplishment...and improved self value...a true confidence to seek perfection with curiosity and interest rather than with fear and intimidation.

Building A Strong Foundation

It's almost impossible to learn more complicated math skills when previous lessons have not first been clearly understood. A student receiving a 75% score on a test is likely to have not understood 25% of the problems. Not addressing the reality can unnecessarily rob students of confidence as well as undermine their ability to solve more difficult problems.

 That's why Kumon students advance only when they have mastered the previous level of  study. The result: improved self-confidence, enhanced concentration and a greater sense of  satisfaction...important components in acquiring a strong foundation in basic math skills.

The Kumon Math Learning Method continues with the use of specialized materials that enable the Kumon student to self learn. The result is improved self confidence and concentration. The unique set of Kumon materials are provided to the student for completion under the supervision of a trained and understanding Kumon instructor. They are organized to be easy to follow and only gradually become more difficult. Students practice math skills to improve speed and accuracy as well as comprehension.

From this point on, students advance at their own pace. Kumon believes that each student should advance in his or her arithmetic and mathematics studies at a speed that is in keeping with his or her individual ability. The Kumon Math Learning Method provides consistent practice so that incorrect answers can be addressed as many times as necessary for the student to reach a 100% correct score. The result is two-fold: improved student self confidence and subject knowledge, plus a genuine and eager desire to move on to more difficult and challenging study levels.
 
 

 How Does The Kumon Math Learning Method Actually Work?

As in the reading program it begins with a Free Diagnostic Test to determine the most appropriate and beneficial starting point for each student within the Kumon Math Learning Method. Kumon believes that the best starting point is the level at which the student can solve a large number of problems quickly and easily. The levels are as follows:
 

• 7A, 6A -- Introduction to Number/Counting
• 5A -- Exercises in Line Drawing
• 4A -- Exercises with Numerals, Set Recognition
• 3A -- Introduction to Addition
• 2A -- Elementary Addition & Subtraction
• A -- Addition & Subtraction (mental calculation)
• B -- Addition & Subtraction (written calculation)
• C -- Multiplication Tables, Elementary Multiplication & Division
• D -- Multiplication, Division, Reduction of Fractions
• E -- Fractions (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division)
• F -- Fractions, Four Operations, Order of Operations, Decimals
• G -- Positive & Negative Numbers, Elementary Algebraic Expressions
• H -- Linear Equations, Simultaneous Linear Equations, Linear Functions
• I -- Factorization, Quadratic Equations & Functions, Pythagorean Theorem
• J -- Advanced Factorization, Quadratic Equations, Equations of Higher Degree
• K -- Quadratic, Fractional, Irrational, Exponential, Logarithmic, & Trigonometric Functions

Usually, students attend a Kumon Math Centre no more than twice a week. On each occasion, they are free to drop in to a Kumon class for about 20 to 30 minutes of Kumon study anytime during class hours. With each visit a student works on an assigned set of work sheets and receives daily assignments to be completed at home and returned to the instructor at the next session. By studying a small amount of Kumon math every day, the student will be continually improving math skills and study habits, a proven formula for long lasting success.

A Kumon Math Centre is a casual yet productive study environment where parents are welcome to visit so they may see, first-hand, where and how their children are learning math, the Kumon Way.