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homework
The Kumon Reading Program is an individualized study program designed to improve
the students´ reading comprehension ability in the English language. It is
divided into five learning blocks: the word building block, the sentence
building block, the paragraph development block, the summary block, and the
critical reading block. Each block has an overall learning goal and builds the
necessary foundation for the next learning block. The entire program consists of
21 study levels with a total of 3,800 double-sided worksheets.
Though the main focus of the program is the development of reading comprehension
skills, grammar lessons are also incorporated. Comprehension questions then
follow the reading selections. In order for the students to produce accurate &
meaningful answers, they must be equipped with the proper grammar skills. Good
writing and speaking skills are fostered as a natural outgrowth of the Kumon
Reading curriculum.
The Reading Program consists of 23 levels, numbered Level 7A through Level L.
Each Level consists of 200 pages and is broken down by topic into sections. The
sections are likewise broken into sets of 10 pages. Unlike the Math Program,
levels in the Reading Program are grouped together into Blocks, each block
dealing with a certain aspect of reading instruction. There are five Blocks:
Word Building Block, Sentence Building Block, Paragraph Building Block, Summary
Block and Critique Block.
The Kumon Reading Program instills confidence from the first day by having
students work on materials they are able to complete successfully. By completing
work that is not too difficult at the beginning, students improve concentration,
study habits, and attention to detail.
The Program begins with simple letter recognition, phonics and vocabulary
development and moves into a study of grammar and sentence structure. This is
followed by exercises in organizing information, paragraph structure, passage
analysis and ultimately summary writing and critical analysis.
Goal of the Kumon Reading Program is for students to develop reading
comprehension skills. To achieve the goal of improved reading comprehension, the
curriculum focuses on the development of summarization skills. When students can
quickly, easily and accurately summarize a passage, they tangibly demonstrate
reading comprehension.
The Structure of the Kumon Reading Program:
The aim of the Kumon Reading program is to develop students’ reading
comprehension abilities to a point where they will easily be able to read,
understand, summarize and analyze advanced forms of writing from a diversity of
fields.
Through reading comprehension activities, Kumon students are guided through all
the important areas of English language learning to develop solid skills which
will benefit them in many areas right throughout their lives.
With a desire to develop rich vocabulary at the earliest possible age, the Kumon
materials begin with simple pictures and words to repeat and recite. It
continues through 18 levels covering topics such as familiar letter
combinations, the functions of words, simple and complex sentence analysis,
paraphrasing and argument development. Finally, it concludes by teaching skills
in analyzing and summarizing complex texts such as Shakespeare and other
well-known literary works.
Students start at a level that is comfortable for them and progress at their own
pace to reach their own individual goals. The materials have been produced to
allow smooth and sequential study for all students. Many supplementary
materials, such as CDs and flash cards, are also used for various purposes to
complement the content of the worksheets.
The Kumon Reading program aims to develop and foster a love of reading. Students
are encouraged to read books from the
Kumon Recommended Reading List from which
many worksheet excerpts have been selected.
| Level 7A:
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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.
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| Level 6A:
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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.
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| Level 5A:
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Phonics exercises help students learn individual letter
sounds and consonant-short vowel combinations. Students increase
concentration, improve hand-eye coordination, and develop writing
skills.
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| Level 4A:
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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.
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| Level 3A:
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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.
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| Level 2A:
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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.
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| Level AI:
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Level A1 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.
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| Level AII:
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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.
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| Level BI:
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Students refine their ability to identify subject and
predicate 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.
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| Level BII:
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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.
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| Level CI:
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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.
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| Level CII:
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Level CII is the last level in 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 to take information from
passages and organize it into a chart format; and write answers
independently.
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| Level DI:
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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.
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| Level DII:
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Students continue to build their reading comprehension
by identifying the topic and then the main idea. Using their knowledge
of finding the 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.
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| Level EI:
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Students learn how clauses can function as nouns,
adjective, or adverbs. In addition, students learn to convert direct
speech to indirect speech and vice versa. Diagramming exercises enable
students to visualize information within a passage, which helps develop
their ability to follow and organize content logically. Students also
expand their vocabulary by studying selected words from expository
passages.
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| Level EII:
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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.
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| Level F:
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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.
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| Level G:
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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.
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| Level H:
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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.
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| Level I:
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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 pr?cis, 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.
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| Level J:
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Exercises which focus on more subtle details of
structure, theme, and character lead students to a closer reading of the
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.
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| Level K:
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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.
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| Level L:
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Level L gives students a greater ability to understand
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. Students read from the Norton Introduction to Poetry, as well
as from a variety of poetry, short stories, and tragedies (like Macbeth
and Death of a Salesman), and conclude the level with an excerpt from
the novel, The French Lieutenant's Woman
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www.kumon.com
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More info on the Kumon Reading Program at our
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