At what age are Kumon Maths A materials?
Kumon Maths A is the equivalent level of 6 years old.
From the A materials onwards, the alphabet is designed in such a way that when the alphabet advances by one letter, the grade level also moves up by one letter. Although some parts of the alphabet diverge from the grade level to a certain extent, as Kumon Math A does not deal with graphic problems and sentences, the alphabet basically corresponds to the grade level.
What kind of teaching materials does Kumon Arithmetic A offer?
The aims of the Kumon Math A materials are as follows
Based on the basic addition and subtraction skills acquired up to the 2A materials, Kumon Math A improves students' mental arithmetic skills in addition and subtraction, and develops their ability to move on to the written arithmetic in the B materials.
One of the main features is the introduction of subtraction.
Let's look at the teaching materials in more detail. Arithmetic A consists of 200 printouts, the contents of which are largely divided as follows.
| Material number | Content | | | --- | 1-10 | Tip 1 (review of 2A) | | 11-20 | Tip 2 (up to 12) | | 21-30 | Tip 3 (up to 15) | 31-40 | Tip 4 (up to 18) | 41-50 | Tip 5 (up to 20) | | 81-90 | Tip-top 1 (Tip-top 1) | 91-100 | Tip-top 2 (Tip-top 2) | 101-110 | Tip-top 3 (Tip-top 3) | 111-120 | Tip-top 3 (Tip-top 3) | 112-123 | Tip-top 4 (Tip-top 5) | 113-124 | Tip-top 6 (Tip-top 7) | 61-70 | Tip-top 7 (Tip-top 28) | 71-80 | Tip-top 8 (Tip-top Summary) | 111 - 120 | 4 (up to 3) of finals | 121 - 130 | 5 (up to 5) of finals | | 131 - 140 | 6 (up to 10) of finals | 141 - 150 | 7 (up to 11) of finals | 151 - 160 | 8 (up to 12) of finals | 161 - 170 | 9 (up to 14) of finals | 151 - 160 | 8 (up to 12) of finals | 161 - 170 | 9 (up to 14) of finals 9 (from up to 14) | | 171-180 | 10 (from up to 16) | | 181-190 | 11 (from up to 20) | | 191-200 | 12 (summary of subtraction)
40% of the teaching material consists of addition and 60% of subtraction. The material is also designed in such a way that the numbers handled gradually increase in size as the material progresses.
What are the key points of attack for Kumon Math A?
The key point of attack for Kumon Math A is to identify + and -.
Addition and subtraction in Kumon Maths is more like memorisation than understanding.
As mentioned in the article on Kumon Arithmetic 2A, learning Kumon arithmetic addition is based on memorisation rather than understanding. The material for addition starts from Arithmetic 3A71, which means that a cumulative total of 410 addition printouts have been solved up to this point. By this point, students will have reached the point where they can answer single-digit addition almost reflexively.
Addition and subtraction formulae are almost identical in appearance.
However, if you start solving subtraction as you are, confusion will certainly arise. This is because + and - look very similar and the numbers look exactly the same as in addition. The difference between "3+1=" and "3-1=" is almost like looking for a mistake if you don't know what the formula means.
Of course, if your child has progressed this far in their learning, it is unlikely that they will ever really understand what subtraction means. However, up to this point, the way of solving addition has been ingrained in their bodies. It will take a certain amount of time to switch over.
If the confusion intensifies, the addition will be affected. Memorised knowledge can spill out of your head as soon as you lose confidence.
Reducing emotional confusion is the key to the strategy.
The key here is to minimise your child's confusion.
It may be difficult to avoid confusion altogether. However, by avoiding increasing confusion, you can minimise the impact on addition that has already been mastered once.
A key to reducing confusion would be for parents not to react to their child's stumbling more than necessary.
At the end of addition, you are solving an addition problem with a maximum total of 28, so you may feel more impatient than necessary when you see your child tripping over a single-digit subtraction. However, the feeling of "Huh?" is the same for your child. If you feel more pressure than necessary, you may lose faith in memory, which is the key to memorisation.
Parents definitely understand that the cause of confusion is the difference between addition and subtraction. By being prepared, parents will be able to minimise emotional upset and respond in a way that does not destroy their child's confidence.