At what age are Kumon Maths C materials?
Kumon Maths C is the equivalent level of 8 years old.
From the A materials onwards, it is designed in such a way that when the alphabet advances by one letter, the grade level also moves up by one letter. Although there are some areas where the grade and the alphabet diverge somewhat in arithmetic, as they do not deal with shape problems and sentences, it is safe to assume that the alphabet and the grade basically correspond to each other.
In Japan, there is also an award system whereby if your child is three grades ahead of your child's grade as of 31 March, he or she will receive a trophy. If you have completed the C materials in your child's senior year, you are eligible for an award, so if your family is putting a lot of effort into their Kumon learning, you may be able to make this one of your goals.
What kind of Kumon Math C materials are they?
The aims of the Kumon Math C materials are as follows
Based on the addition and subtraction skills acquired up to the B materials, acquire the basic calculation skills for multiplication and division, and develop the ability to move on to the D materials.
While subtraction was covered in the A materials, and stroke operations in the B materials, multiplication and division will be the theme of the C materials. This is the foundation for fractions, which will continue through to the G materials, so it can be said to be a turning point.
Let's look at the teaching materials in more detail. Arithmetic C consists of 200 printouts, the contents of which are largely divided as follows.
| Material number | Content | | --- | --- | | 1-10 | Review up to B | | | 11-50 | 1 digit x 1 digit (99) | | 51-100 | 2 digits x 1 digit | | 101-110 | 3 digits x 1 digit and 4 digits x 1 digit | 111-120 | Inverse of 99 | | 121-160 | Division with remainders | 161-180 | 2 digits / 1 digit | 181-200 | 3-digit divided by 1-digit |
The first half consists of multiplication and the second half of division.
What are the key points of Kumon Maths C?
The key point of attack is for parents to actively support the mastery of ninety-nine.
Multiplication, which is more difficult than addition, needs to be mastered in a shorter period of time than addition.
Multiplication is more difficult to understand as a concept than addition. This is because the numbers are larger and it is difficult to have a concrete image of them.
The difficulty of having a concrete image was the same in the B materials, where three-digit addition and subtraction were introduced, so it must have originally been difficult to picture a concrete object in their minds.
However, using the technique of penmanship, the calculation itself can be completed by repeating single-digit addition and subtraction, and since the maximum number for single-digit addition is 18, you can manage to visualise a concrete object. By relying on this image to learn addition, even three-digit calculations could be mastered.
The story changes when it comes to multiplication. Even in basic one-digit multiplication, the largest number is 81, which is a size that is difficult to visualise concretely. From the learning stage, it becomes necessary to rely to some extent on memorisation.
Moreover, the amount of material devoted to multiplication is not as large as that to addition. From the first appearance of addition to subtraction, 310 printouts are to be solved, but from the beginning of multiplication to division, only 100 printouts are needed. Even though the difficulty level of learning is increasing, it is necessary to learn in a shorter number of printouts.
It is highly likely that home learning of 99 is assumed.
One possible reason for this is that multiplication is to some extent assumed to be learnt at home.
Learning multiplication involves a tool called ninety-nine, which involves reciting the numbers 1 x 1 to 9 x 9, and is a learning method that almost everyone, without exception, has experienced if they have had schooling in Japan. It is a very easy unit to study at home if you are so inclined, with a wide range of teaching materials available, such as posters to put up in the bath.
Many Kumon classrooms also have students actually recite the ninety-nine, and if they succeed in reciting them, they move on to the next. However, there are no instructions for recitation in Kumon's printouts, so there is no opportunity to learn the ninety-nine unless they recite them independently at home.
We want to realise the importance of home learning at an early stage.
In light of this, the point of Kumon Math C is to realise the need for home learning of ninety-nine at an early stage.
Kumon teaching materials, not only for nine-nine, have almost no explanation when entering a new unit. Because the Kumon teaching materials are based on the "get used to it rather than learn it" method, support is indispensable in units where there is no clue to understanding. In terms of the lack of a clue, the C materials have a degree of difficulty that is hard to find in the future.
The level of difficulty of the material varies greatly depending on the availability of support. Active support from parents is required.