June 2016

Master Writing In Reading Levels DI & DII

While the Kumon reading program is
primarily a reading comprehension
program, it also teaches spelling,
vocabulary, grammar, sentence
structure and writing skills. In the A,
B, and C reading levels students
improve their reading comprehension,
while learning basic grammar and
sentence structure.
Beginning in the D levels the focus shifts to
paragraph development. Students learn how
to structure a good opening and a good
closing, how to sequence thoughts within a
paragraph, and how to transition smoothly
between paragraphs. These are essential
writing skills every student must master in
order to write any paper, from a simple book
report to a lengthy essay. Students can
also expect to encounter some very
challenging vocabulary and
spelling exercises, but once a child
finishes the D levels, he or she
should be well on the way to becoming a
great writer!

Boost Your Child’s Self-Esteem Kumon Success Stories

When your child gets 100% on his or her daily Kumon work,
passes an achievement test, or reaches a milestone such as
ASHR, celebrate these positive accomplishments by rewarding
him or her with something special, and don’t forget the praise.
Don’t compare your child to other children at Kumon by saying
things like, “Holly made math level C by first grade. You should
be able to do the same thing.” Focus solely on your child’s
accomplishments, not on what others have done.
Everyone does better when focused on a goal. Work with your
child to set goals in Kumon, such as completing math level D
by the end of this summer. Again, when he or she achieves the
goal, be sure to reward it.
“Along with improving academic abilities and skills in math
and reading, Amelia learned to work independently, make
decisions, solve problems, face challenges, learn from mistakes,
and handle failures and successes. Those are all very important
skills that will help her later in her life.” – Aksana, Kumon Mom
from Brooklyn, NY
“My daughter’s test scores on standardized tests are incredibly
good, and her eagerness and ability to understand and apply
math concepts have increased tremendously. I truly believe it is
because of Kumon.” – Tony, Kumon Dad from Miami, FL

Kumon of Basking Ridge

546 Allen Road
Basking Ridge, NJ 07920
908-234-252
www.kumon.com/basking-ridge
Interpreting Your Child’s Year-end School Report Card
Year-end report cards are not only an
important measure of your child’s
success in the previous school year, but
good indicators of how well your child
will do next school year. Check how
your child’s academic performance has
changed over the year. If the report
card doesn’t sum up the entire school
year, look back at previous report cards
sent through the year. Pay particular
attention to any upward or downward
trends.
Review the report card with your child,
and ask for his or her feedback. Since
sharing report cards with parents can
cause anxiety in some children, start by
praising the positives. When discussing
problem areas, ask your child why he or
she had difficulty in this subject and not
the others.
…other subjects
depend on your child’s
ability to read well…
Share the report card with your Kumon
instructor to get this feedback as well.
This is particularly important because
your Kumon instructor may have to make
changes.
Reading
If your child is not reading at grade level,
it’s crucial to intervene immediately.
Remember, all other subjects are
dependent on your child’s ability to read
well. Children who are not reading at
grade level have great difficulty writing at
grade level or understanding math word
problems.
In reality, children who are not reading
at least two years above grade level are
generally unable to complete the writing
assignments or math word problems
without assistance.
Math
If your child struggled with math this
year...get help now. Don’t wait.
Remember that, in math, each new skill
depends on a high level of proficiency
in the previous skill. If your child had
trouble with addition or subtraction,
multiplication and division will be far
more difficult.
By getting help now you can ensure that
your child is happy and successful next
school year.

Jump-start Next School Year

As the summer is official here, now is
the time to start thinking about how
your child can use the summer
months to get ahead academically and
start the next school year on the right
foot.
Is your child currently enrolled in only
one Kumon subject? Why not consider
adding a second subject over the
summer?
Could your child double up on the daily
worksheets this summer and complete
two packets a day instead of one? If so,
talk to your Kumon instructor about
changing the workload for summer.
Any extra work your child can do this
summer to get ahead will make a huge
difference academically next school
year.
Question of the Month
My Child Just Reached Math Level E: Is It as Hard as
Math Level D?
No, thank goodness! If your child has reached math level E, a huge congratulations
is in order, as your child successfully completed the dreaded (and hard) math level
D! In comparison, your child should find math level E much easier; and as parents,
you can expect some repetition in level E, but few real problems.
Math level E marks the beginning of pre-algebra, and teaches children the basics of
fractions, including addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Students
also learn how to manipulate decimals. In pages 1 to 100, students learn how to add
fractions and, generally, move through this rapidly. Pages 101 to 130 are on
learning to subtract fractions, and 141 to 180 are about learning to multiply and
divide fractions. These last two sections can be challenging for students, and they
may have to repeat pages 101 to 180 many times before mastering it.
This happens, usually, because addition and subtraction of fractions require the
student to combine the whole numbers first (rather than converting to improper
fractions), whereas multiplication and division of fractions requires the student to
do the reverse (converting the whole numbers to improper fractions first). Sound
confusing? It is! So children often need to repeat this section until the confusion is
eliminated.

The last 20 pages of level E deal with converting fractions and decimals. It’s not
particularly difficult, but because the section is short, they have to practice more
and generally need to repeat before mastering it.

Kumon is a long-term program. Our goal is to make high school work

easy and to prepare all students for college, but this does not happen
overnight. Those who are dedicated to completing their daily Kumon
assignments are on the right path. Keep up the good work!
The Kumon Recommended Reading List
Regardless of whether or not your child is enrolled in the Kumon reading program, the Kumon Recommended Reading List is a
wonderful resource for parents. This list includes 380 books that will help develop a child’s appreciation for and understanding of the
English language, as well as a lifelong love of reading. Many of the books have won prestigious literary awards such as the Newbery
and Caldecott Medals, the Pulitzer Prize, and the National Book Award. The topics range from read-aloud books for younger children
to the classics for older students.

For those students enrolled in the Kumon reading program, each reading level has corresponding books that help support the learning
taking place at that level. Ask your Kumon instructor for a copy of the Recommend Reading List and encourage your child to read one
book from the list each month. Even if your child isn’t enrolled in the Kumon reading program, he or she will benefit in significant
ways from the chance to read some of these excellent books.

Does Kumon Replicate My Child’s School Curriculum?

No, Kumon doesn’t replicate the school curriculum for many good reasons. First, Kumon is meant to be a supplement to your
child’s school curriculum, not to replace it. In school, students learn about history, science, art in addition to math and reading. At
Kumon, we focus only on the basics of math and reading, as we believe they are the building blocks for success in all other
subjects. Students still need to learn at school.

Second, schools only have a certain amount of time to cover current material before moving on to new material; the entire class
has to move at the same pace. Also, with the new CCS, most schools now jump around from subject to subject, particularly in
math, which is the opposite of the way Kumon operates. We believe each child needs to master the material well before moving
on to new material, and the way Kumon math program designed is to help students reach calculus as quickly as possible and make
the study of high school-level math easy.

The Kumon worksheets are designed in a sequential manner, from preschool-level work through high school level material, with
each new skill building in small incremental steps upon the previously taught skill. This allows students to work independently
and become self-learners, which is quite different from tutoring but is even more valuable because it fosters in students the skills
and confidence to study any school curriculum and become a lifelong learner.

Mark Your Calendar....

 FREE REGISTRATION! (Save $50) from 6/1 - 6/30.

 The Center's first award ceremony will take place in October this year! Work with your kid to set goals to
advance to next ASHR award level by the end of this summer!

The Center will be closed on the following days. Note that homework will be pre -distributed.
 July 2nd (Saturday) Independent Day
 July 16 (Saturday) Annual Kumon Instructor Conference
 August 20 (Saturday) Summer recess

JUNE 2016
JULY 2016 AUGUST 2016
SUN MON TUE WED THR FRI SAT
2 SUN MON TUE WED THR FRI SAT
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24/ 25 26 27 28 29 30 2 2
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