Yellow is the Sun Book

Based on research comparing the differences between Japanese first grades and first grade classrooms in the U.S., this curriculum incorporates certain aspects from Asian math programs such as non-counting strategies and, for us, an alternative number naming system. In this program, the student is taught to see quantities in groups of fives and tens. When asked to add 9 + 7, instead of counting 7 up from 9, you would take 1 from 7 to make 10 and 6. This program also uses a unique number naming system. Asian words for numbers greater than 10 implicitly give you a feel for the base ten system. Literally translated, eleven is "ten-one," twelve is "ten-two," and so on. RightStart students learn to count the "math-way" before they are taught the less intuitive words for 11 to 19.

I cant summarize this program better than the creator, so let me quote from the manual:

"There are eleven major characteristics.

1. Refer to quantities of up to 3 as a group; do not count individually.

2. Use fingers to show quantities up to 10; teach 6 to 10 as 5 plus a quantity.

3. Avoid counting procedures for finding sums and remainders.

4. Once quantities 1 to 10 are known, proceed to 10 as a unit. Use the "math way" of counting; say for example, 1-ten 1 for eleven, 1-ten 2 for twelve, 2-ten for twenty, and 2-ten 5 for twenty-five.

5. Use expanded notation (overlapping) place-value cards for recording 10s and 1s

6. Proceed rapidly to hundreds and thousands; use place-value cards. Provide opportunities for trading between ones and tens, tens and hundreds, and hundreds and thousands with manipulatives.

7. Only after the above work, give the traditional English names for quantities 20 to 99 and then 11 to 19.

8. Teach tens-based strategies for addition and subtraction facts that have a sum > 10. Teach informal solutions and mental computation before written algorithmic work.

10. Teach four-digit addition and subtraction on the abacus; let the children discover the paper and pencil algorithms.

11. Short division precedes long division, which is taught in fourth grade."

In Level G, students continue to practice arithmetic, fractions and decimals, while they begin to also explore triangles, area, volume, ratios, Pythagorean Theorem, tiling, and other new concepts.

All levels require a lesson manual and worksheets, which are included in the starter kits. (The worksheets are also available separately for multiple students.) Lesson manuals contain detailed lesson plans with helpful diagrams and teaching notes. Both lesson manuals and worksheets are spiral-bound. Add on kits allow you to move forward, buying only what you need in addition to what you already have for the next levels. Deluxe Starter kits (and deluxe add-on kits) are now available, which include everything in the original kits, plus additional recommended books and manipulatives. Please note that if you start with a deluxe kit, you will need a different upgrade kit to transition to the next level. See individual descriptions for more details on kit-specific contents.~ Anh

Have you noticed kids learn to count on their fingers? This rhyming picture book blends the finger-counting concept with an abacus to teach the numbers 1-10. The pages teach numbers by showing four different illustrations of each number. The top of the page shows a hand (or hands) holding up the appropriate number of fingers (read them left to right); next to the hands are vertical lines representing the number with tally sticks. The middle of the page contains an illustration of the Al Abacus with the appropriate number of blue or yello beads slid to the left. The bottom of the page shows the number written out (with directional arrows for handwriting). A short rhyme ties it all together--that can be read or sung. The book begins, "Yellow is the sun. This is only one." Quantities beyond five require two hands to count, so the rhymes teach students how to count by adding five and another number. For example, "Why is the sky so blue? Seven is five and two." Numbers 11 through 20 are depicted in abbreviated form in the back, with illustrations of the abacus' and vertical lines (no hands or rhymes). The Yellow is the Sun Combo Kit includes the reading book, 11 tally sticks, and a booklet that contains condensed format music for the song, "Yellow is the Sun," and 3 other songs (Writing Numbers, Three-Ten Days has September and Thirty Days has September" . Free audio MP3 downloads and Sheet Music PDFs of "Yellow is the Sun" and other songs used in the RightStart program are also available on the rightstartmath.com website. ~ Lisa/Ruth