Progeny Press Literature Study Guides Review

Morgan reads … a lot.  Believe it or not, this causes some “issues” in our homeschool. 

1. She reads more than what I can read before her.   More often than not, I am giving her the go-ahead for books by reading suggestions from other parents, guidelines from other books and websites, and yes – sometimes even the cover.
2. When she reads the books, I will often times have her narrate what she reads back to me.  Since I don’t pre-read most of her selections, I rarely ask in-depth comprehension questions.
3. I need to trust that she is logging and aware of all of the vocabulary that she does not know. 

I have been looking at the Progeny Press Study Guides for Literature for some time to help me deal with these “issues,” and was really excited when I was asked to review one of their guides.   

I chose to review the Progeny Press Study Guide that went along with the book The Cay by Theodore Taylor.  On the website this book and guide were rated for students in 5-8 grade.

I received the 66-page black and white guide in downloadable pdf format, though it is also available as a pre-printed booklet, a CD, or a CD and booklet bundle.  The file came with a Read Me file, the guide, and the answer key.  The book itself is not included and must be purchased through Progeny Press or on your own.

It is suggested that the student read the book first.  Then take a week to complete each chapter in the guide.  To save on time, for the purpose of this review, we completed the chapter readings and the study guide work in the same week.

What I liked:

1. No teacher prep was required and Morgan completed the study on her own. 
2. Suggested pre-reading activities were included which included mapping, timeline, a report, author biography work, art, and vocabulary.
3. Vocabulary work was covered in each chapter with different exercises. 
4. Comprehension questions were included for each chapter.
5. Interactive format allowed my daughter to type right into the pdf and we could print out the completed (and neat) copy.
6. Thinking about the story questions included questions on literary analysis. 
7. Digging Deeper questions were Christian based questions often including Scripture, character, and personal thoughts. 
8. An end of the book overview included an in-depth discussion of literary analysis, including discovering parts of exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and denouement in the story, character analyses, theme, and identifying conflicts.

What I didn’t like:

Nothing!  I loved it all.  It was a quality literature study.

There are over 100 literature guides available from Progeny Press for all grades, kindergarten through high school.  You can experience a taste of the study guides through an interactive sample offered at the website.  These activities are very similar to the activities found in The Cay Study Guide.

Prices of the different study guides vary, so you should consult the online store for the prices of the different guides.

If you have any questions, you may find them on the frequently asked questions page.  Further questions can be directed to the contact page.

You can read what my crew mates thought of Progeny Press Study Guides for Literature at the TOS Homeschool Crew's website.

 

**As a member of the 2011-2012 TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I was provided product free of charge by Progeny Press for my HONEST opinion.  No other compensation was received.**