Do you read great books with your children — or assign them to read on their own? How much are they getting out of it? Part of the reason we use classic literature with our studies is because of the examples they give in character, and many other things we can learn from them. We don’t often do much to pull those nuggets out of the reading though. We do narrations — mostly oral, occasionally written. We might talk about some things that stick out to someone, but that is usually it. I know we are letting some great stuff slip through our fingers. I am so glad to have found something to help — study guides from Progeny Press.
I love that they have guides available for books at all levels. I can find something for any of my children – from kindergarten through high school. Not that I have a learner at the high school level, but it is good to plan ahead. I was very excited to see that these study guides (from the high school levels) are rigorous enough to count as 1/4 high school credit. These are meaty studies to help your children not just with comprehension and vocabulary; critical thinking and scriptural application are part of the studies as well.
The selection we have been working on is the study that goes with Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt. This is a study recommended for 5-9 grades. I have been using it with my fifth grader. It is intended to take 8-12 weeks. I have been reading this aloud to all the children, not just the fifth grader. Some of the conversations we have had have really impressed me. I figured much of this story would go over the heads of my younger learners. Both the 2nd and 3rd grade girls have added to our discussions. *Never underestimate what your children can do!*
My 5th grade daughter has been enjoying the “type-it-in” feature to this study guide. She is able to type her answers directly in the PDF. We then save the file with her name added to the end of the file name to still keep our blank copy for possible future use. Some of the things we discuss orally, other parts I just have her to work through on her own. Due to her reading struggles, she is not used to much independent work. This is working well to help her do more of that.
This “type-it-in” feature is not available for all selections- only those for older students. The other types are printed booklet, pdf on CD-Rom, and pdf via e-mail attachment. The e-mail attachment is what we received. We have both the full study guide pdf and a handy answer key. Prices range from $10.99 for digital versions (e-mail or CD), $11.99 for a booklet to $14.99 for booklet + CD for lower elementary study guides. For the high school level guides prices I saw are $18.99 digital, $21.99 print and $27.99 for booklet + CD. These are the prices I saw when perusing the site (for our next literature study). You can browse the catalog and purchase online directly from Progeny Press’ website.
We have not needed much to work on this study. We have used a dictionary, thesaurus, a Bible and a bit of internet research. We have used a map printout to track the progress through the story as well. Having the story as an audio recording would be another great addition to this study. For many of the selections from Progeny Press, there are audio recordings available through your library, Librivox, etc. An audio version wouldn’t completely replace a written book, though. Your student will want to refer to the book for some of the activities–not too easy with an audio. 😉
Other Crew member reviewed various titles from Progeny Press. Be sure to read their reviews by starting at the Crew blog.
