Our latest review was one for the high school level. Progeny Press sent me a copy of a PDF for us to use for my daughter’s literature this year called the Hound of the Baskervilles Study Guide, which is intended to be used with grades 9-12. It is intended to be used alongside reading the book of the same title by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
The study guide is 70 pages and includes information about the book itself, the author, the genre, and several prereading activities. Then, it goes on to divide questions by a few chapters at a time. This e-guide is interactive, which means students can answer on the PDF file itself. Students can choose correct answers from drop-down menus and type directly into response boxes, save, and have their parent grade it later. How cool is that?
However, we were traveling during the review period, so I simply printed the guide so my daughter could complete this by hand on our drive home.
There are many types of questions, including a rich vocabulary section, logical thinking, comprehension questions, analysis questions, deeper thinking questions, and a ton of really great optional activities. These activities are cross-curricular and can be used in a pick and choose manner. There are science tasks, art projects, essay ideas, research papers, discussion questions, history assignments, Bible studies, and more.
I also received a 15 page answer key with comprehensive answers to each of the questions for the entire study guide. This is a huge time saver for me, because I can’t always read along with all of my children as they complete literature assignments, so I can just hop right in and make sure that she’s understanding the vocabulary and the content of what she’s reading.
I like the flexibility of these guides. You can assign every single thing to your student, or you can pick and choose as to what fits your schedule and academic requirements, as well as what time frame you want to cover the book in. It would be good to use in teaching a co-op class, as well. I would probably use it so that students read at home and complete the vocabulary and a few of the questions, and then we would complete many of the discussion questions and projects together in class.
I like how Progeny Press goes well beyond just a simple study guide. Their guides are full of Biblical references, higher order of thinking questions, and ways for students to think outside the box when working with what they have read. The Christian perspective of these guides also give a unique twist to the curriculum, as so many are non-religious and don’t pull in God when it would have been a natural fit. Progeny Press doesn’t miss an opportunity to turn a student’s eyes to God or to use the Bible to explain or justify characters’ actions or feelings or situations that occur within the novel.
Another thing I like is that you buy it once, and you can use it with all of your children as long as your are homeschooling! I love digital products that provide that kind of flexibility.
As usual, we have enjoyed using the study guide from Progeny Press. They are very straightforward and really allow a student to dive deeper into what they have read.
My daughter liked how it was laid out, because she was able to see exactly what to work on and knew what to expect as the format was similar for each of the sections. She also liked when I gave her options for extra activities from the guide, because she was able to pick what she felt was “easiest” to complete, and I liked that because I knew that she was getting in some extra work in a way that worked well for how she thinks and processes her literature readings.
You may recall that I’ve reviewed other study guides from them before, including The Josefina Story Quilt Study Guide, Mr. Popper’s Penguins E-Guide Review, and also Sarah, Plain and Tallnofollow E-Guide.
The Crew reviewed a handful of different Progeny Press study guides. Click the banner below to look and see what other families are saying about how they’ve implemented them into their homeschool studies.
