Monday, September 11, 2017

Progeny Press ~ A Review


Progeny Press, as you can see in the title above offers study guides for literature from a christian perspective. I recently was given the opportunity to work through The Bears on Hemlock Mountain E-Guide with my daughter. The recommended grade level for this book is 1st through 3rd grade. Depending on your child's reading ability this may fall outside of the suggested range and that is definitely okay. This guide was 34 pages in length. 

This summer my incoming 4th grader read The Bears on Hemlock Mountain and worked her way through the Study Guide. It was the perfect way to keep her reading during the summer months. 
Table of Contents
  • Note to Instructor
  • Synopsis
  • About the Author
  • Background Information
  • Before you read Activities
  • Chapters 1 & 2
  • Chapters 3 & 4
  • Chapters 5  & 6
  • Chapters 7-10
  • Mystery Words
  • After you read Activities 
  • Suggestions for Further Reading 
  • Answer Key

I was very intrigued by the information that was provided in the Background Information page. This information was new to me! Did you know that the author Alice Dalgliesh based The Bears on Hemlock Mountain on a folk tale told to her by Colonel Henry Shoemaker?

I split up Chapters 7-10 into Chapters 7-8 and Chapters 9-10. In the Note to Instructor it did not really explain how to work through elementary level study guides and novels. It talks about middle and high school levels but doesn't address earlier grades. I decided to have my daughter read one chapter a day and work through the part of the study guide that related to that chapter. I had her read 4 chapters a week so it took up a little more than 2 weeks to complete the book and study guide. 

Each chapter study guide contains:

  • Vocabulary
  • Questions
  • Scripture
Some of the chapter study guides contain:

  • Word Pictures
  • Dig Deeper
  • Mystery Words
I really like the variety of approaches and styles that were used to check the students comprehension. For example, in the vocabulary section some of the various ways that students were asked to show their knowledge were in the following ways:

  • brass knocker:
           Sentence:__________________________________________

           _________________________________________________

          Definition:__________________________________________

          _________________________________________________

  • Matching

  • He stood still in the snow, feeling very cross with himself. 
           Your definition:______________________________________

The other sections are pretty straightforward. The Question section is pretty much asking the student for a sentence for two answer. The Scripture section references a scripture passage and then references back to a particular event in the book. Students are then asked one or multiple questions relating to one character/s or an event. Digging Deeper requires the student to stop for awhile and think about the questions being asked. They require some thought. These questions are not really concrete, straight forward answers. Rather they are more answers based on reasoning, and ones own thoughts and personal feelings.  




After completing the book and study guide I had my daughter pick one of the After You Read Activities. She chose:

  1. Creative Writing Project - Have students imagine they are going over a mountain late in the evening. What adventure will they have? Have each student write a one or two page story with himself as the main character. 

I really loved that there was suggestions for further reading based on this book. Often times after reading a given book it is hard to figure out what to read next. 

My daughter said, "I really enjoyed reading The Bears on Hemlock Mountain. Once I started the book I didn't want to stop. The study guide wasn't too bad." My daughter loved these pages. 

"THERE...ARE..NO...BEARS...ON...HEMLOCK...MOUNTAIN...NO...BEARS...NO...BEARS...AT...ALL."



"THERE...are...BEARS...ON...HEMLOCK...MOUNTAIN, THERE...
ARE...
BEARS!"

I would highly recommend Progeny Press to others. I will most definitely be using these study guides in the future. 

To read more reviews click here.

Social Media:
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/progenypress
Twitter:  www.twitter.com/progenypress
Instagram:  instagram.com/progenypress
Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/user/ProgenyPress
Pinterest:  pinterest.com/progenypress



No comments:

Post a Comment

Shark Anatomy Floor Puzzle

The  Shark  Anatomy Floor Puzzle  is a reversible 2-in-1 puzzle.  This puzzle is 54" long by 21" high and contains 100 pieces.   T...