Progeny Press Literature Guides

I was selected to review Progeny Press Guide for Treasure Island.  Progeny Press sells over one hundred titles categorized into Elementary, Middle, and High School grade levels.  Their goal is to teach children to think clearly, to understand literature, and to rely on God's scripture for truth and values, and enjoy themselves while they do it!

 

I received the interactive downloadable guide which is available for $16.99.  The interactive guide allowed my student to key in her answers to questions directly on the computer. I did not have to print out any information but the print option is available for this guide.  A CD of the guide can be purchased for $16.99 as well.  I’ve used the physical Progeny Press guides in the past which are available for $18.99 but this was my first experience using the interactive guide.  Personally, I like flipping through pages and being able to transport work but for a technologically savvy person the interactive guide is great and very convenient. 

The guide for Treasure Island is divided into 6 parts as follows:

Part I   – The Old Buccaneer, chapters 1-6

Part II  -  The Sea Cook, chapters 7-12

Part III -  My Shore Adventure, chapters 13-15

Part IV- The Stockade, chapters 16-21

Part V  - My Sea Adventure, chapters 22-27

Part VI – Captain Silver, chapters 28-34

Each part is comprised of vocabulary that is mentioned in the chapters; questions that flesh out a literary concept that was covered like mood or setting; comprehension questions; “Dig Deeper” questions that apply the text to real life; scripture references; and discussion questions.  I love the structure and organization of the guide.  It is logical and allows the student to get more from his reading than if he had just read straight through from beginning to end.  Progeny Press guides force you to stop, think, and analyze the text. 

Pre-reading activities are included before starting each part of guide.  For the Treasure Island guide some activities include research on different sea vessels, island research and geography to include drawing a map of the setting.   We used a physical Progeny Press guide for The Giver earlier in the school year.  By comparison, the pre-reading activities included in that guide were researching other real-life utopian societies, researching coming-of-age ceremonies in different cultures, and exploring different career options.  My daughter did some of the pre-reading activities in the earlier guide we used as the subject material was new to her but we chose to skip the pre-reading activities for Treasure Island because she has previously done research on ships and has studied geography extensively. 

We started our study of Treasure Island by reading the novel aloud.  I would read one day and my daughter the next.  We abandoned this method in favor of an audio version of the book from the library.  She listened and gave me an oral summary every few chapters or so.  We did the exercises together in the interactive guide. 

After completing the novel and finishing the study of each part in the guide, a final overview explores character, symbolism, the major conflicts in the novel, and theme.  Students are taken through the dramatic structure of exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and denouement.  They are given the opportunity to identify each section of this dramatic structure for full understanding of specific events that drive the plot forward. 

Finally, there are several essay topics to choose from for a final writing assignment. The assignments give the student an opportunity to condense all of his learning into one last culminating event.  The choices include character analysis, compare and contrast essays, research topics, informative writing, and creative writing.

Additional resources are listed that include other books written by the author and books of similar interest.  Other classics listed as additional resources for Treasure Island include Robinson Crusoe and Gulliver’s Travels.    

I love, love Progeny Press Guides.  They suggest 8-12 weeks to complete a guide. If I could spend an unlimited amount of time reading novels, I would use these guides for reading all the Classics.  I have purchased other guides and by far consider Progeny Press guides the best.  

 Click to read more reviews from the Schoolhouse Review Crew.

 

College For A Weekend

Boy was this a week!  I decided at the last minute to register my daughter for College For a Weekend (CFAW) at Liberty University.  I dropped her off with a friend on Thursday and picked them up on Saturday.  Princess is usually all work with very little play so I really wanted her to enjoy this experience.  She had a ball.

Liberty University is the friendliest campus I’ve ever been on.  The students share a similar spirit – everyone seems so happy to be there.  They are helpful and accommodating.  Each person we came in contact with was this way.  Princess felt right at home. 

We texted several times throughout the weekend.  I knew if I waited until the end of the weekend she would forget many of the details of the weekend.  One text from her read “I feel so inspired right now.”  I was very encouraged by that.  She attended a few classes in her desired major and took copious notes (check the box that says teach your homeschool kid how to take notes from a lecture).  She said she learned a lot.  The studio & digital art program at Liberty is fairly new.  I hope they add more courses to the program by the time my daughter would be a freshman in 2015.  Quite honestly, there are a lot of Universities with phenomenal art schools and foundation programs but it is so hard to dismiss what Liberty brings to the table.  I’m glad we have 2 years to figure it all out.

She is ready to go to college but I remind her that one must qualify for college by doing well in their high school program.  Perhaps this experience will refocus her efforts in her academics because now she can really see what she is working toward.

I excitedly shared the CFAW experience with several people.  They are amazed that we are doing all of these sorts of things so early in high school.  After reviewing College Commonsense, I realized that senior and junior year is so busy with challenging academics, SAT prep, scholarship essays, college essays, and all that volunteer work that now is the time for visits and giving my highschooler a vision for her future.  If I may say so myself, that future looks very bright indeed.

Classroom

Demoss Academic Building

Studio Art

Convocation

Dining Room

Convocation Center

Indoor Ice Skating

Enjoying the Experience

Final Goodbye

Spring has Sprung!

This week all the public school kids have been out on spring break.  The weather has been perfect for time off.  It was not my plan to have my girls off but it was kind of difficult to stay on schedule with our public school students home.

The girls discovered a creek which I believe is part of our waste storm management down hill from the neighborhood playground.  They've made several trips down there.  They are fascinated with the algae and other finds in the "creek".....homeschoolers.

The girls managed to get some math and grammar done and the high schooler is making progress on Moby Dick.  The highlight of our week was having my niece visit for the weekend.  My girls enjoy the company of their cousins and have so much fun together.  I wish she could've stayed longer but we hope to host her for a week in the summer.

Well its back to work next week.  Since April has arrived, I feel a sense of urgency to stay on track.  Before I know it summer will be here with all of its obligations (graduations, out of town trips, etc.) and I feel like we are behind.  This is one reason why I try not to take scheduled time off.  It is a race to the finish so that we can truly relax later. 

2 day getaway

We normally take all of our vacation time in the summer but the girls and I had an opportunity to spend a few days at the beach this week.  We arrived after 11 pm on Thursday night because traffic was such a nightmare.  There was nothing to do but sleep once we arrived.  The next morning was breakfast and a day out at an Arts & Crafts fair and outlet shopping.  My mom prepared dinner for us all and we watched movies until night.  The weather was pleasant but cool.  Nothing was better than the view from our room. 

On our finally day we enjoyed breakfast at our favorite beach spot, took a stroll on the boardwalk and headed back home.  We did make a stop at the birthplace of Harriet Tubman.  There was a Harriet Tubman museum and educational center where we viewed a documentary of her life and saw much on display regarding her contribution to American history.  I know and have learned a lot about Harriet Tubman but there was still much I didn't know.   It was a great visit for us all.  

 

We all wished we could stay longer but I couldn't leave my husband much longer with the younger kids.  But I'm grateful we had a change of scenery even if for only 2 days.

 

The Art of Poetry

 

If you enjoy poetry and are looking for a creative way to incorporate poetry study in your homeschool the Art of Poetry by Classic Academic Press just might fit the bill.  The Art of Poetry curriculum bundle includes a Teacher's Edition, Student Text, and the poetry DVD set for $124.95.

You can purchase each item separately for $29.95 (Teacher's Edition), $24.95 (Student Text), and $89.95 (DVD set).  The curriculum can be used for middle and high schoolers.  I used it with a 6th grade student who doesn't have an appreciation for poetry.  She feels that readers' analysis of the author's intentions are too deep and thinks the subject matter of most poems are gloomy.   I'm sure this has a lot to do with her maturity level and her readiness for going deeper.  The author makes a good point of poetry helping one to think analytically and metaphorically which is essential to writing literary analysis so at some point my daughter will have to develop this skill.

One can use the student text without the DVDs and Teacher's Edition but the sample DVD we used of Chapters 1 and 2 came in handy to help bring perspective to poems that we would otherwise not have.  Each chapter focuses on an element of poetry like Image and Metaphor which is then explored in the various poems of that chapter.  At the end of each poem is a series of questions to help readers understand the poem.  The answers to these questions are in the Teacher's Edition.  The Teacher's Edition also includes quizzes for each chapter which helps the student put into practice the skills learned in each chapter.  Poem vocabulary and suggested activities end each chapter.  The activities include creative suggestions for further investigating the element of poetry that was explored in the chapter.  For example, the first chapter explores images.  One activity includes finding four images that describe the past school year or make a collage of images that describe you or a relationship that is important to you.  There are plenty of activities to choose from for each chapter including writing your own poetry.

I love that the website and the student text includes a suggested schedule to use the curriculum.  You can use the curriculum as a unit study, spread it out over a year, or do several chapters to spread it out over several years.  If your student is like my student and isn't ready for deep analysis, you can just read a poem a day just to familiarize yourself with different poets and their styles.  This is the approach I like best.  You can discuss aspects of the poem if something jumps out at you and is relevant to your student.  This way the material isn't too heavy for the reluctant student.  Even better are the audio files available at the Art of Poetry website under "free resources."  I don't have to rely on myself to read the poems "correctly" stressing syllables and lines that should be emphasized.  We enjoyed the audio files.

Even though my student didn't enjoy the poetry, I liked this curriculum.  I like the flexibility of it best.  It allows one to ease into the subject matter slowly saving meatier concepts for when the student is older.  In my opinion it is a little pricey for a poetry study which I expect to be part of a larger language arts curriculum.  However, you could start slowly by purchasing the student text only and using the audio files at the website.  Then add in the more advanced analysis for an older student and include the teacher's edition for the discussion questions and quizzes.  The DVDs help to round out everything adding the expertise of the facilitator to give insight and foster further in depth discussion.









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Is there such a thing as too many educational choices?

You know the great thing about homeschooling is choice and flexibility and the worst thing about homeschooling is choice and flexibility.  When Princess was sick for a week I was able to move all of that week's assignments to the following week.  Since she has one outside course, Geometry, she had to take the following week to just do her Geometry assignments so that she could catch up with her class.  No problem.  It worked and if need be extending the school year will allow us to finish up everything that is planned.  Flexibility - check.

As I evaluate her many strengths and weaknesses, I am attempting to make decisions about next year's schedule.  We definitely want to take advantage of dual enrollment at the local community college and I'm very fortunate to have two colleges to choose from.  One is 20 minutes south and one is 15 minutes north.  I'm thinking about an Art History course one semester and Spanish I the second semester to help round out the Spanish she's done in Rosetta Stone Level One.  Literature/Composition and History is an easy option to do at home with an outside evaluator for composition.  However, I am at a fork in the road with Algebra II and Chemistry. Choice - check.

We attended an open house for a local university-model school on Wednesday.  She would attend 3 days a week and complete assignments at home on Tuesday/Thursday.  I like the concept and the school's mission but it is a costly option.  We HAVE to have math take place in a classroom setting.  It is just what is best for her.  Our current co-op won't offer Algebra II next year.   There is a second coop that will probably offer it but I think Princess wants a different social setting.  That point has us looking at the local public school for 2 courses.

In homeschool you can always change something that isn't working.  You can even leave a co-op if you choose but taking a course in public school, I don't know if it is so easy to change if we find it just isn't working out.  Furthermore, I am a believer in finishing what you start.   So I am looking down all paths just praying about what to do.  Decisions.....decisions.

www.petermanseye.com

 Head over to weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers to see what other moms were up to this week.

Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat

Well this week has been a whirlwind.  Pumpkin and NuNu signed up to be a part of a christian theater group which put on a production of Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat this weekend.  For weeks practices have been once a week for 3 hours.  This week started with an 8 hour Saturday practice and two weekday practice of 4 hours each.  Friday night was the opening performance and there were three Saturday performances.  The girls are tired and so am I.  I'm glad its over.  They thoroughly enjoyed being a part of the group and are already asking to be a part of the next performance which begins this summer.  I don't think I've ever seen them more excited about anything they've been involved in.  So no matter how demanding this production I have to let them do it again.

good times with new friends

my young thespian signing autographs

They described their experience as an escape.  Does that mean my home school is like prison?  I guess we all need an escape from our daily grind.  Now if I can only find an escape for Princess and myself.