From the website:
Progeny Press has over 100 study guides for literature, covering kindergarten through high school. Progeny Press study guides concentrate on critical thinking, comprehension, literary analysis, and Christian application. Our goal is to teach our children to think clearly, to understand literature, and to rely on scripture for truth and values, and enjoy themselves while they do it!
JC15 is a huge C.S. Lewis fan, so choosing to review The Screwtape Letters was an easy choice. I had already read the book, so I thought using the study guide from Progeny Press would help him to better understand the story line and maybe spark some interesting discussion. We received the guide in PDF form to review, but they are also available on CD and as printed booklets.
We love literature, and as I already said, JC15 loves C.S. Lewis. It would be hard to find anything that I really didn’t like about this unit study. (Oh yeah, we love those too.) As the mom/teacher, I love that the material (at this grade level) is self-directed. Other than checking his answers and maybe discussing some of those with him, I really am not needed. He can work independently.
Things we loved about this unit, besides the fact that it was a C.S. Lewis work:
1. Answers could be typed directly into the guide on the computer. No need to print all those pages.
2. The consistent pointing back to Scripture. This may not be true of all the studies, but there was a lot to be digested in this work since its main characters are demons and their objective is to prevent souls from being saved.
3. The variety of activities/topics: Vocabulary, Questions, Dig Deeper, Analysis and lots of optional activities.
4. While JC15 is not a fan of writing, I appreciate the Essay Writing section at the end of the study. He may not like it now, but it will serve him well in the future to have plenty of essay writing practice.
I believe the price to be reasonable at $18.99 for the PDF, $21.99 for the printed and bound version. The booklet and CD can be purchased for $27.99. Progeny Press suggests that one unit would count as 1/4 credit for high school, meaning 4 units per school year would equal 1 high school credit. Doing the math, one credit could be obtained for less than $80 (PDF). I think that is a fair deal.
I think JC15 might like to choose the next title. I would also like to try some of the elementary units with the girls in the near future.
To find out what other homeschool moms are saying about this product, be sure to check out the Homeschool Crew blog.
