Progeny Press with Emerging Readers {Review}

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

It's not often that I get to hang out with littles anymore, but when we visited my favorite little nieces recently, we took the opportunity to teach them about where we live by using the Wagon Wheels Study Guide from Progeny Press.  Progeny Press has over 100 different literature guides to choose from across all grade levels.  Wagon Wheels is for students in 1st-3rd grades.

We received an instant download of the Wagon Wheels Study Guide.  To complete the literature guide, we needed a copy of the book and a student dictionary. The guide took us one entire day to complete, as it was the only thing we focused on for that day -- I like to do Fun Fridays.  When used as part of the regular school year, this study guide should take about a week. 

We read the book together, taking turns reading aloud as they are just starting to read.  Then we worked through the questions aloud and completed the after-you-read fun activities!  The older one worked on the additional written activities later on her own.

The study guide opens with a synopsis (which helps mom), information about the author, background information on the setting of the story, and pre-reading activities. These activities are designed to help set the scene for the study, and help the student picture the scene.

Each section of the guide covers multiple chapters, including these elements:

• Vocabulary – This covers vocabulary words and basic dictionary skills. Various tasks are assigned for learning the new words.
• Questions - This section consists of straightforward questions about the events in the story to test reading comprehension.
• Fact or Opinion - This section teaches students to differentiate between what is a fact and what is an opinion, which is a concept easily applicable to our modern climate.
• Compound Words & Crossword Puzzle - These two sections dig into reading skills and grammatical concepts in a fun and engaging way.
• After-You-Read - With a recipe, some songs, and other activities, this section takes a deeper look at the pioneer life.

I was impressed at the material covered and pleased at the diversity of activities provided.   The study guide is challenging and encourages students to think about the story concepts, how they have applied in history, and (in our house) how they apply to our current climate.  The 'Fact or Opinion' section helps facilitate a discussion on those concepts and how to differentiate between the, and the 'After You Read Activities' section allows for further study on the pioneer setting of the book.

Something I appreciate about these study guides is that they are interactive.  If we weren't working as a family - if I had my child working independently - he could type his answers directly into the PDF.  This allows me to save paper by not having to print it all out, which is very nice!  There were a few sections, like the drawings and crossword, however, that could not be done in the interactive format.  The study guides come with a separate answer key for quick and easy grading by parents.

Other study guides available at the lower elementary school level include: The Drinking Gourd, Frog and Toad Together, Keep the Lights Burning Abbie, Sam the Minuteman, and more!

See what others are saying about Progeny Press at the Homeschool Review Crew!