Disclosure: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew.

Reading without Book Reports

Progeny Press

Homeschool Review Crew

Did you ever have to do book reports in school?  I know I did and though I loved reading I hated doing book reports.  When I started homeschooling I wanted my kids to love reading without book reports.  But I also wanted them to comprehend and understand what they were reading.  Enter Progeny Press.  It’s still reading without book reports but it’s working through a curriculum to help comprehension. 

We received two different study guides to use in our school.  The two study guides we received are Cricket in Times Square Study Guide and Frankenstein Study Guide.  These are for different age ranges but can be used by multiple children in the same home as they are downloadable e-guides that are interactive.  

About the Curriculum

Progeny Press has been creating downloadable e-guides for a while now.  We’ve reviewed several of them and know that they are going to help your child love reading without book reports.  

Because I do have high school students I want to say here that to get one credit in high school for literature you will need to use four guides.  So each guide should take approximately half a semester.  The study guide we reviewed for high school students is Frankenstein.  Other high school guides to consider are The Screwtape Letters, all of the Lord of the Rings books(even a bundle of them all to purchase), The Hound of the Baskervilles, Animal Farm, and so many more that it would take forever to list!  You can find all of the High School Guides HERE.  

The other guide we received is A Cricket in Times Square.  This is for grades 4-6.  You can adjust this somewhat by child’s reading level but remember comprehension is key here so make sure their comprehension level is somewhat comparable.  

The e-guides are downloadable and interactive.  You can download the e-guide.  Save it to your computer and then for each new child you want to use it you simply do a save as so that they can use it and use the interactive feature.  Or if you’re like me and try to keep kids off the computer as much as you can, you print it off for each child. 

You can also purchase a physical workbook or workbook on CD.  The book may also be purchased through their website if you don’t already own it. 

What comes inside the study guide?

I’m glad you asked!

In each study guide you get two downloads.  One is the study guide for your student and one is the answer key.  I love that they are separate so that your children don’t have access to the answers without permission. 

Each guide will give you an author biography, vocabulary words, literary technique, moral lessons and characters values, activites and writing assignments, and suggestions for further reading.  

Our Thoughts

We have used several Progeny Press study guides before so I knew we would love these.  It also seemed like the perfect time to read Frankenstein so I made sure to request it for my high school students.  They had never read the book before and it’s perfect for the foggy days of fall when it’s cooled off and you’re ready to cuddle down for a good read.  

Frankenstein

I love that the high school study guides give you a more indepth study of the book.  There were some aspects of the novel that I personally had not thought about before that this study brought to my mind.  I really enjoyed the conversations that I had with my two older children as we went through this. 

In our homeschool this was used with a 16 year old as well as a 15 year old.  They’re a junior and a sophomore in high school. 

The Cricken in Times Square

We used a Cricket in Times Square with two children as well.  Both girls but of different ages and differing grades from their ages.  The first girl to use the curriculum is 15 years old but while she reads at grade level she struggles with comprehension at grade level.  Our second daughter to use the curriculum is ten years old and at a 6th grade level with everything.  Though she reads above grade level she also struggles with comprehension so I felt this was the perfect grade range for both of them.

We actually hadn’t read a Cricket in Times Square before so it was fun to read through it with the girls. 

More on Usage

With both books the girls read it independently while I also read it aloud to them and anyone who wanted to sit and listen.  While we did the discussions I would have them separate and do their answers on paper.  After they were done we would discuss it with everyone else and let the different ages chime in as well.  I feel that doing the books as read alouds and having everyone discuss adds another dimension of discussion and differing views and interpretations.  

While I didn’t feel that everyone would enjoy Frankenstein I still did it as a read aloud as well as having the older kids read it on their own.  Anyone who found it scary were told to go play in the other room.  I did ask my two younger children (ages 5 and 2) to go play with their kitchen or I would allow them to watch an episode on their pad while we discussed the book.

I feel that good literature is timeless and that all ages can enjoy every novel but I also don’t think that all ages should at all times.  My five year old is very sensitive to “danger” in things so I knew that this book would not be one he would enjoy.  If you’re like me know that you can definitely involve other ages in the book studies and encourage them to love reading without book reports but do know what your child can handle. 

We love Progeny Press guides and will definitely be doing other ones to finish out our school year for high school credit. 

Learn More

Ready to learn more about helping your child love reading without book reports?  You can read all of the Crew reviews that are linked up on the Main Blog Post over on the Homeschool Review Crew blog.  There were four different e-guides that we could choose from so make sure and check them all out!  The two we didn’t receive are Wagon Wheels Study Guide and Redwall Study Guide. 

Progeny Press can also be found on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and YouTube.