Review–Progeny Press (TOS Review)

  We were excited to try Progeny Press’ study guide for The Courage of Sarah Noble. We are studying US History this year and this book fit right in!  

This study guide is recommended for Lower Elementary (grades K-3rd).  It starts out by giving a brief synopsis of the book,and some background information.  It also talks about the author.  There is a before you read question page to do.  Then Every 2 chapters has a vocabulary and question and answer page.  The vocabulary pages vary from dictionary exercises, multiple choice and matching.  There are also some grammar lessons, such as similes and metaphors.  At the end of the unit are suggested Activities, Arts and Crafts, a crossword puzzle and suggestions for further reading.  It also includes an answer sheet.

This unit has A LOT of writing.  My son is 2nd grade, and writing is a struggle for him (not that he can’t, just that he doesn’t like to).  I try to limit his required writing to avoid fights and frustrations.  For this unit we did the majority of the activities verbally. 

Sometimes I would read the chapters aloud, other times I would assign him to read.  Afterward we verbally went over the vocabulary and questions.

I liked having questions there to help discuss what we had read.  It helped engage us in conversation about the book.  Many times I’ll ask him to tell me about what he has read, and most of the time he isn’t able to find the words to really explain it.  So it can be hard to measure his comprehension.  These questions really helped with that problem.

The questions are more than what happened and when type of questions.  They are more thought provoking, and sometimes also included scripture references (that could be skipped if you desired).   These type of questions help apply the story and lessons learned to our everyday life, and allow the child to reflect on their own life in comparison to Sarah’s life. 

The crafts and activities at the end of the book were my favorite, and my kids favorites as well.  Two of the activities that we did were make cornbread and make log cabins out of pretzel sticks.  Other activities were art project suggestions (to suit different levels and interests) and a game that coincides with one played by Sarah in the book. 

Though we did this unit together, this unit could easily be done independently.  The student would need to be a fairly good writer, though you could also pick and choose which questions you wanted answered with paper and pencil, and which verbally (like the more difficult or wordy answers).

The reading level of the book is rated:
Grade level Equivalent: 4.4
Lexile Measure^®:610L
DRA: 38
Guided Reading: O

The book itself is recommended for grades 3-5 (according to Scholastic).  It’s a fairly simple read, early chapter book style.  It has short chapters and not very many pictures.  Therefore, I feel that this unit could easily be used for up to 5th grade depending on the reading level and interests of your child.  You can download a sample page of the unit at the product page description to decide for yourself if it would be a good fit.

The cost for this unit is $11.99 and is an E-Guide, so available by download.