The Fellowship of the Ring Study Guide | Progeny Press

Searching for literary analysis with a strong Christian worldview? The search is over! Progeny Press Study Guides provide a grade-ranged and engaging book study for a trove of classic literature for elementary through high school (and beyond). The Progeny Press literature guides integrate Scripture study into every chapter of the selected novel. When Scripture is provided in the guide, the NIV translation is utilized. It is suggested to have your preferred Bible translation on hand to look up the many Scriptures referenced. Other suggested resources are a desktop dictionary and thesaurus, along with monitored internet access. There are many extension activities provided on Progeny Press’s Pinterest™ Boards.  

New to literature study guides? They are an independent and flexible option for adding a literature component to your language arts. As your student reads a novel, the guide provides a framework, similar to a workbook. The structure of each guide stays consistent, from The Story About Ping all the way to the high school level with Macbeth. The guides are chapter ranged. This is important to this kind of literary analysis, as students are learning how each chapter works as a piece of the whole. Every lesson starts with vocabulary work and then moves to higher order/critical thinking questions. Think of it as moving from who, what, and where into the how and why. With Progeny Press, students are asked to draw comparisons between the literature they are reading and the Bible. Each guide includes:

• a concise synopsis of the book
• information about the book's author
• background information pertinent to the story
• suggestions for activities relating to the subject matter
• introduction of literary terms
• vocabulary exercises
• comprehension, analysis, and application questions

Progeny Press has many titles to choose from. The age groups overlap in places because, well, that is not an exact science, is it? For ease of access, we have taken the publisher’s lead and categorized the guides into:

• Lower Elementary (K-3)
• Upper Elementary (4-6)
• Middle School (6-8)
• High School (9-12)

This program allows parents to feel good about the content their children will be reading and studying. Reading comprehension and literary analysis are an important component of any ELA year! A typical number of novels with guides is 4-6 a year (but you are not limited by this goal). Some novels may take only a couple weeks to complete—while others may take up to 8-10 weeks.

Progeny Press’s Notes to the Instructor are helpful suggestions to get the most out of your literature guided studies. These are not hard and fast instructions, as literature guides are a flexible resource for family use. Students will answer directly in the guides, which are reproducible for single family or classroom use. From a parent’s point of view, literature guides are a timesaver! You set the rhythm that works for you and your student. Answers and suggested answers are in the back on perforated pages for easy removal. For additional Study Guide formats, visit the publisher’s site progenypress.com. Happy Reading! ~Rebecca