Miss Rumphius

Please note that a brief synopsis of many of the books included here are provided in our Library Builders section. Study guides for the same book are often available from several publishers, so we found it more efficient to give a description of the book only once.

Just the right stuff! Thats what youll be thinking as you use this warm and inviting reading program from Memoria Press. The guides are well-organized, user-friendly, academically challenging, and graphically pleasing. Memoria believes that reading is not a passive activity, but that it requires an active, discriminating mind, one that has been challenged to think, compare, and contrast. That philosophy is evident in these guides.

Student Guides are consumable at the lower levels, providing space for the student to write. Each book/story/ poem is approached in much the same way, although with increasing depth vocabulary, comprehension and discussion questions, quotations, composition, and miscellaneous literary analysis activities (sequencing, literary terms, dictation, poetry connections, etc.). Upper level books (Gr. 2 and up) are organized around the Trivium, and activities are grouped into Pre- Grammar (preparation prior knowledge or experience), Grammar (presentation essential facts, elements, and features), Logic (dialectic reasons with the facts, elements, and features), and Rhetoric (expression explains in own words with supporting details). Although there is consistency from lesson to lesson, there is also an extra activity provided with each lesson, and these are quite varied. Background information on the author and book is included. Several high school level guides have transitioned to Second Editions, which are smaller-format (6"x 9") with a focus on student activities without lined spaces. Students would record their work in a separate notebook.

Teacher Guides provide valuable teaching information and full-text answer keys at all grade levels. Beyond this there are variances within the guides. Discussion talking points, reproducible quizzes and final tests (with answers) are included in numerous guides especially at the upper levels. The first grade program (StoryTime Treasures and More StoryTime Treasures) differs a little bit in content due to the lower grade level. The second-grade level includes pre- and post-reading exercises that focus on continued phonics development, syllabication and vocabulary for the emerging independent reader. For grades 2-9, we are now offering literature guide only packages that include all the student and teacher guides for each grade, no books. ~ Janice

These literature-based unit study curriculum guides are so named because you spend five days in a row (a full week; one day for each subject area) using a particular children's book as the theme for multiple academic subject areas. Five in a Row (FIAR) Volumes 1-3 cover social studies and character, language arts, math, science, and art through 15-21 children's books. The literature selections, primarily picture books, contain positive moral values reflecting Biblical values. Christian content is not incorporated in Volumes 1-3, but is available separately in a Christian Character & Bible Study Supplement. Five in a Row Vol. 4 is for slightly older students (Grades 2-4) and features fewer books, some of which are stretched to two weeks of lessons. Christian content is included in the Volume 4 guide.

Before Five in a Row takes the same concept, but simplifies it for ages 2-4, with multiple activities provided for each book, but not as structured between days of the week.

Beyond Five in a Row is the next step up (for Grades 3+), and these guides are structured around chapter books. Activities at this level incorporate history, geography, science, language arts and fine arts with Christian Character and Bible content available separately.

The Student Guides at this level are a bit different than those at the higher grades. They feature a horizontal orientation for ease of writing and provide the student with vocabulary and comprehension worksheets. There's writing involved (7/16" lines with dotted midline) but the top binding makes it easy for either right-handed students or lefties. The teacher needs to take a quick peek at two pages at the beginning that give the plan for the Word Study, Read, Comprehension, and Language (introductory grammar) segments of each lesson. The Just For Fun section is self-explanatory. StoryTime covers four classic children's books in 14 lessons, while More StoryTime provides another 15 lessons and seven children's books.

New to the 2nd edition, there is a separate Teacher Guide for each volume. These contain a model lesson plan, a teacher overview, daily assignments for each lesson (which highlight phonics and vocabulary activities) and also include answers to the student pages. Packages are available for StoryTime Treasures and More StoryTime Treasures which include both student and teacher guides as well as the literature resources. Packages of literature resources only are also available. Separate Lesson Plan books are still available and cover phonics and spelling.

These literature-based unit study curriculum guides cover social studies and character, language arts, math, science, and art. Literature selections contain positive moral values reflecting Biblical values. Use as a stand-alone curriculum for preschool or supplement with phonics and math for older children. Curriculum is so named because you spend five days in a row (a full week; one day for each subject area) using a particular children's book as the theme. There's plenty of text here as the author provides all the reference material you'll need right in the volumes as background for your studies. Hands-on activities and projects abound and there are plenty to choose from each day, using the literature selections as a springboard. The varying difficulty of the activities makes it easy to use with a range of ages. Very little teacher preparation is required. Once you have the needed literature selection, you can open the book and begin! Each book also includes tips for teaching the curriculum, instructions for creating manipulatives, a topical index, a sample planning sheet with a blank, reproducible lesson plan sheet, literary glossary, story disks, and suggestions for finding the reading books. Volumes 1-3 do not incorporate Biblical content, as this is found in the optional Christian Character & Bible Study Supplement, available separately.

What is a "unit study"? Briefly, it's a thematic or topical approach to teaching as opposed to the traditional by-subject approach. Rather than teach each subject separately, a unit study attempts to integrate many or all subject areas into a unified study - usually centered around a particular subject or event. Obviously History (the study of events) and Science (the study of "things") are well-suited to unit studies, and usually form the "core" around which other subjects are integrated. Subjects like Bible, Geography, Government, English (writing), and Reading/Literature, Music, Home Economics, Life Skills, and Art, are usually easy to integrate around a core topics. Remaining subjects (Math, Phonics, Grammar, Spelling) can be integrated to some extent via related activities. Each, however, has its own "system" (progression of skills, mastery of "rules") which must be followed to some degree. Since one of the additional advantages of a unit study curriculum is the ability to use it with students of varying ages and skill levels, these subjects are generally taught apart from the core curriculum. This may be as simple as assigning pages in a grammar or spelling book, or using a separate "program" for Phonics and Math. Unit studies also tend to be more activity-oriented than the traditional approach, a real boon to kinesthetic learners. Advocates of the unit study approach site studies showing that children learn best when learning is unified rather than fragmented and when learning is more participatory than passive.

The best way to describe these wonderful books is "literature and Bible study rolled into one." Truly from a Christian perspective, these classic and award-winning books are examined in the light of God's Word and a Biblical worldview. The author sent us several review copies and they are wonderful!

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 for each section of reading

- comprehension, analysis, and application questions for each section of reading with discussion of related Biblical themes

- a complete answer key and suggestions for further reading

Their brochure states "Our goal is to teach students of all ages to examine what they read, Christian or secular, classic or contemporary, and value the truth it contains as measured against the Bible." A worthy goal indeed! If you want to study great literature from a Christian perspective, here's your answer! If in doubt, try just one - we're sure you'll be back for more!

Progeny Press guides are available in two formats: softcover staplebound booklets and CD-ROMs. The CD-ROMs originally featured printable .pdf files, but Progeny Press is now transitioning these to interactive .pdf files. Inspired by a tax software, these files are able to be used by the student on the computer, or printed out. Questions in the files have text boxes to type in or buttons to select, so you won't have to print worksheet pages if you don't want to. Plus, users can grade their answers and leave notes as well! Upper Elementary through High School CD guides are now interactive, while Lower elementary