This is the Progeny Press Study Guide on CD for "Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry" by Mildred Taylor. This is the Newbery Award winning story of an African American family living in Mississipi in the early part of the 20th century. Segregation was the norm, with black and white children living in separate social strata, attending separate schools, and subject to different rules. The story explores difficult subjects such as segregation, prejudice, and the KKK. Written for grades 6-8. This story would make an excellent addition to any study of recent American history. First of all, let me tell you right up front that these are NOT a history curriculum, but rather a language arts curriculum. You might ask what they are doing on this page. Well, the neat thing about Progeny Press is that it integrates historical literature with your language arts program! The guides are grade-level appropriate as well as keyed to different historical eras. Since they are intended to be for language arts, each Progeny Press guide gives your student a synopsis of the book he is reading, as well as background information on the author and the historical setting for each book. Activities include comprehension questions, character studies, critical thinking exercises, scripture application, vocabulary, puzzles, essay ideas, and project ideas. An answer key is included with each guide. What I like: Since I live in the very homeschoolrestrictive state of PA, I tend to be uncomfortable with nondocumented studies, unless I can somehow “demonstrate” (as required by law) that my kids are learning. Unfortunately, I’m drawn to more natural methods of education, such as TruthQuest, that don’t require proofs. So, Progeny Press guides are a great way for me and my kids to get the most out of their reading, while providing the documentation we desire and need. Furthermore, when I first started using Progeny Press, years ago, they only came in booklet form, didn’t allow photocopying, and were expensive. I was delighted when they came out with a CD version, allowing me to print out as many copies of the study guide as I need for all of my kids! What I don’t like: Since these guides are loaded with comprehension questions, it feels a bit like busy work and makes reading a great book a bit tedious. I prefer to do most of the questions out loud for discussion, then have the kids do the vocabulary pages and maybe 1 or 2 comprehension questions. Suggestion: Since working through these guides will slow down your reading (since you’ll have to stop after each chapter to do the work), I would recommend just choosing no more than 2 or 3 per year...just enough to hone your student’s comprehension and vocabulary skills.