• May I photocopy some study guide pages/the entire study guide?

A: Yes. Purchase of a study guide entitles an individual teacher to reproduce pages for use in their own classroom or home. Multiple teachers may not reproduce pages from the same guide. Reprint requests for other uses should be directed to:

Reprint Permissions
Progeny Press
PO Box 100
Fall Creek, WI 54742

• How long does it take to work through a study guide? Is there an teacher/answer key?

A: We recommend taking 8-12 weeks to work through a single guide. (Some guides, such as the K-2 grades, may take less time.) This works out to be approximately one page per day and three to four study guides per school year. More than this may be overwhelming for the student.
There is a complete answer key in the back of every guide.

• What study guides are you planning for the future?

A: We are always adding new titles, generally at the rate of three to six (3-6) per year. Please check our New Products for newly added titles.

• When will you be doing a study guide for . . . ? How do you choose your books?

A: There are so many great books out there for which we'd love to do study guides. Unfortunately we can't get to them all right away. We choose books that are recognized as quality literature. Most are award winners (Newbery, Caldecott, ALA Notable Book, Coretta Scott King, etc.). We also choose titles that teachers tell us they are teaching the most, and we look at how often a particular title is requested. If there is a title you are looking for and we don't have it, Contact Us and request it! If you want to know what titles will be available in the next year, please check our website, and if the information is not there you may contact us by email or by phone: 1 (877) 776-4369.

• How do you deal with controversial elements in some literature?

: We don't uphold bad behavior, bad language, or bad philosophy as virtuous or acceptable, but we also don't believe that just because such things are mentioned in a book the book is encouraging such behavior or that the book should be avoided. We use the Bible to direct students to what God says about such things so they will be better prepared and strong in their faith when they face such behavior, language, and philosophy in lifeWe also realize that different people have different concerns regarding reading material. We always strongly urge parents and teachers to familiarize themselves with the books they plan to teach.

• What do you do with swearing or other inappropriate language in a book?

A: Again, we do not think such things are acceptable, but we do not believe that some elements of inappropriate language in a book automatically means it should not be read. Sometimes we draw attention to it and discuss it and sometimes we don't. There are two reasons for this: First, we feel that drawing attention to inappropriate language each and every time it appears gives it far more importance and power than it deserves. We try to deal with it the way one does in a store– if someone in the next aisle says a swear word, one ignores it. If someone lets out a stream of profanities or swears directly at one, it should be dealt with and discussed with the children who witness it. Second, different parents and teachers have very different thresholds for such things, and we don't want to encroach on their right to apply their own standards. If you feel the language in a book should be discussed in detail, we feel you have that right and responsibility and you should be able to deal with those issues without comment from us.
We realize that different people have different concerns regarding reading material. We always strongly urge parents and teachers to familiarize themselves with the books they plan to teach.
Please note that we do not have study guides for books in which swearing is prevalent or commonplace.

• Who writes Progeny Press guides?

A: Michael and Rebecca, the owners of Progeny Press, write many of our guides, but we also rely on a number of authors to write our study guides– college instructors, teachers, pastors, home educators, and writers– all of whom are professing Christians from various denominational backgrounds. (Please note our statement of faith.) All guides are peer reviewed and edited by our office staff for literary accuracy and analysis and for orthodoxy.

• What is the difference between the CD and the paper, book-bound format of the study guide?

A: In content, there is no difference. The CD has the PDF version of the study guide on it, which can be accessed with Adobe Acrobat Reader. (If you do not have Adobe Acrobat, there is a link provided on the CD where you can access the free download.) If a teacher has more than one student, he/she may find the CD has an advantage over the book-bound study guide, as they can simply insert the CD into their computer and print the pages they need and the number of copies they need.

• What is the advantage to having the .pdf version of the guide emailed to me?

A: With shipping prices rising in every area, this option allows you to save money. It also saves you time– whether you are in a hurry or you live outside of the continental USA– you will receive your order via email within 1-2 business days, regardless of where you live.

We set up the .pdf's with a flat rate handling fee to cover employee time for order downloads, payment processing, and the actual time spent assembling and sending emails. As a family-owned company, we are unable to have a dedicated server that would make the downloading process automated.

The flat $3 fee for the emailed study guides is actually significantly different from the actual mailing costs for one guide, and the convenience of receiving it quickly is generally the special bonus for many customers. For physical orders of 2 or more items, the email option quickly saves on shipping costs, costs significantly less than Priority or UPS, and arrives much faster.

All of our guides– whether book-bound, on CD, or emailed to you as a .pdf file– have exactly the same content. You simply select the format that best serves your needs.

Please note: The email option applies only to the .pdf version of the study guide, not the study guide on CD or book-bound , or the novel.

• How do I use the .pdf file once I receive it?

A. The .pdf file is exactly the same as the file we put on the CD version of the guide (which has exactly the same content as the book-bound version of the study guide). The .pdf file can be viewed and printed using Adobe Acrobat Reader, which most people have on their computer. In case some people do not have Acrobat Reader, or they need an updated version, we will include a link in the e-mail with the .pdf file that will take you to the Adobe Acrobat website, where you can download the most currect version.

• What are the Interactive Study Guide and how do they work?

A. The Interactive Study Guides are simply an upgrade to our current .pdf files that are available on CD or via .pdf e-mail. Our Interactive Study Guide .pdf files will open with Adobe Acrobat Reader, just as all .pdf files do. You may still print off the study guide(s) just as before. But with the interactive files, students now have the capability of entering their answers directly on the computer and saving their work in progress.

All the necessary directions are contained in a ReadMe file that comes with the study guide file. In fact, you will receive the study guide .pdf, and answer key .pdf, and a ReadMe file that explains how everything works. Filling out the study guide files is amazingly easy; your students will be going within minutes.

You can even grade their work right on the computer and leave comments and notes within the file!

• Are the Interactive Study Guide automatically graded?

No. Most of the answers are in essay style and still require a teacher’s or parent’s review. You can grade their work right on the computer and leave comments and notes within the file.

• I can't figure out how to use the . . . tool in Adobe Reader. What do I do?

A. A step by step tutorial on how to complete all the activities in your Progeny Press Interactive Study Guide is included in the ReadMe file, which is included with your guide. If you still cannot solve the problem, you may call our Customer Service during regular business hours and they will gladly work with you to solve the issue.

• The procedure shown in the ReadMe file doesn't match what I see on my computer. What's wrong?

A. It is possible that your Adobe Acrobat Reader is a different version than what was used for the tutorial. The tutorial for the study guide was developed using Adobe Acrobat Reader 9.0. To upgrade to the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader, visit Adobe.com.

• Are all of your study guides interactive now?

A. All of our titles for grades 4-12 are now interactive in both CD and email .pdf format. The titles in our Lower Elementary section are not interactive and we have no plans to make them interactive in the near future.

• If I purchase a .pdf e-mail version of your study guide(s), can I return it or exchange it?

A. No. E-mailed study guides cannot be returned or exchanged. They are electronic files, and once e-mailed to your computer they are permanently downloaded to your email account. Because of this it is impossible for them to be returned; all sales are final. So please make certain that this is the guide you want before you make your purchase. They also cannot be sold on the secondhand market like the CDs or booklets.

• I ordered a .pdf study guide and received the email but it contains no attachments. What do I do?

A: Please check the size of the email you received. Anything over 1MB indicates that your study guide is attached and is simply invisible in your window. 

For all ".net" users, please try following these steps to retrieve your attachments:

(1) Click on "Detail" on the tool bar (usually under "Read Message"). This should be next to the "Print" option.
(2) This will open up a separate window where the attachments can be accessed (saved, opened, downloaded, etc.).

If these steps do not work (and for all ".com" or ".org" or ".edu" users), please call our Customer Service at (715) 877-9951 for technical assistance.

Please note: AOL users have reported difficulty in obtaining our email .pdf study guides. Please provide an alternate email when ordering with an AOL account.

• Can I post your new Interactive Study Guides online for my students to download?

A. No. Absolutely not. The problem is that the internet is not a secure place, and if your students can access the study guides online, so can other people. This has happened in the past, and we do not take this lightly. Our study guides are published for home and classroom use and are expected to be used under supervision in those places. If you are teaching online courses or in a charter school situation, contact us to work out a solution for your specific situation.

• What is your policy on selling used Study Guides?

A. Our policy is as follows:
• Booklets: You are free to sell used booklets as long as they are original. No photocopies. (That should be obvious, but it has happened.)
• CDs: Used CDs also may be sold, but they must be sold with the original packaging. Any CDs sold without the original packaging will be assumed to be a copy and will be in violation of copyright law. So save those cases/envelopes.
• .pdf's: Study Guides that are e-mailed directly to your computer in .pdf file format may not be sold, even if you are done with them. Once e-mailed to your computer they are permanently downloaded to your email account, and are yours and yours only.

• Can I upgrade a previously purchased Progeny Press study guide to the new interactive version?

A: Yes, under certain circumstances: IF your study guide was purchased directly from Progeny Press, not from a store or catalog company. (This is so we can verify the purchase as new and not used.) AND IF you purchased the .pdf product on CD or via e-mail. Under these circumstances you can purchase a new interactive .pdf study guide for $7.99 via e-mail delivery. We do not upgrade via CD, and we cannot upgrade to CD from a booklet version.