Eagle of the Ninth
A Study Guide
by Mary Ellen Tedrow
Reviewed by Carly Robinson
Purchase details: Eagle of the Ninth: A Study Guide by Mary Ellen Tedrow. Workbook format reviewed: Paperback, 109 pages, $16.95. Available from Laurelwood Books.
Mary Ellen Tedrow, a homeschooling veteran, wrote State: The Facts as a fun unit study that can be customized for any state. This curriculum may be purchased as a non-reproducible workbook or may be downloaded as an e-book.
Eagle of the Ninth: A Study Guide improves history, geography, reading comprehension, and writing skills by studying Rosemary Sutcliff's Eagle of the Ninth, a historical novel that tells the story of a Roman boy's search to find the truth about the disappearance of his father's legion in Northern Britain.
The Guide has twenty-two chapters. Each chapter covers a chapter from The Eagle of the Ninth. The workbook's chapters begin by listing which pages of the novel are used for that chapter. The student should read those pages, and then begin the workbook exercises.
Each chapter's exercises begins with a vocabulary section, where the student is challenged to provide meanings for various words used throughout the reading. Next, geography comes into play as the student completes the map activity, which usually consists of charting the story's characters' progress through Northern Britain. The exercises continue with the study questions, which evaluate the student's comprehension of the reading by asking questions about the material.
"Real People in History" and "Delving Deeper" sections are sprinkled throughout the chapters. Each "Real People in History" section begins with the words "Do a little research!" It provides a historical fact or location from the book for the student to research and write a few paragraphs about. The "Delving Deeper" section compares an aspect of the book to a story or situation in the Bible. It provides a scripture verse, and asks the student to write his thoughts about how it relates to the situation.
Recommendation: The author suggests that the student read through the entire book before beginning the workbook, and I heartily agree. This will allow the student to enjoy the book before having to worry about getting the workbook questions correct. The targeted age range for this study guide is not mentioned, but obviously, the student should be advanced enough to read an approximately three hundred-paged novel. In addition, he should have fairly good writing skills in order to answer the study questions and to research topics successfully. It depends on the student, but I believe that with some help from an adult, even children as young as eight or nine could complete this Guide.
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