Zeezok's Presidential Penmanship (TOS Review)

Zeezok Publishing, if you've never heard of them, is the company responsible for republishing the wonderful series of composer biographies written by Opal Wheeler and Sybil Deucher (we're reading Deucher's Edvard Grieg this term--an old copy), and making them even more useful by adding study materials and CDs. (Valerie's Living Books did an article on the composer books awhile back.)

But in a twist of Review Crew fate, we got chosen to try out their Presidential Penmanship program instead--D'Nealian style. (The program is offered in six popular handwriting styles.) We were sent files for all grade levels--Grades 1-6 plus Junior High and Senior High, each with a full-colour cover of Ronald Reagan's smiling face. They can be purchased in CD format or as downloadable E-books, as a complete program or for individual grades. Lower grades use manuscript printing, higher grades use cursive.

This isn't what I'd consider a true penmanship program, in the sense that it does not teach letter formation stroke-by-stroke, start with single words, or correct long-term problems other than by giving children good models to copy. It's really more of a copywork collection, formatted for different age levels. First and second graders trace quotations such as "The Bible is the rock on which this Republic rests," once with directional markings and once on grayed-out letters; then they copy it alone. Third graders trace cursive phrases once and then copy them alone. For fourth grade and up, it's straight copywork, with quotations getting somewhat longer and the fonts getting smaller as you go on. At the senior high level, selections include "sections from the Declaration of Independence, Lincoln’s First and Second Inaugural Addresses, the Gettysburg Address, and Reagan’s First and Second Inaugural Addresses-great for memorization and reflection...."

I found the choice of quotations to be somewhat surprising, assuming that the children in each grade would likely be reading at that level. Grade 1, Week 2: "Happiness and moral duty are inseparably connected." Grade 2, Week 4: "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people." Week 6: "All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent." Grade 3, Week 3: "Guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism." While I'm all for a rich vocabulary, I wonder a bit at the appropriateness of using words like "inseparably" as copywork for children who may be struggling to read "See the snow. See the snow come down."

Although reading the selections wasn't an issue here, and I figured we Canadians could just pick and choose from some of the less "American" quotations, I still didn't think I could give the program more than a quick review, because we're in the middle of trying out a more detailed handwriting program and the D'Nealian copywork pages wouldn't have worked with that. But the way it turned out, Crayons is now using the other program, and Ponytails (middle schooler) wanted to do something else, but something that didn't involve learning a whole new handwriting style. Voilà: Grade 5 Presidential Penmanship, featuring Washington's Rules of Civility. "If you cough, sneeze, sigh, or yawn, do it not loud but privately; and speak not in your yawning, but put your handkerchief or hand before your face and turn aside." She's also been picking and choosing pages from the other upper-level courses--one reason to get the complete CD or e-book if you have older students who like to choose their own copywork.

The price: The complete program, on E-book or CD, is US$39.99; individual levels are $9.99. Styles available are A Beka, Bob Jones, D'Nealian, Handwriting Without Tears, Italic, and Zaner-Bloser. (You have to choose the style when ordering--they do not all come in one package.) When you click on any of the specific levels, scroll down to the bottom--there are generous amounts of sample pages available for each one. (The music biographies are here, and the prices are fantastic, even for the hardcover versions. I wasn't asked to comment on those books but I will anyway, because I like them.)

Final Take: This isn't something I'd choose as a complete teaching course in either manuscript or cursive writing; however, as a supplement and a source of patriotic quotations for copywork, it looks like a good deal.

For more reviews of this product, see the Review Crew Home Page.

Dewey's Disclaimer: This product was received free for purposes of review. No other payment was made. The opinions expressed in this review are our own.