| The following list of questions is meant to help teachers evaluate and select appropriate textbooks for their students.
It is only a
selection of criteria and does not cover every aspect that needs to be considered (like cost).
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Content
- Does the content meet local and national standards that have been set for the particular subject?
- Is the content accurate and up-to-date?
- Will the content be supported by other textbooks that the students have or will use?
- Is the language appropriate for the intended age
group? Is it clear? Is it grammatically correct?
- Does the textbook contain an age-appropriate reading level ?
- Does the textbook contain end-of-lesson questions or quizzes that reinforce learning?
- Are the lessons linked to other subject areas?
- Will the activities engage students in active learning? Are they appealing to a wide range of student abilities and interests?
- Do the lessons encourage higher-level thinking?
- Could this textbook be used for several years? How many?
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Organization
- Does the textbook provide a useful table of contents, glossary, and index?
- Does the table of contents show a logical arrangement and development of the subject?
- Is the textbook uniform in appearance and content layout (throughout the book as well as within each chapter)?
- Does the textbook contain references, bibliographies, and other resources? Are they helpful and sufficient?
- Do the chapters provide introductions and summaries that are clear and comprehensive?
- Are all of the pages numbered? If not, is this confusing?
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Physical Aspects
- Are the size and weight of the textbook appropriate for the students who will use it?
- Are the font and style age-appropriate?
- Are the binding, pages, and cover durable?
- Will the textbook appeal to the students?
- Is the page layout uncluttered and balanced?
- Do illustrations, tables, figures, graphs, charts, etc. provide appropriate representations of age, ethnicity, sex, socioeconomic level, and physical/mental ability?
- Are the illustrations, tables, figures, graphs, charts, etc. relevant and functional?
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Teacher's Edition (or Resource Packages)
- Does the textbook provide a separate teacher's edition or resource package?
- Is the teacher's edition helpful, comprehensive, organized, and easy to use?
- Are the resource materials (transparencies, master copies, workbooks, etc.) organized and easy to use?
- Is the teacher's edition reasonably sized?
- Does the teacher's edition include the student's edition?
- Are objectives clearly stated?
- Does the teacher's edition provide assessment ideas or tools? Are they sufficient?
- Does the teacher's edition provide a variety of suggestions for adapting lessons to meet individual student needs? Does it provide any specific resources for this (handouts, aids, charts)?
- Are answers to exercises, tests, etc. provided? Are they listed on the imprint of the student's edition or are they located elsewhere?
- Does the teacher's edition or resource package include any technology such as a CD or video? If so, are they useful and able to be run on your equipment?
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Some Points to Ponder in