TEACHERS EDITION

1) Does the textbook provide a separate teachers edition or resource package? 2) Is the teachers edition helpful, comprehensive, organized and easy to use? 3) Are the resource materials organized and easy to use? 4) Is the teachers edition reasonably sized? 5) Does the teachers edition include the student edition? 6) Are objectives clearly stated? 7) Does the teachers edition provide a variety of suggestions for adapting lessons to meet individual needs? Does it provide any specific resources for this (handouts, aids, charts)? 8) Does the teachers edition provide assessment ideas or tools? Are they sufficient? 9) Are answers to exercises, tests, etc. provided? Are they listed on the imprint of the students edition or are the located elsewhere? 10) Does the teachers edition or resource package include any technology such as a CD or video? If so, are they useful and able to run on your equipment?

Evaluating Textbooks

Curriculum Materials Center

5200 Kutztown Road BLDG #5 Kutztown, PA 19530 Phone: 610-683-4167 Fax: 610-683-4483 http:www.kutztown.edu/library/materials 2006

Curriculum Materials Center

Rohrbach Library Kutztown University of Pa.

INTRODUCTION
This brochure provides you with some points to think about when evaluating textbooks. The questions to ponder are broken into 4 different areas including content, organization, physical aspects and teachers editions. Under each category, there are questions to think about to make sure you are selecting appropriate textbooks. This is only a selection of criteria and does not cover every aspect that needs to be considered.

Content
1) Does the content meet local and national standards? 2) Is the content accurate and up-todate? 3) Will the content be supported by other textbooks that students have or will use? 4) Is the language appropriate for the intended age group? Is it clear? Is it grammatically correct? 5) Does the textbook contain ageappropriate reading level? 6) Does it contain end-of-lesson questions or quizzes? 7) Are lessons linked to other subject areas? 8) Will the activities engage students in active learning? Are they appealing to a wide range of abilities and interests? 9) Do the lessons encourage higherlevel thinking? 10) Could this textbook be used for several years?

Physical Aspects
1) Are the size and weight of the textbook appropriate for students who will use it? 2) Are the font and style ageappropriate? 3) Are the binding, pages, and cover durable? 4) Will the textbook appeal to the students? 5) Is the page layout uncluttered and balanced? 6) Do illustrations, tables, figures, graphs, charts, etc. provide appropriate representations of age, ethnicity, sex, socioeconomic level, and physical/mental ability? 7) Are the illustrations, tables, figures, graphs, charts, etc. relevant and functional?

ORGANIZATION
1) Does it provide a useful table of contents, glossary, and index? 2) Does the table of contents show a logical arrangement and development of subject? 3) Is the textbook uniform in appearance and content layout throughout the book as well as within each chapter? 4) Does it contain references, bibliographies, and other resources? Are they helpful and sufficient? 5) Do the chapters provide introductions and summaries that are clear and comprehensive? 6) Are all the pages numbered? If not, is this confusing?