‫به نام خدا‬
‫همكاران محترم و گرانقدرم در دبیرخانه زبان انگلیسي اردبیل ‪:‬‬
‫با سالم و عرض ادب‬
‫و با احترام‬
‫در پاسخ به بخشنامه با موضوع نقد و بررسي محتووا مموزيوي بوه پیوسوق مقا وه‬
‫كتواب درسوي زبوان انگلیسوي سوال دوم دبیرسوتان‬
‫مربوط به نقد و بررسوي محتووا‬
‫خدمتتان ارسال مي كنم‪ .‬امید اسق مورد توجه و عنايق واقع گردد‪.‬‬
‫سپاسگزارم‪.‬‬
‫محمد كريمي‬
‫محمد كريمي‬
‫شماره پرسنلي ‪61984483 :‬‬
‫مدرك تحصيلي ‪ :‬فوق ليسانس‬
‫رشته ‪ :‬آموزش زبان انگليسي‬
‫سابقه خدمت ‪ 27 :‬سال‬
‫سمت فعلي ‪ :‬دبير و عضو گروه زبان انگليسي فارس‬
‫تلفن ‪ – 09173521969 :‬منزل ( شيراز ) ‪7216960 :‬‬
‫‪In the Name of Allah‬‬
‫‪1‬‬
Introduction
In today's classrooms, textbooks serve as tool and tutor, guidebook and gauge.
Teachers throughout the world use texts to guide their instruction, so textbooks
greatly influence how content is delivered (Association for Supervision and
Curriculum Development, 1997). Schmidt, McKnight, and Raizen (1997)
identified textbooks as playing an important role in making the leap from
intentions and plans to classroom activities, by making content available,
organizing it, and setting out learning tasks in a form designed to be appealing to
students.
To make the most effective use of a textbook, however, teachers must decide which
textbooks are appropriate for their needs. A teacher needs to determine the extent
to which a textbook focuses on and is aligned with a coherent set of significant,
age-appropriate student learning goals that the teacher, school, or district has
identified as integral to the understanding of and progress in a particular
academic subject. They must also assess how well a textbook's instructional design
effectively supports the attainment of those specified learning goals. The only way
to gain this information is through careful evaluations of textbooks and other
curriculum materials.
Content Analysis
The first step in evaluating a textbook is to identify the learning goals with which
the textbooks should be aligned. There are, however, two conditions that the
learning goals must meet: (1) they must reflect a consensus on what all students
should know and be able to do, and (2) their intent must be clear, specific, and
unambiguous.
Once the learning goals are selected, the analysis of the content begins with
making "sightings" in the material -- specific activities, lessons, exercises, and
other learning opportunities in the student or teacher material in which the
specific benchmarks and standards are addressed.
The judgment on whether the material actually addresses these learning goals is
based on two main ideas: substance and sophistication. Reviewers keep both ideas
in mind as they evaluate the material. They consider whether the activities
address the specific substance of a learning goal or if there is only a "topic" match.
It is easy for a material to achieve alignment at the topic level--the table of
contents of most textbooks reveals that they cover the same topic heading.
Reviewers also consider whether the activities are developmentally appropriate.
That is, do they reflect the level of sophistication of the learning goal or are the
activities targeting a learning goal at an earlier or later grade level.
The procedure requires textbook reviewers to focus only on those textbook
activities and lessons that are aligned with the identified content learning goals,
and to examine the specific guidance provided to help students learn that content.
To evaluate the quality of instructional support reviewers use specific criteria
within each of the following categories:
Identifying a Sense of Purpose: Part of planning a coherent curriculum involves
deciding on its purposes and on what learning experiences will likely contribute to
achieving those purposes. Reviewers determine how effective the material is at
conveying a unit purpose and a lesson purpose and justifying the sequence of
activities.
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Building on Student Ideas : Fostering better understanding in students requires
taking time to attend to the ideas they already have, both ideas that are incorrect
and ideas that can serve as a foundation for subsequent learning. Reviewers
determine how well the material specifies prerequisite knowledge, alerts teachers
to commonly held student ideas, assists teachers in identifying student ideas, and
addresses misconceptions.
Engaging Students : Reviewers determine how well the material provides a
variety of phenomena and makes them vivid to students, particularly through an
appropriate number of firsthand experiences.
Developing Ideas : Language requires that students see the link between
concepts and skills, see them as logical and useful, and become skillful at using
them. Reviewers determine how well material justifies ideas, introduces terms
and procedures, represents ideas, connects ideas, demonstrates/models
procedures and applications of knowledge, and provides practice opportunities.
Promoting Student Thinking : No matter how clearly materials may present
ideas, students (like all people) will devise their own meaning, which may or may
not correspond to targeted learning goals. Students need to make their ideas and
reasoning explicit, hold them up to scrutiny, and recast them as needed. Whether
or not the material is effective in promoting student thinking is determined by
how much the material encourages students to explain their reasoning, guides
students in their interpretation and reasoning, and encourages them to think
about what they've learned.
Assessing Student Progress : Assessments must address the range of knowledge
and skills that students are expected to learn, as well as the kinds of applications
and contexts in which such knowledge and skills are useful. Reviewers determine
how well assessments align with the learning goals addressed in the material,
assess students' ability to apply them, and use assessment to inform instruction.
Enhancing the Learning Environment : Providing features that enhance the
use and implementation of the textbook for all students is important. Reviewers
determine whether the material provides teacher content support, establishes a
challenging classroom, and supports all students.
To evaluate a textbook, reviewers examine each content-matched activity in light
of the instructional criteria and rate the set of activities according to a prescribed
set of indicators and scoring scheme for each one. Their findings are presented as
profiles of judgments for each learning goal across the set of criteria with evidence
provided to support each judgment.
Assuring Reliability
Reliability comes from several aspects of the procedure.
First, the criteria are specific and well defined, and each is explained and clarified
with indicators and examples.
Second, the analysis procedure is carried out by carefully trained reviewers who
are experienced, practicing classroom teachers and higher education faculty who
are knowledgeable about research on learning and teaching. Each textbook is
analyzed by all of the reviewers, who are organized into independent teams of two
and assigned one learning goal. Finally, each team must provide evidence-based
arguments for their judgments, which are used to reconcile ratings with the other
team, if necessary, and then made available in the final report.
This Article :
While the quality of ESL reading textbooks has improved dramatically in recent
3
years, the process of selecting an appropriate text has not become any easier for
most teachers and administrators. Program directors and classroom teachers are
under pressure to adopt new reading textbooks on a fairly regular basis, and often
on a short notice. While publishers’ representatives may provide some informed
assistance, their need to sell new products clearly influences their
recommendations. Since classroom teachers spend a significant amount of time
using ESL readers, educators will find the checklist presented here helpful in
making the evaluation process more efficient.
Traditionally, basal, or graded readers have focused on the sequential teaching of
reading skills such as phonics and decoding while being void of authentic material
to be read for comprehension (Goodman, Freeman, & Murphy, 1988). Recently,
improvements in ESL readers allow students to read more authentic language,
read for comprehension, and think critically about reading (e.g., Interchange,
Richards, & Lesley, 2000).
However, because of the vast array of textbooks to choose from, the textbook
selection process often gravitates to one of two extremes. In the process of
evaluating textbooks, some educators ask so many questions that they are never
able to complete the process. Others choose a reading textbook with little or no
evaluation, yet it becomes the centerpiece of the curriculum until another
haphazardly chosen reader replaces it. This checklist should alleviate both of
those types of problems, equipping administrators and classroom teachers with
the tool necessary for making an informed evaluation of reading textbooks, and
balancing the need for thorough evaluation with the need for efficiency.
This checklist is based on recent research in second language (L2) instruction and
Checklists for general textbook evaluation. For example, research shows that in
addition to teaching top-down strategies, graded readers must also provide L2
readers with sufficient examples of these techniques and challenge learners to
think critically about what strategies they use (Moran, 1991; Auerbach & Paxton,
1997, Salataci & Akyel, 2002). This checklist was also constructed using elements
of Byrd’s (2001) and Skierso’s (1991) checklists. The most vital aspect was Byrd’s
emphasis on the text being a good fit for teachers, students, and the curriculum,
all of which are important as educators seek to use materials and methods
appropriate to their particular context.
Teachers may use this checklist to make a decision between two potential reading
textbooks or a greater number. Begin by assigning a weight (M-Mandatory, OOptional, or N-Not applicable) to each question while keeping in mind the
reader’s function in your classroom. This will familiarize you with the questions
and assure that your bias for a particular reader does not determine the weight of
the questions. Next, peruse the reader. Then, rate it (4-Excellent, 3-Good, ect.) for
as many questions as possible. For example, if the reader is full of activities in
which students are required to think critically about authentic texts, you could
circle “4” (Excellent) for questions I.a.iii, I.a..iv, and I.c.vii (see Checklist). If you
have unanswered questions, scan the reader to find an answer.
After completing this process for all the readers you are considering, compare the
checklists to determine which reader is the most effective and the best fit for your
context.
While this checklist is effective as is, educators should add additional statements
when appropriate. Also, remember that each context will require you to adapt the
checklist accordingly. For example, vocabulary may be a more important criterion
for an ESL teacher whose students will be taking state proficiency tests. If you are
evaluating readers for instruction at an international language school where
4
teachers do not have much experience in the TESL/TEFL field, questions
pertaining to the teacher’s manual should be weighted more heavily.
Since reading is so important in second language learning, we must utilize
research on L2 reading both in classroom instruction and during the process of
selecting a reading textbook, and this checklist can be a valuable asset in
accomplishing that goal.
The checklist in this article provides educators with a valuable tool for evaluating
reading textbooks for use in ESL/EFL classrooms. Classroom teachers spend
much time using textbooks in class, so choosing an appropriate one is important.
Each statement in this checklist is based on either recent research or previously
developed checklists. And the article explains how to use the checklist. Using this
will make the textbook selection process more efficient and more reliable.
Textbook Evaluation Checklist
With 49 criteria
Reviewer's Name: Mohammad Karimi ( 61984483)
Pasargad District - 09173521969
General Information
Text book Title : English Book 2 Copyright date: 1379
Authors : Dr. Birjandi ,
Dr. Mehdi Norouzi ,
Cost (student edition):1100 rials
Gholamhosein Mahmoudi.
Publisher(s):
Subject/Grade level: Two
‫شركت چاپ و نشر كتاب هاي درسي ايران‬
Organization / Format / Context :
Criteria
The textbook is appropriate for
the curriculum.
The text coincides with the course
goals.
The textbook is appropriate for
the students who will be using it.
The text is free of material that
might be offensive.
The examples and explanations
are understandable.
Students will enjoy reading the
3
2
1
0
fully
mostly partially little or no Overall
evident evident evident evidence rating
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
2
2
2
1
1
5
text selections.
The textbook is appropriate for the
teacher who will be teaching it.
1
1
Organizational feature
3
2
1
0
fully
mostly partially little or no Overall
evident evident evident evidence rating
criteria
Textbook provides a useful table
of contents, glossary & index.
Layout is consistent and lessons
are arranged logically.
Lessons contain clear and
comprehensive introductions and .
summaries.
Textbook contains references,
.
bibliography and resources.
Information is accurate &
current.
Reading level is appropriate for
age/grade.
2
.
.
2
.
1.
.
1
1
.
1
0
0
.
.
1
.
1
2
.
.
2
Attractiveness of the Text and Physical Make-up
Criteria
The cover of the book is
appealing.
The visual is imagery of high
aesthetic quality.
The illustrations are simple
enough and close enough to the
text that they add to its meaning
rather than detracting from it.
The text is interesting enough
that students will enjoy reading
it.
Size and format of print is
appropriate.
Format is visually appealing &
interesting.
3
2
1
0
fully
mostly partially little or no Overall
evident evident evident evidence rating
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
1
2
2
2
2
Content
6
criteria
3
fully
evident
Real-life applications are given.
Information and directions are clearly
written and explained.
Activities are developmentally appropriate
.
Non text content (maps, graphs,
pictures) are accurate and well
integrated into the text.
Lessons/activities are interdisciplinary. .
Activities apply to a diversity of student
abilities, interests and learning styles.
Activities include guiding questions
which encourage the development of
higher-level thinking skills.
The subject matter is presented either
topically or functionally in a logical,
organized manner.
The content serves as a window into
learning about the target language
culture (American, British, ect.).
The reading selections are authentic
pieces of language.
Compared to texts for native speakers,
the content contains real-life issues that
challenge the reader to think critically
about his/her worldview.
The text selections are representative of
the variety of literary genres, and they
contain multiple sentence structures.
2
1
0
mostly partially little or no Overall
evident evident evidence rating
.
1
.
1
2
.
.
2
2
.
.
2
.
.
0
0
.
.
0
0
.
1
.
1
2
.
.
2
1
1
0
0
1
1
0
0
1
1
1
1
1
1
Vocabulary and Grammar
The grammar rules are presented in a
logical manner and in increasing order of
difficulty.
The new vocabulary words are presented
in a variety of ways (e.g. glosses, multiglosses, appositives).
The new vocabulary words are presented
at an appropriate rate so that the text is
understandable and so that students are
able to retain new vocabulary.
2
2
1
The new vocabulary words are repeated
in subsequent lessons to reinforce their
meaning and use.
1
Students are taught top-down techniques
1
1
7
for learning new vocabulary words.
Exercises and Activities
There are interactive and task-based
activities that require students to use new
vocabulary to communicate.
Instructions in the textbook tell students
to read for comprehension.
Top-down and bottom-up reading strategies are used.
The activities facilitate students’ use of
grammar rules by creating situations in
which these rules are needed.
The text makes comprehension easier by
addressing one new concept at a time
instead of multiple new concepts.
The exercises promote critical thinking
of the text.
Students are given sufficient examples to
learn top-down techniques for reading
comprehension.
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
2
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Methodological Guidance
Teachers are given techniques for
activating students’ background
knowledge before reading the text.
Teachers are given adequate examples for
teaching students to preview, skim, scan,
summarize, and to find the main idea.
Teacher's Edition/Supplementary Materials
Criteria
Textbook provides a separate teacher's
edition with resource package.
Teacher's edition is comprehensive,
organized and easy to use
References are readily available to the
specific NJCCCS and skills addressed in
each activity
Supplementary materials listed below are
well organized, of high quality, and are
useful in enhancing instruction (rate all
that apply:)
Transparencies
Manipulatives
Prepared Kits
Student practice/workbook
Assessment materials
3
2
fully
mostly
evident evident
0
1
little or
partially no
Overall
evident evidence rating
.
.
.
0
0
.
.
.
0
0
.
.
.
0
0
.
.
.
0
0
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
8
Videos
Software (CD-Roms , DVDs, Laserdiscs,
etc.)
The manual provide teachers with
exercises to practice, test, and review
vocabulary words.
The manual provide additional exercises
for reinforcing grammar points in the
text.
The manual helps teachers understand
the objectives and methodology of the
text.
Correct or suggested answers are given
for the exercises in the textbook.
The manual gives instructions on how to
incorporate audiovisual material
produced for the textbook.
.
.
.
0
0
.
.
.
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Inclusion/Equity/Diversity Issues
0
2
1
little or
mostly partially no
Overall
fully
evident evident evident evidence rating
3
Criteria
Women and minorities are featured in
important roles .
Subject matter covers a spectrum of
accomplishments and contributions by all
sexes, races and physical conditions.
All groups are presented in broad scope
Pronouns and descriptors of both sexes are
used equally.
Nouns, adjectives, terms and illustrations are
non-stereotypical and non-prejudicial.
Children of both sexes and various cultures
and physical conditions will use the materials
without feeling excluded, estranged or
diminished.
References and timelines feature events
throughout various parts of the world.
.
.
.0
0
2
.
.
2
.
2
.
.
2
.
2
.
.
2
3
.
.
.
3
3
.
.
.
3
.
.
0
0
TOTAL : 59 out of 147
Suggestions :
9
1. The pronunciation of the unfamiliar or new words should be included at
sidebars.
2. A comprehensive list of books ,web sites and other references used by authors
should be included at the end of each passage.
3. For further and recommended reading ,extra works should be included to
enable the reader to pursue further information.
4. Sample summaries should be included at the end in the form of challenging
tasks.
5. More relevant reading activities (e.g. more comprehensive before reading
questions and after reading activities) should be included.
6. The space between the lines should be increased for better and faster reading.
7. Graphic elements ( photographs, illustrations, maps, charts ,etc.) should be
included with the text it.
8. A separate teacher's edition with resource package should be provided.
9. Supplementary materials ( Software, videos, transparencies, assessment
materials,…) should be included.
10. Suitable and relevant Cloze Passages should be included in the after reading
parts.
11. Pictures in the new word sections need revisions.
12. The order of the structure representation needs revisions.
And many other things…. You know what 59 out of 147 means!
The End
Karimi , Mohammad
Winter 1390
10