Text classification and text gradation are important for language teachers. Profiling and readability studies examine textual and linguistic features that determine text difficulty. Arabic, as an under-resourced language, suffers from a lack of such studies which results in material developers and textbook writers relying on their intuitions and…

Contends that perceived weaknesses in the history profession and historical writing also are manifested by dissatisfaction with history textbooks. Describes the immediate and long-range impact of "The Rise of American Civilization," a college level textbook by Charles and Mary Beard. Contends that the book was comprehensive, well…

Family-school collaboration related to children's physical development has become increasingly important as childhood obesity rates continue to rise. The present study described the development and implementation of a literacy-based, family component of a school-based health education program and investigated its viability, acceptability, and…

Presents results from two skills surveys of Build a Book (BAB) classes in which students learn geometry by writing and editing their own textbook. Points out that this approach is reasonable and that students who had BAB classes in prior years could identify important areas of learning in addition to geometry. (ASK)

Discusses the positive and negative aspects of textbook writing, noting common pitfalls that will be encountered by new authors. The article also suggests how to become better educated about the process of textbook writing and enhance the chances of producing a quality finished product. (SM)

The rewards and perils of making the transition from classroom language teacher to developer of English-as-a-Second-Language textbooks are discussed. Issues include national and international marketing as well as the production process. (LB)

Designed for braille transcribers and teachers of the visually handicapped, this document presents three short articles about literary braille. The first article discusses common pitfalls that occur on trial manuscripts, such as misformed characters, missing and added dots, incorrect title pages, and incorrect word divisions. The second article…

Maintains that a discussion of the Eurocurrency market is now a regular feature of most money and banking textbooks. Explains that the demand for Eurocurrency deposits stems, in part, from a transactions motive and recommends that this approach be added to textbook presentations on the subject. (CFR)

Examines the impact of the new California History Social Science Framework on the development of new textbooks. Provides an outline of this K-12 framework and discusses the question of whether the program will falter if textbook development is not adequate. (KO)

The development of "English for Occupational Purposes" (EOP) by a team of seven authors and two project directors for EOP classes at Ngee Ann Polytechnic in Singapore is described. Aspects included the prewriting stage; analyses of the teaching, learning, and target situations analysis; writing and editing; and postwriting stage. (LB)

Three short articles about large type transcribing are provided for braille transcribers and teachers of the visually handicapped. The first article explains section IV-B-2 of the National Braille Association Manual for Large Type Transcribing. The second article presents the results of a survey on the kinds of typewriters, types of…

Designed for braille transcribers and teachers of the visually handicapped, this document consists of two short articles about textbook format braille. The first article describes some recurring print format problems and suggested solutions for dealing with them. Topics include special page numbering systems, the use of tab indexes, the preferred…

Some research about students with learning disabilities that textbook publishers need to consider as they revise problem-solving materials is briefly cited. (MNS)

Examines science textbook language and determines some characteristics of them: distant authorial voice, concern for precision, limited context, limited syntax, and rhetorical model. Suggests three further researcher needs. (YP)

Reports on the scholarly content of four widely adopted introductory college sociology textbooks and the scholarly activity of their respective authors. Finds that, although all used a wide variety of source materials, there were substantial differences in source selection. (CFR)