Focuses on thematic units in elementary social studies, arguing that theme studies engage students, reduce boredom, and encourage cooperation, and more effectively use textbook information. Explores the selection process for choosing themes and subthemes. Illustrates two themes--festivals and buildings/houses--and suggests several activities…

Reports a survey of 66 history textbooks, published after 1980, to determine the extent of sex equity content. Found that no examined text met the sex equity policy of the Ontario Ministry of Education. Describes the treatment of females as inaccurate, marginal, incidental, and trivial. Provides examples from the texts surveyed. (LS)

Describes how social studies teachers can help students interact with textbooks to promote better comprehension and retention of information. Suggests methods for linking existing knowledge to concepts in the text, for organizing information to encourage retention, and for making the expository style of texts more accessible. (LS)

Describes the program to restore the Adyghe language in the Republic of Adyghe, following its independence from the Soviet Union. The principal elements of the program include teacher training, development of course materials, and assessment procedures. The article concludes that as more emphasis is given to the Adyghe language, its status will…

Argues that art teachers, particularly nonspecialists in primary schools, have an outdated understanding of art, that is, one that relies heavily on an elitist model composed of historical markers made by white men. The author illustrates how good education is also antiracist education and provides a list of resources that represent women and…

Outlines features and characteristics of science-technology-society (STS) science textbooks needed to implement an STS curriculum, noting STS science requires a fundamentally different approach to teaching science. The article refers to an STS science textbook currently being implemented in the tenth grade. (SM)

Contends that differences in historical interpretations presented in textbooks have implications for citizenship education. Compares the treatment of the civil rights movement in two secondary level U.S. history textbooks. Concludes that selection committees should examine historical interpretation as well the amount of information about…

Studied relationships between intended, implemented, and tested curricula of (n=84) classes of eighth-grade mathematics students based on data from the Second International Mathematics Study (SIMS). Analysis indicated the SIMS test for eighth graders was not representative of curriculum defined by students' texts. (Contains 22 references.)…

Asserts that promotion of classroom thinking generally is assumed to be the sole responsibility of the teacher. Suggests using a text that portrays students engaged in reasoning and other interventions to stimulate the growth of critical and creative thinking. (CFR)

Discusses ways of approaching text and textbooks as embodiments of a larger process of cultural politics, focusing on the analysis of the relationships involved in their production, contexts, use, and reading. Newer forms of analysis that emphasize the politics of how students actually create meanings around texts are reviewed. (SLD)

Describes a method for promoting student interest and involvement in an undergraduate marriage and family course. Supplements lectures with problem-solving sessions for small groups. Uses session outcomes to encourage critical evaluation by the class. Combines the traditional scholarly approach with an interactive personal involvement. (NL)

Investigated is a reader's ability to comprehend written text that is highly novel with few semantic cues. The theoretical perspective, assessment theory, materials and methods, and the results of this study are discussed. (KR)

Reports on a study of how the three-way encounter among Europeans, the indigenous Americans, and Africans is presented in six secondary U.S. history textbooks. Describes the evaluation instrument and process used to review the textbook content. Concludes that teachers should use supplementary materials to ensure balance. (CFR)

Presents a classification scheme for reading-related exercises advocated in English-as-a-Foreign-Language textbooks. The scheme proposes a hierarchy of the degree and type of mental processing required by various vocabulary exercises. The categories of classification are selective attention, recognition, manipulation, interpretation and…

Describes a writing assignment where students summarize and critique an empirical research article cited in their textbook. Students relate the article to course materials and compare it with the textbook's presentation of the research. Participants praise the assignment's efficacy in teaching about psychology research and encouraging critical…