Provides five key questions teachers need to answer in order to determine whether a textbook can be used effectively in the classroom. (FL)

Expounds on two headline articles from the "Edmonton Journal" (Canada) that prompted the columnist to reflect on the history of the textbook in social studies. The two articles refer to politically motivated editing of history texts in Hong Kong and Japan. Urges history teachers to teach history "the way it happened." (DSK)

This analysis of U.S. history textbooks from the 19th century to the present examines how and why textbooks have changed during certain decades. The book is organized into three chapters. Chapter I, Past Masters, discusses the politics of textbook publishing, the influence of large adoption units, and the book from which a majority of American…