Fourth and sixth graders were engaged in the process of textbook selection in an effort to increase the understanding of student experiences with materials that have a substantial influence on curriculum and instruction. Results indicate that children do not, as a group, share a comprehensive point of view about basal readers. (SH)

Summarizes six studies, including research on the connection between children's writing and meaning, symbolic play with realistic props, the preschooler's developing sense of theme, the process of engaging children in textbook selection, children's use of stereotyped writing, and effects of computerized picture-word processing on kindergartners'…

Provides a brief synopsis of whole-language characteristics that could be germane to analyses of basal programs. Presents an assessment tool designed to assist teachers, administrators, and curriculum adoption teams in evaluating the degree to which commercial basal reader programs adhere to whole-language characteristics. (RS)

A series of nine booklets was developed to help members of textbook adoption committees, teacher educators, inservice leaders, and policymakers gather information, develop evaluation guidelines, and organize their findings as they select new reading programs and evaluate existing ones. Each booklet focuses on a specific aspect of instruction.…

A study followed three textbook adoption committees as they evaluated basal reading programs. The committees used "A Guide to Selecting Basal Reading Programs" (developed at the Center for the Study of Reading) to help them evaluate the quality of instruction in existing programs. Case studies of the three committees sought to address the…

This annotated bibliography provides elementary and junior high teachers with a list of up-to-date social studies textbook materials. The texts are arranged topically according to 95 social studies categories and include works published from 1962 through 1974. Each annotation includes the text title, source of publication, subject matter…

Effective procedures and techniques for using a textbook along with a philosophy of textbook use in k-12 schools are given in this second issue. The social studies textbook is described as a tool to be used in conjunction with other supplementary instructional materials, such as audio-visual materials, reference books, periodicals, and lectures.…

Discusses procedures for selecting textbooks. Provided are guidelines for reviewing textbooks, analyzing content, and analyzing strategies. (SL)

Describes "A Guide to Selecting Basal Reading Programs," which was developed to help textbook adoption committees select basal reading texts in elementary schools. Topics discussed include development of booklets that describe various aspects of reading instruction and the role of the guidelines in improving the quality of basal reading…

Discusses a ten-step program that utilizes both a steering committee and a teachers committee for textbook selection; recommended for selecting textbooks in any discipline in any school involving a large number of teachers. (MLH)

Looks at factors in the textbook publishing industry, especially costs and censorship, which affect the quality of available reading series. Notes the problem of readability and content bias. Finally, presents a checklist of basal reader evaluation criteria. (SJL)

Methodological problems have plagued evaluation researchers in their attempt to provide data for making decisions about selection of curricula and instructional materials. This report describes how two methodological problems were handled to assist a city school district derive meaningful data and apply findings to the selection of a basal reading…

Notes that primary and intermediate grade teachers rely heavily on basal readers for instruction and offers the advantages of and guidelines for using a skill trace approach to tracking selected skills across the program, as an evaluation strategy.NH)

A report from the Educational Resources Information Center at the National Council of Teachers of English; includes ERIC abstracts pertinent to this topic. (RD)