Examines tasks provided for students in most literature textbooks used in the United States, noting that these tasks typically control students' responses to literature. Relates these tasks to current theory and research on the reading process. Describes activities from literature texts used in Canada that facilitate literary response. (MM)

A first-year first grade teacher's professional disappointments were broken down into three divisions: (1) power and control, or the lack of them; (2) co-worker socialization; and (3) lack of professionalism and support. Lack of control was reflected in pressure from administrators to use certain texts, or even to decorate classrooms in a certain…

The purpose of this paper is to make educators, authors, and publishers aware that they must be concerned with rhetorical form as well as content if they wish to present students with accessible, useful textbooks. Using a case study of textbook perception and use in a school district's sixth grade social studies classrooms, the paper illustrates…

Because of the tentative nature of linguistic theories, the lack of proof that linguistics is an efficacious approach to language study, and the prescriptive nature of many of the books themselves, a textbook series based on linguistics is not recommended for use in the classroom. True linguists suggest theories about the structure of language and…

Describes the criteria used for textbook selection or rejection, how the criteria differ depending on the level of students, and how the criteria differ according to the instructor's training. Discusses results and implications for students, instructors, and publishers. (CW)

The purpose of this paper was to compare attitudes and behaviors of respondents toward members of other cultural groups. This paper presents the results of a Multicultural Attitude Survey conducted with a random sample of 122 respondents ranging in education level from grade 9 to university graduate students. The survey was adapted from a similar…

In response to a position paper that called upon the ministry of education in each Canadian province to provide a balanced selection to offerings on the province's authorized list of language arts textbooks, several ministries claimed that a balanced approach to teaching reading was being followed. A letter received from Alberta Education even…

J. D. Bransford's tetrahedral model of learning considers four variables: (1) learning activities, (2) characteristics of the learner, (3) criterial tasks, and (4) the nature of the materials. Bransford's model provides a research-based theoretical framework that can be used to teach, model, and have students apply a variety of study strategies to…

This paper discusses methods of teaching reading in the content areas at the middle school, junior high school, and secondary school levels. If a textbook is to be used, teachers should examine it by administering a readability formula and by checking the book's vocabulary, sentence patterns, and introduction of abstract concepts. To find how well…

School board censorship of library books and of curriculum materials and methodology can infringe on fundamental constitutional rights, according to this seventh chapter in a book on school law. In the last decade, cases in federal courts have tended to support the authority of school boards to control library materials. However, board authority…

The report is an evaluation of the economic content and teaching strategies of social studies textbooks that are used in grades one through six. The study, supported by the Sears-Roebuck Foundation, was part of a kindergarten through grade twelve assessment of the treatment of economics in social studies textual materials made under the direction…

Discusses the status of reading instruction in Nigerian primary schools, focusing on methods of instruction, class organization, books used, the role of the Ministry of Education, reading in Nigerian languages, as well as some problems in the teaching of reading. (RAE)

Supports a national core curriculum for Canadian public schools which incorporates attitudes and values consistent with the economic, cultural, and social well-being of the country. Notes needs for materials development and selection, student evaluation methods and leadership, and lists seven concerns regarding a national curriculum. (SB)

A sample of 62 English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) teachers in Australia and New Zealand were asked to recommend a basic library of 10 texts that they considered essential to ESL instructors. Results found a number of core categories of texts and substantial agreement on a basic library. (contains 56 references) (MDM) (Adjunct ERIC Clearinghouse…

Designed to give the teacher ideas for enlivening and enriching the teaching of business subjects, this publication on teaching keyboarding/typewriting is part of the Rapid Reader series. It begins by differentiating between keyboarding and typewriting and establishing the criteria for making decisions regarding appropriate content and…