The task of choosing the right text(s) for an undergraduate music theory program is difficult, at best. Sixty-seven U.S. institutions of higher learning offering graduate degrees in music theory were surveyed to determine what undergraduate textbooks were used, how long they have been used, and how satisfied the schools were with the texts. The…

This paper discusses steps that high school foreign language teachers can take to select appropriate textbooks for their classes. Teachers should: (1) determine their department's philosophy; (2) look at their students' needs; (3) ask department members for suggestions; (4) review school district guidelines; (5) examine as many textbooks as…

Three main factors in textbook selection for distance education--readability, appropriateness, and availability--are examined in detail, and suggestions for adapting standardized texts to the needs of individual groups are provided. Twelve specific criteria are listed for determining the appropriateness of a text and textual factors influencing…

Political science departments in community colleges have the opportunity to demonstrate the validity of liberal arts courses by helping students become aware of both the forces shaping their lives and their options in public and private decision-making. The first problem the political science instructor faces is materials selection. Although an…

Changes the state of California wishes incorporated in the materials used by the children of the State become incorporated in the publishers' national editions to ensure their availability whether the textbooks are supplied by the California state printers or the publishers. (RC)

Article provided information teachers should know before teaching ethnic studies courses: What is it? Why teach it? What is the content scope? Where does it fit into the curriculum? These four questions were answered and strategies for developing ethnic studies programs were suggested. (Author/RK)

Describes and compares five basic German texts for high school students and includes the evaluative criteria used. (CK)

The 10 papers collected in this book deal with reading and writing instruction, the relationship between teachers and researchers, the role of the school administration in promoting literacy, the dangers of inappropriate standards, using poetry to improve literacy, and textbook adoptions. Papers include: (1) "Knowing What to Do--And Doing…

An annotated bibliography and advisory list of instructional media for the social studies has been designed to identify competency goals for a new competency-based curriculum. The grade range is noted at the end of each entry and indicates the general interest grade level and the specific grades and competency goals to which the materials relate…

Children should have the same First Amendment rights as adults except when it can be empirically shown that the children in question differ from minimally normal adults in relevant intellectual competencies and would, as a result, be likely to suffer harm if accorded full First Amendment liberties. In this paper, specific principles derived from…

Motivation is a rather persistent problem in guiding students to read well. If a student lacks motivation, a low energy level will be available for learning to read. Through motivation, a learner is encouraged to achieve definite goals in reading. Attention and retention by the student are important in recognizing new words whether the approach is…

Presented are critical reviews of 18 biology textbooks submitted for consideration by the Texas State Board of Education during 1984. These reviews are provided in three categories: (1) general biology textbooks: "Biology and Human Progress"--Prentice Hall; "Scott, Foresman Life Science"--Scott, Foresman; "Living Things"--Holt, Rinehart, and…

This bibliography is divided into three sections. Section I, Review of General Educational Development (GED) Publisher Composition Texts, reviews extensively the texts published by Cambridge, Contemporary, Scott Foresman, and Steck-Vaughn to enable the instructor to choose a primary text. The reviews tell the exact instructional sequence of the…

Teachers adapt and supplement a basic text to make up for inadequacies and to enrich, reinforce, and emphasize. One authority suggests these steps for adapting materials: assess and evaluate student needs and survey existing materials, decide what should be deleted or added, compile a list of potential uses of language and supply the means by…