Describes six texts designed for use in language arts methods courses for elementary school teachers. (DD)

Reviews using the cloze procedure for evaluating the readability of science textbooks. (SL)

The author contends that even though forces are at work to eliminate sexism in employment and education, sex stereotyping is so ingrained in the culture it is almost impossible to detect in discourse of any kind, let alone textbooks. The author offers a guide to detection. (Editor/HD)

Recommends selection criteria for college level sociology textbooks, including appeal, coverage, interest, difficulty, and salesmanship. The article concludes with suggestions for motivating students to read the textbooks. (Author/DB)

Discusses the extent to which five popular English teaching texts distinguish between active and passive vocabulary in learning English, and pleads (offering concrete suggestions) for more attention to the vocabulary aspect in constructing teaching textbooks for junior high schools. (Text is in German.) (IFS/WGA)

The course material "En Avant" for the Primary French Project in Britain is analyzed. Rationale, content and methods of presentation are viewed as inadequate and language styles and verbal expression stilted and unreal. The materials will not help teachers achieve what is expected. (CHK)

Offers an analogy between passing a written driving test and actually driving a vehicle, and evaluating textbooks by the number of syllables in words and by sentence length and the students' ability to actually read the textbook. Provides an open textbook inventory to evaluate how well students interact with the book. (JC)

Seeks to promote more discriminating use of current language textbooks by attempting to isolate a general implicit goal in their development, by pointing out developmental issues awaiting resolution, either in theory or in practice, and by identifying assumptions about the desired role of teachers and students. (Author/DJD)

Describes the nature and form of knowledge that should be in social studies textbooks. Argues that substantial knowledge can be used by academic reviewers and teachers as a framework for analysis of social studies texts and to encourage dialogue about the purpose and structure of social studies lessons. (BSR)

Reviews the literature critical of readability formulas as used in second-language reading contexts. It is suggested that such formulas not be used as guides to text production/adaptation or as measures of the difficulty of naturally occurring texts. (Author/CB)

Presents the conclusions of a nationwide survey on censorship in the schools and enumerates the ways that teachers can best protect themselves from censors. (NKA)

A taxonomic matrix classification was used to assess the curricular validity of the Stanford Achievement Tests for the mathematics textbooks used in a school district's fifth and sixth grades. Rasch item difficulty was also examined. Results indicated only small differences between textbooks. (GDC)

Discusses the "religious right" and censorship in the Texas textbook controversy; in Hawkins County, Tennessee; and in an Alabama state law dealing with voluntary school prayer. Concludes that unless groups monitor and oppose far right attempts to ban books and curricula, censorship will likely increase. (GEA)

Offers a selected bibliography which provides, in the author's opinion, a solid foundation for teaching composition. (ARH)

Suggestions for writing nonsexist textbooks are discussed. An analysis of problems in textbooks for grades 3-6 is then presented, indicating that the books are nonsexist but not antisexist. (MNS)