Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Textbook Assessment
Ty Reed
READ 440
Dr. Dredger
TEXTBOOK ASSESSMENT 2
Introduction
The Americans, published by McDougal Littell, is a textbook for a high school United
States History course. It is currently used in an eleventh grade Honors United States History
course at East Rockingham High School. This textbook was authored by multiple different
experts on American History. They include: Dr. Gerald A. Danzer, a Professor of History at the
University of Illinois at Chicago, Dr. J. Jorge Klor de Alva, the former President of the
University of Phoenix, Dr. Nancy Woloch, a Professor of History at Barnard College, and Dr.
Louis E. Wilson, an Associate Professor of History at Smith College. The Americans was
published in 2003. This textbook begins with the colonization of the Americas, or the New
World, and concludes with the events of September 11, 2001, and the impacts it has had on the
lives of Americans. The Americans does an exceptional job explaining and describing important
events of United States history but should not still be in use in current classrooms due to being
Readability
such as vocabulary, “sentence length, syllabication, and word counts” (“Readability: Literacy,”
2018). Readability is usually measured by a formula that takes into account the specific
qualifications listed earlier. After a text is measured for readability, a score is produced that will
give the educator an idea of how challenging this text may be for a specific age or grade level.
However, readability scores can be deceiving. One of the most severe limitations of a readability
score is they “typically account for only the first two of the eight factors listed previously:
sentence length and vocabulary” (McKenna and Robinson, 2014). When a text is scored for its
readability, some teachers will only consider the score in deciding whether or not the text is
TEXTBOOK ASSESSMENT 3
appropriate for his or her class. This is not what a readability score is designed to do. Instead,
teachers should use their own judgement on whether or not they believe a specific text is
appropriate for his or her own classroom. Readability scores should only be one part of how
Many different formulas that measure readability have been created. Some of the most
famous are the Lexile Score, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level Score, and AR Reading Score. The
Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level Score was used to determine the readability of The Americans. This
textbook received a Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level Score of 10.4. When evaluating this textbook
for students, it is imperative the teacher does not believe this text is only appropriate for tenth
graders and beyond. In fact, this textbook would be appropriate for ninth graders and maybe
even eighth graders as well based upon its ability at describing events in a clear and cohesive
manner while also giving many visual aids for students to see and comprehend. It is also
important to note that textbooks should not be the most important tool teachers use to teach
material throughout the year. Teachers often tend to either “assume the text is ‘sacred’ and
follow it without thought or write it off as useless” (“Textbook Analysis,” n.d.). Both of these
methods are detrimental to the development of students as learners. The textbook should be used
Ideas Presented
The ideas the authors present in this textbook are very clear and do not require much
background knowledge for high school students to fully comprehend the events being described.
Just as most history textbooks are organized, The Americans is organized in chronological order.
This allows students to easily understand and comprehend the events in a specific order. It also
allows students to connect previous events described in the textbook to what the student is
TEXTBOOK ASSESSMENT 4
currently reading. For example, below, in Figures 1 and 2, are pictures of the text on pages 88
Figure 1 Figure 2
After the students read about taxes the British imposed on colonists following the French and
Indian War, students can use that knowledge to understand why the colonists formed committees
of correspondence and organized many different rebellious events to show their dissatisfaction.
Chapter seven of Beers and Probst, titled “Complexity and Readability,” explains more
in-depth what the different stages of how a textbook can be analyzed. In regards to The
Americans and its place on the “Ideas Presented” spectrum in chapter seven of Beers and Probst,
it belongs in the easiest evidence category. To belong in this category, a textbook must be offer
“basic information.” Have a “Simple, single meaning.” Be “Explicit and direct.” And its
“purpose or stance” must be clear (Beers and Probst, 2016, p. 50). The Americans follows each
TEXTBOOK ASSESSMENT 5
of these requirements. It is very easy to understand and encourages students to connect events
Structure Used
the colonization of the Americas and ending with the events of September 11, 2001. This is
common organization for history textbooks used in secondary schools. It allows students to read
the events being described more as a story rather than a series of events. This allows students to
be more successful when comprehending the events beings described. However, The Americans
typically only gives the United States’ perspective on events. This is to be expected from a
United States History textbook, but this is also a cause for concern. After students read a specific
chapter or a section of a chapter, they will only come away with one side of the entire story. An
Figure 3
TEXTBOOK ASSESSMENT 6
example of this comes from Figure 3, during the Spanish-American War. This image shows how
only the United States’ perspective of the war is covered in this textbook.
Each chapter is also broken into many different sections which will help keep students
engaged while reading the text. This forces the authors to be quick and concise with their word
choice and arguments. This can be both beneficial and problematic for students. It is beneficial
because the arguments and perspectives are constantly changing, which is important in keeping
the student’s attention. However, a problem with this is important events and/or details can be
left out of the published textbook. Since the authors of textbooks keep sections of chapters so
concise, they are the individuals who essentially decide what events and information is important
enough to be read by each student. The educator must be mindful of this when assigning
readings from a textbook and must supplement this reading with more information for actual
Using Beers and Probst’s criteria for evaluating a textbook’s structure, The Americans
would be classified in the second level. To be in this level, textbooks must demonstrate the
following criteria: “Primarily explicit; primarily one perspective; may vary from simple
chronological order. Graphics and text features clarify points” (Beers and Probst, 2016, p. 50).
While The Americans does not vary from chronological order, it does exhibit very good graphics.
These graphics usually further or clarify a point made in the text. There are at least one, but
usually multiple, graphics per page throughout the duration of the textbook. The authors also
made a point to connect some of the graphics to other subjects. This allows students to see
connections between American history and science or art, for example. The graphics at the
beginning of the book tend to be more artistic drawings, paintings, and maps to further the
author’s point. However, as the book progresses toward modern-day America, the graphics begin
TEXTBOOK ASSESSMENT 7
to show more statistical information. This is most likely due to the lack of accurate or reliable
statistics during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries during American history. Examples of
Figure 5
Figure 4
While there are some graphics containing statistics available during the early chapters of The
Americans, they are more prevalent when the book enters the late nineteenth-early twentieth
century.
Language Used
The language used in The Americans is very appropriate for a high school social studies
class. The average high school students should be able to recognize vocabulary used throughout
each chapter. However, if there is a difficult word used in the text, it most likely in bold font with
a definition in the margin of the page. The passages in each chapter are not difficult enough that
students are going to struggle comprehending the material, but they are also not worded too easy
either. When a sentence is too difficult for a student, the student will most likely stop reading
entirely, which is detrimental to the development of the student. However, a sentence that is too
TEXTBOOK ASSESSMENT 8
easy for a student is also problematic because the student will not be exposed to enough upper-
level vocabulary and may not develop the necessary analysis skills that are essential for higher
education and today’s work environment. The authors also included supplemental passages in
the margins of the page for students who wanted to learn more about a specific subject. Figure 6
is an example of a typical passage. Notice the bolded vocabulary words, the simple sentence
structure, and the supplemental material located along the margins of a page.
textbook are mostly mixed between having one to two ideas being argued and presented. Most
high school students should be capable of following the ideas the authors present through their
Knowledge Required
According to Beers and Probst, the final piece of analysis when assessing a textbook is
the amount of prior knowledge needed to comprehend what the authors are describing. In regards
to The Americans, the reader does not need to have much prior knowledge to understand the
author’s main argument and the events being described in each chapter. In fact, the book has
many additional supplemental learning activities and resources available to the students at the
conclusion of each chapter. In these sections, students will be able to see a visual summary,
where the most important events are organized in a listed in chronological order along with
pictures to supplement the list. Students will also see the main ideas of the chapter explicitly laid
out to clear up any confusion. Finally, students can assess themselves by using the numerous
assessing tools available after each chapter as well. Each student has access to a short multiple-
choice question quiz, which is specialized towards standardized testing. This is where the age of
this book becomes problematic. Schools across the country are moving toward project-based
assessments instead of standardized tests. This would have been useful during the rise of
standardized tests but is quickly becoming obsolete. However, students also have access to
critical thinking assessments, such as interpreting a map and analyzing a primary source. Figure
chapter.
Figure 7
TEXTBOOK ASSESSMENT 10
The Americans would measure in at level two of Beers and Probst’s spectrum on
“knowledge required.” Level two is defined as a textbook having “some references to events
other than texts. Most of text deals with common or easily imagined experience” (Beers and
Probst, 2016). This textbook belongs in level two because it does a great job at explaining the
events described throughout American history. Someone who had never studied United States
History prior to reading this book would come away with a decent understanding of the major
material covered in a basic United States History course. The supplemental resources at the
conclusion of each chapter would also help reinforce the information learned while reading the
material.
Pedogical Choices
If I was using The Americans in my classroom, I would most likely use it for its images
located throughout the text and discussion questions at the end of each chapter. I would not have
students read the material very often because I want to be able to have class-time devoted to the
lectures and activities I will create. However, I would use the discussion questions frequently to
begin a discussion with the entire class. The students may even be assigned a writing assignment
based off the discussion questions using the information they learned during that specific day’s
lecture. While I would not use The Americans as frequently as some teachers, I would definitely
utilize its great discussion questions and informative images and descriptions located throughout
the chapter.
2003. The analysis worksheet on page fifty by Beers and Probst was used when analyzing this
textbook. By using this system to analyze the book, it became very clear The Americans is a
TEXTBOOK ASSESSMENT 11
great textbook. Its readability measured in at a 10.4 on the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level Scale.
The ideas presented throughout the book are given in a clear and coherent manner, which makes
the information easier to comprehend. The images used throughout the book are also a great
supplement to the text on the page. Students will be able to use these images to better their
understanding of the content that is being presented. However, it is unfortunate how the ideas
presented are only from the American perspective. Students lose a possibly important side of the
story when only one perspective is given. The Americans is also organized in chronological
order. This is overall a positive aspect of this textbook because it prevents students from
confusing the order of events and reads more like a story rather than a series of events. Each
chapter is also broken into sections to keep students’ attention throughout the duration of the
chapter. The language used throughout the book was also appropriate. While upper level
vocabulary words may be used sparingly throughout the book, definitions are usually given in
the margins of the page to clear up confusion. Finally, the previous knowledge required to
completely understand the material being presented is minimal. The authors did a great job of
explaining key events and people in an understandable manner for each student. Whether the
student is experienced in United States history or is completely new, they will both come away
learning much of the material being presented throughout the book. The biggest concern with
this textbook is the publication date. A new textbook needs to be purchased because fifteen years
of new research and interpretations on past events have been published. It is important students
have access to up-to-date research so they can make their own interpretations of the material
being presented. While this textbook is severely outdated for today’s purposes, it is still an
Bibliography
Beers, G. K., & Probst, R. E. (2016). Reading nonfiction: notice & note stances, signposts, and
strategies. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Danzer, G. A., Klor de Alva, J., Woloch, N., & Wilson, L. E. (2003). The Americans. Evanston,
IL: McDougal Littell Inc.
Literacy: Readability. (2018, January 17). Retrieved March 12, 2018, from
https://research.ewu.edu/c.php?g=53524&p=345204.
McKenna, M. C., & Robinson, R. D. (2014). Teaching Through Text: Reading and Writing in
the Content Areas (2nd ed.). New Jersey: Pearson.