Artifact 4

Context
This project was created in a social studies method course in Block 436 at Appalachian State University during the fall of 2002. Under the instruction of Dr. Michael Jacobson a colleague and I performed a comparative analysis on two fifth grade social studies textbooks written by two different companies. We documented our analysis in a comparison paper. We compared and contrasted the texts in several areas, including readability, interdisciplinary organization, representation of minorities, learning aids and motivational devices, levels of questioning, and skill development.

Impact
This project and its guidelines have taught me how to thoughtfully analyze textbooks for school use. This project made me aware of the many different aspects that should be considered before adopting a textbook. Looking at both books and comparing them, made me realize how very different resources are and that there are many types of textbooks. I also noticed how important it is for a teacher to be able to follow the format of the textbook and how challenging it could become if the format doesn't fit the teacher's desires. The textbook analysis allowed me to distinguish between resources that I would and/or would not like to use in my classroom. This analysis also helped me become more familiar with the fifth grade social studies curriculum.

Alignment
The textbook evaluation meets technology competency VI C. When doing the analysis we took into account the diversity shown within each of the books. We analyzed how minorities were portrayed in each of the texts. For example, did the pictures show diversity? Is history depicted from the points of view of minorities? I think that it is very important to use materials in the classroom that supports diversity. Being able to analyze textbooks and identify those that affirm diversity is an important skill to have so that I can use resources that affirm diversity in my classroom.