Running Head: TEXTBOOK ASSESSMENT 1

Textbook Assessment

Ty Reed
READ 440
Dr. Dredger
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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

approximately fifteen years outdated.

Readability

In literacy, readability is defined as a score given to a text based on certain qualifications,

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
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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

teachers judge a specific text.

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

as a supplemental material to the overall lesson.

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
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currently reading. For example, below, in Figures 1 and 2, are pictures of the text on pages 88

and 98, respectively.

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
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of these requirements. It is very easy to understand and encourages students to connect events

they have already read to what they are currently reading.

Structure Used

As mentioned earlier, The Americans is structured in chronological order, beginning with

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
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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

learning to take place.

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
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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

the differences between graphics are shown in Figures 4 and 5.

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
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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.

The Americans would be classified under the

second level of Beers and Probst’s “language used”

category in their article. The second level is

described as “mostly explicit. Tier II and III words

are defined in context and used sparingly. Sentence

structure more complex with perhaps more than one

idea presented in a sentence” (Beers and Probst,

2016). Figure 6 shows many of the characteristics

described by this definition. The bold vocabulary

words throughout The Americans are typically

upper level vocabulary terms, names of important

events, or names of important people throughout

Figure 6
United States History. Sentences throughout this

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

writings for the duration of each chapter.

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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

7 is an example of the typical supplemental

resources available to each student after each

chapter.

Figure 7
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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.

Summary Statement and Conclusion

The Americans is a United States History textbook published by McDougal Littell in

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
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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

effective tool for teachers to reference during instruction.

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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.

Textbook Analysis. (n.d.). Retrieved March 12, 2018, from

http://www.specialconnections.ku.edu/?q=instruction%2Fstrategies_for_accessing_the_s
ocial_studies_curriculum%2Fteacher_tools%2Ftextbook_analysis.