To:

To: All Spanish faculty and instructors

From: Robert

Re: New textbook evaluation

We are considering changing the textbook used in second-year Spanish. The new text promises to be an excellent follow-up to our new first-year text [title] and should improve the articulation between the first- and second-year programs.

I have prepared a box containing a copy of the text and its ancillaries so that you can have a look before we decide to adopt the new program. As usual, these materials will be located in the main office so that you can check them out at your convenience. To make the job of textbook evaluation easier, below is a non-exhaustive list of questions to consider when looking at new texts. There are, of course, no right answers, but these questions may give you specific things to look for in your examination of the materials.

Please sign your name on the white card on the box if you take the materials out of the office so that others who want to see them can track them down easily.

grammar	How complete is the range of topics in the text? Are the explanations of an appropriate level of sophistication for second-year students? Are they clear and concise? Can the text be completed in three quarters? If not, will omitting material undermine the goals of our second-year program? Are important structures recycled throughout the text?
exercises	Does the book have mechanical as well as open-ended exercises? Do the exercises really require students to practice the new material introduced? What percentage of the exercises practice material in authentic contexts?
reading	Does the book have a variety of types of texts? Does the book give students adequate preparation to read the texts (prereading activities)? Are the follow-ups to journalistic and literary readings interesting and helpful in building students' ability to synthesize?
writing	Are the writing activites useful and well-integrated into the chapter themes? Does the text offer sufficient pre-writing activities to prepare students for the writing task? Are they feasible for an instructor with three sections of 201 (85 students)?
content	Does the book teach both high and low culture? Does the book approach adequately the complexity and variation of Hispanic cultures? Is culture relegated to a minor role or does it permeate the core material and activities? What other content areas are covered in the text?
vocabulary	Does the book provide students with a lexical base that is appropriate for intermediate-level students? Does the text provide teachers with a variety of presentation devices (pictures, questions, readings, etc.) and practice activities?
audience	Is the text student-friendly, i.e. does it offer students the reference and explanatory tools and strategies that will help them master the material? Are the chapter themes interesting and relevant to our UO student population? Will these materials help students meet our expectations for the intermediate language program?
teaching tool	Will the text facilitate lesson planning, testing, and other tasks for untrained teachers and those using the book for the first time? Are the ancillary materials (workbook, lab program, in-class tapes, video, etc.) easy to integrate into the lessons?