Textbook Analysis: United States History 1

Introduction
Lapansky-Werner, E.J., Roberts, R., Levy, P. B., Taylor, A., Wiggins, G. (2011). United States
History. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Prentice Hall.

The United States History textbook by Emma J. Lapansky-Werner, Randy Roberts, Peter

B. Levy, Alan Taylor, and Grant Wiggins for a Virginia-specific curriculum, is a superb example

to evaluate for appropriateness in a high school social studies classroom because of its depth and

efforts to cater to students learning. It starts with coverage of prehistory and the various native

tribes that inhabited North America and concludes with the recent banking crisis in 2008,

followed by a section titled Looking Ahead that analyzes the direction of the United States.

This is further than most history textbooks cover. It was written and published by Pearson

Education, costing $89.94. While very dense and lengthy, this textbook offers a comprehensive

examination of United States history accompanied by activities, images, current events, and

primary sources to compliment the material and aid student learning.

Readability and Style

Readability is determined by assessing the length and number of sentences, and the

number of words and syllables in a sample of text in order to label its complexity. The

readability of a textbook is vital to understanding the difficulty of the written content and

whether or not the book is appropriate for its intended audience (Alvermann, 2010, p. 161). To

start, United States History is a very dense and long textbook intended for tenth and eleventh

graders, spanning 1264 pages over 33 chapters weighing 11.5 pounds. Using the Flesch-Kinkaid

instrument with the average of three separate 100 word sections from the textbook, one from the

Gilded Age (56.6, grade: 9.3), one from Hitlers rise to power (51.0, grade: 10.8), and the final

being from Nixons presidency (43.2, grade: 12), the textbook is concluded to have a readability

score of 50.6 (Lapansky-Werner, 2011, p. 530, 777, 1053). The lower the number on Flesch-
 Textbook Analysis: United States History 2

Kinkaid, the harder and more difficult the text is considered. This score is used when

determining what books are suitable for a grade level. The Flesch-Kinkaid instrument also

determined that the content from the excerpts is appropriate for students between grades 10 and

11, scoring an average of 10.3. So while the text may be considered below reading level for

eleventh graders, it might also be difficult for some tenth graders. Not every student will be

reading at the appropriate grade level, which is important to consider when evaluating a

textbook.

However, this book is clearly written and definitively delivers content in a manner in

which all types of students have an opportunity to learn, whether that be through images, test

questions, or supplemental activities built in throughout chapters. This book is certainly

appropriate for tenth and eleventh grade students because of the written style of the textbook and

its clarity and lively delivery of content. For example, many sections include a Why it Matters

heading. One reads, Americas decision to keep the Philippines reflected a desire to expand its

influence, compete with European powers, and gain new trade in Asia (Lapansky-Werner,

2011, p. 599). This makes key points clear, while making content interesting by helping show

students why the content is relevant to the present day.

Yet, many of the textbook pages are quite busy with various images and outside sources

that could affect a students ability to stay focused on the reading and cause the congruity of the

content delivery to be lost. In other words, students

might be looking at an image or map before they

have read the section that would help them better

understand its context, seen in Figure 1.

Figure 1: While this page contains powerful images and
information, content might be lost due to the book trying to fit
everything important to the topic on one page. Reading continuity
might be lost as a result (Lapansky-Werner, 2011, p. 902-903).
Textbook Analysis: United States History 3

Another factor that contributes to readability and style is font size and color schemes. In

United States History, the content font is appropriately sized and black, making it easily

recognizable on the page. Headings and section titles vary in both size and color in order to

separate themes and big ideas from the content. Sentence structure varies, often times long and

descriptive, and other times shorter in order to make a clear point. Some pages in United States

History also vary the amount of words placed on a page. Many have less than half the space

occupied by words, while other pages are covered with the majority of words. However, no page

is completely text and are frequently supplemented with images, standards, or review. Pictured in

Figure 2 is an example of the Nixon 100-word sample, showing the relative font size and a page

that features less text and more supplemental material.

Figure 2: Appropriate sized text, easy to read, sections

are clearly defined and labeled, and there are different
ranges of sentence structure (Lapansky-Werner, 2011,
p. 1056).

Though there is controversy

around the use and accuracy of

readability tests by putting a quantifiable

number to a textbook, analyzing the score

can still be a useful factor for determining

if a textbook is suitable for a class. Not every student reads at the same level, therefore it is hard

to have a unifying textbook for classes. However, United States Historys readability score is an

accurate representation for the grade levels its intended to reach. While many pages are busy

and could be considered distracting, the written content is easily accessible and understandable

for students in a tenth or eleventh grade United States history class.

Textbook Analysis: United States History 4

According to the Analysis of Text Complexity of a Nonfiction Text by Beers (2016),

United States History would be on the moderate side on the language spectrum with most words

defined in context and containing varied sentence structure (p. 50). This requires some thought

and critical thinking while reading, yet there are still aids in order to help students understand

concepts. Using this instrument for textbook evaluations of is beneficial due to the clear, outlined

spectrum it provides for assessing the complexity of texts. The instrument focuses on ideas

presented, structure used, language used, and knowledge when determining the difficulty of texts

presenting a valuable tool for determining textbook suitability.

Content and Vocabulary

This is a very content driven textbook that covers topics in great depth. Every subject is

examined in an extent that tenth and eleventh graders will not have experienced in their past

history classes. However, the book does an excellent job conveying information in a way that

will engage students, rather than just chronologically written a narrative. Many chapters follow a

thematic approach and are approximately the same length, most basically the World War II

chapter. The book separates the War, politics, and the Holocaust in different sections. This is an

effective way to deliver dense and provoking content in order to create a better understanding.

There are numerous compliments to the content throughout the textbook. The beginning

of every chapter contains a detailed list of SOLs that will be addressed throughout each section,

accompanied with appropriate images to introduce the

topic to the readers. An example of this can be seen in

Figure 3, the chapter that introduces World War II.

Figure 3: Chapter 24 introduces World War II and is

accompanied with appropriate SOL's, a powerful image of
a soldier that grabs students' attention, and a brief primary
source document and images of artefact (Lapansky-
Werner, 2011, p. 800-801).
Textbook Analysis: United States History 5

The inclusion of SOLs demonstrates how focused the content is on the curriculum,

giving teachers and students keys on what is most important to remember. Throughout the

chapters, there are plenty of relevant primary sources, ranging from small quotes and

government documents to images of artwork and maps to enforce information. This not only

provides students with examples to help build their comprehension of the period, but also gives

teachers readily available sources to use for classroom activities and even for assessment.

According to the Library of Congress (2017), primary sources help develop critical-thinking

skills, consider different perspectives for analysis that consider intent and purpose, help students

acquire an empathy for human condition, and help readers understand the continuum of history

and realize that they, too, are a part of history.

Another aspect that this textbook does exceptionally well to enforce content is how new

vocabulary and ideas are emphasized and explained. The beginning of each chapter is a list of

key vocabulary terms that will be essential to the upcoming content. Throughout the chapter,

these terms are bolded and explained in more depth in the margins of page. This is an easy way

for students to quickly reference the term instead of having to search in a glossary. This also

makes note-taking more manageable with easy access to definitions. Also, within each chapter

are marginal notes labeled Vocabulary Builders to the create better context. These blurbs are

definitions, different than the bolded key terms, that are important for comprehension that may

be using a alternative meaning. For example, the defining of intellectual as guided by thought

possessing great power of thought and reason when talking about Woodrow Wilson (Lapansky-

Werner, 2011, p. 577). The word intellectual is vital to understanding Wilsons role in American

politics, specifically his drafting of the Fourteen Points. At the conclusion of every chapter

section, there is a heading titled Assessment. One of the questions addresses vocabulary by
 Textbook Analysis: United States History 6

listing terms and asking students to write a sentence about each and how they connected to the

major topic of the chapter section. Examples can be seen in Figures 4 and 5.

Figure 4: This figure depicts the

"Vocabulary Builder" section to help
students understand context. The word
is underlined in the text and then
defined in the margin. (Lapansky-
Werner, 2011, p. 466-467).

Figure 5: Pictured is the

"Assessment" section where it
asks students to relate the listed
terms to the Spanish-American
War. The second page is a
demonstration of how each
chapter section lists the key
terms, a short primary source,
and a list of proper SOL's
(Lapansky-Werner, 2011, p.
310-311).

The content in the book is exceedingly detailed, yet not overwhelming where students

become disinterested. This book allows students to use previous knowledge to dive deeper into

topics, while still not assuming they know everything. The chapter on the New Deal

demonstrates the clarity of the books content. Usually, this period is overwhelming for students

due to vast policy changes made by president Franklin Roosevelt. The book still examines
Textbook Analysis: United States History 7

important legislation, like the TVA and CCC, but they are effectively broken down into sections

with the main points highlighted. This chapter also compares and contrasts view points of the

New Deal in charts to help support the content. This aids visual learners and is a simple way to

separate opposing perspectives (Lapansky-Werner, 2011, p. 738-739). Using the Beers (2016)

complexity spectrum for ideas, the content would fall in the moderate category (p. 50). The

information is explicit, but offers alternate perspectives causing students to critically think about

opposing viewpoints, like those in the New Deal. The well-delivered content in United States

History and its attention to detail to student understanding with vocabulary builders,

supplemental sources, and its ability to inflict comparing and contrasting is unparalleled.

Format

The format of United States History is incredibly detailed and gives the book a unique

intricacy not found in other textbooks. Mentioned before, the book relies on images and graphics

to enforce its main points. This is demonstrated in previous snapshots like Figures 1, 3, and 4.

According to Kouyoumdijan (2012), the effective use of visuals can decrease learning time,

improve comprehension, enhance retrieval, and increase retention. Students who may struggle

reading social studies texts might me more impressionable through visuals to enforce concepts.

Along with being broken into chapters, the book is separated into larger themes that

encompass various chapters, like Expansion and Reform and Prosperity and Depression.

Each chapter starts with an overview of the content, appropriate standards, followed by large

subheadings to introduce topics with accompanied notes in the margins to enforce definitions

and big ideas. At the end of each subtopic, there are checkpoint questions to assess and reinforce

student understanding of the content that teachers can choose to use as a classroom discussion or

even an exit ticket. Each chapter includes supplemental sources, images, and current events that
 Textbook Analysis: United States History 8

go beyond what the direct content presents. At the conclusion of every chapter, there are SOL

practice questions, tips for writing and test taking, and potential activities that teachers can

choose to use to assist student comprehension (pictured in Figure 6).

Figure 6: Pictured are examples of the SOL practice

that the textbook provides to enforce content and the
curriculum (Lapansky Werner, 2011, p. 262-263).

When implementing the

Beers (2016) spectrum, the structure

of this textbook would fall on the

more difficult end due to complex

perspective, figures, and the

frequent thematic approach to support student understanding (p. 50). Another aspect that is

incredibly extensive in United States History is its table of contents, which outlines every chapter

and major sub-headings. After the table of contents, there is also a guide to all of the primary

sources utilized throughout the textbook, comparing viewpoints, which are sections analyzing

different approaches, and an SOL coaching section with tips for student test and note taking.

Figure 7 below demonstrates the extensive aid the SOL hand-guide give to students for both use

for the exam and in other disciplines. This is convenient for students needing easy access to past

readings or for assignments. According to Ivic (2013), table of contents serve as a resume for

the textbook and is often the first impression

given to the readers, besides the cover (p. 79). If

done well, it provides good structure and

overview of the entire content.

Figure 7: The SOL guide to the textbook not only enforces
information needed for the exam, but provides useful tips
for analyzing features like maps and images that can
extend into other classrooms (Lapansky-Werner, 2011, p.
SH22-SH23).
Textbook Analysis: United States History 9

Many aspects of United States Historys format were touched on in previous sections,

such as how the font size is appropriate and easily distinguishable from other sections. Also, how

the layout, even though is loaded with images and supplemental sources, is manageable and is

one of the biggest aids to student learning with a variety of learning support provided in the

margins and in the table of contents.

Utility

The mass variety of supplemental sources and activities in this textbook makes it a great

resource for classroom activities and outside learning. As touched on earlier, each chapter has a

section for assessment at the end containing various levels of Blooms Taxonomy tasks, or a

hierarchy of learning complexity. These assessments include the definition of terms, a basic task

of recalling information; quick writes, which may call for higher level thinking of analyzing and

synthesizing; and also critical thinking questions for higher level learning. For example, the

quick write asks students to put themselves in the shoes of a U.S. ambassador looking at the

issues in Panama. Finally, one of the critical thinking sections asks What did Carters inability

to secure the release of the hostages in Iran symbolize to many Americans? (Lapansky-Werner,

2011, p. 1067). These activities can be used as exit tickets, essay questions, and test review

resources for students and teachers and are all hit different aspects of hierarchical learning.

According to Strauss (2013), textbooks are usually force students to draw conclusions and form a

closed minded sense of history. However, the use of open-ended and critical thinking questions

in United States History allow this conception to be proven wrong. Students are able to draw

their own conclusions building off of the content and what is presented to them. These

assessment sections, which are pictured in Figure 5 earlier, also, place the textbook on a higher,

more demanding side of the Beers (2016) spectrum for knowledge use by exploring complex
Textbook Analysis: United States History 10

ideas that may not be explored or explicit in the text, but are supported by evidence in the written

content (p. 50). This also demonstrates how the Beers model provides useful feedback for

textbook complexity and suitability.

The SOL practice tests at the end of the chapter are useful, however, they emphasize the

teaching for the test rather than content comprehension. While certainly useful, in principle, this

book is geared toward doing well on the SOLs which takes away from the students want to learn

the content. An image of SOL practice tests can be found in Figure 6. According to Overman

(2017), the emphasis put on high-stakes testing, like SOLs, puts students and teachers under

stress to preform, and therefore, they lose control of some aspects of the classroom. While

United States History is giving students and teachers useful tools to succeeding on standardized

tests, it reinforces the culture of high-stakes testing.

Conclusion

Strengths Weaknesses

*Vast inclusion of supplemental sources *Extensive length (and weight) of the book

Rationale: There is a superb use of primary
sources, extra activities, vocabulary enforcers,
and chapter reviews to enforce student learning.
All sources and activities are authentic and
trigger critical thinking.
*Alignment with curriculum
Rationale: Some topics are going to be left out
and covered in less depth due to course
duration. Too much information can be an
advantage and a hindrance and teachers will
have to pick and choose what is most important.
*Crammed; too much content on pages

Rationale: Students will be well prepared for
SOL tests since the book is specifically made
for Virginia classrooms. This can be a positive
and negative attribute. However, this book is
detailed and clear.
*Suitable for appropriate grade level; written
style is coherent
Rationale: Interesting writing helps avoid a
vanilla version of history. Students will be
more engaged and supported in their learning.
Rationale: Too much content on one page can
cause a disruption in reading continuity. A page
that is too busy will distract students and throw
too much information at them.
*SOL preparation supports high-stakes learning
Rationale: High-stakes learning and teaching for
the test discourages actual student
comprehension. Teachers might rely too much
on the textbook material.
Textbook Analysis: United States History 11

Citations:

Alvermann, D. E., Phelps, S. F., & Gillis, V. R. (2010). Content area reading and literacy:
Succeeding in todays diverse classrooms (6th ed.). New York: Allyn & Bacon.

Beers, G. K., & Probst, R. E. (2016). Reading nonfiction: notice & note stances, signposts, and
strategies. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Ivic, I., Pesikan, A., Antic, A. (2013). Textbook Quality: A Guide to Textbook Standards.
Gotteingen, Germany: V&R. Retrieved from
https://books.google.com/books?id=DShcAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA79&lpg=PA79&dq=impo
rtance+of+a+table+of+contents+to+textbooks&source=bl&ots=e2vENjf2ad&sig=jitEBe
euShD-i_8TURjK9SELSVw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiHrsPwz-
fWAhURziYKHU7LDtsQ6AEIaTAK#v=onepage&q=importance%20of%20a%20table
%20of%20contents%20to%20textbooks&f=false.

Kouyoumdijan, H. (2012). Learning Through Visuals: Visual Imagery in the Classroom. Sussex
Publishers. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/get-
psyched/201207/learning-through-visuals

Lapansky-Werner, E.J., Roberts, R., Levy, P. B., Taylor, A., Wiggins, G. (2011). United States
History. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Prentice Hall.

Library of Congress (2017). Why Use Primary Sources? Eastern Illinois University. Retrieved
from http://www.eiu.edu/eiutps/why_ps.php.

Overman, S. (2017). Fighting the Stress of Teaching to the Test: Educators Cope with Stress in
Unique Ways. National Education Association. Retrieved from
http://www.nea.org/tools/fighting-stress-teaching-to-Test.html.

Strauss, V. (2013). The Right Way to Teach History. The Washington Post. Retrieved from
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2013/09/25/the-right-way-to-
teach-history/?utm_term=.ce7e48b81b14.