Introduction:

Textbook is the most essential tool for learning. It can provide all the information that we want.

Textbook is not only intended for the use of the teacher but it is likewise important as well as to the students. it used not only to extract information but it is a weapon for us students as well as for the teachers.

In this book, English for You and Me, a reading textbook for Grade 4 by Benita N. Miranda was published by Book Wise Publishing House, Inc. in the year 2008 as part of the National Program Support for Basic Education of the Department of Education.

This paper will provide us the knowledge that we may use as a student and as a future teacher.

This paper is a textbook evaluation to determine the following:

First, the effect of the content(it’s grammar, size, graphs, tables, illustrations, spacing, etc.) to the reader.

Second, the value of every part of the book including its content. Third, to help the students how to visualize things.

This textbook evaluation has the following:

First

Republic of the Philippines

Tarlac State University

College of Education

Lucinda Campus

A TEXTBOOK EVALUATION IN:

ENGLISH FOR YOU AND ME

READING TEXTBOOK GRADE 4

Submitted by:

Cabilangan, Lyneth A.

Pineda, Jinky S

Puntilar, Charlene Jane D.

Submitted to:

Prof. Elizabeth Balanquit

Text analysis

English For You and Me is a book intended for grade 4 level students. It is a reading textbook which contains legends, stories of long ago, fables and stories of great men and women. In its content, we can say that it is likely to be of interest of the students because children at this

level love to read or if not, they have their prior knowledge about the content of the book especially to the fables. But, on the other hand, there are also some content in this book that may affect the student or it could be offensive on the part of the student. Like for example is the story of balut making in lesson 4 of this book ( Balut Making is No Fun, to be exact), there might be some students whose the job of their parents is balut making. They might get bullied by their other classmates and it may not be appropriate on their lives because they might misunderstood that lesson or topic. Another is the story of the man who wanted to go to heaven in page 145. There might be a student who doesn`t believe in heaven, for we know that we have different beliefs and religions. There are other religions who doesn`t believe that there is a heaven. So, as a future teacher, we must consider this factor that it may not be appropriate to the lives of some other students.

For the given examples in the book, it fit closely with the concepts they are supposed to be explaining just like for example is the stories in the Lesson 20, page 144-145,we may also consider the example in page 145 as given above , the story of the man who wanted to go to heaven. For as stated above, it may not be appropriate to the lives of the students for we know that some students may have different beliefs in life.

Regarding to the given exercises in this book, it provides enough variety to meet the needs of different kinds of learners in the class. We say so, because exercises in this book provides pictures. In page 18 -19, we can see there that it provides different pictures of containers, bottles, boxes, and tubes that may help students to understand better the given exercise. Another is that, exercises in this book provides tables. As we cite the pages 4,8, 11, 23, 28, 33, 35, 72, 84, 88, 173, and page 179, we can see in those pages the different examples of tables provided in every activities or exercises. There are also diagrams provided in the exercises in this book. In page 26, 28, 35, and page 80,we can see some of the examples of diagrams given in a specific exercise.

There are also some exercises that we may use in some other situation, as for the real life. If we look at page 27, the exercise given there is experimentation. With this given exercise, students are able to connect this activity to their real life. They may adapt it in their real life. Because of that, students enjoy and get interested on what they are doing.

In book evaluation, we must also consider the presentation and the format of the book. As we look at the front page of the book, it has an attractive design that easily caught the attention of a child. The book also represent a boy and a girl which promote anti-discrimination . about its format, we must consider its size, spacing, picture and drawings.

The text in the book is suitable to the grade level of the student. The text is not that small and not that large, it is good enough for the child to see. The spacing are also equal so it is easy for the students to distinguish words from other words. The words are not so far and not so near from each other. The illustrations and other graphical and design element are not that good

in terms of its color. Its colorless. It doesn`t have color. It is only black and white. In other words, the illustration in the book is very simple and plain.

Linguistic content

The book we are evaluating is an English book, specifically, it is a reading book which contains stories and other legends. So basically, the language that is being taught to student is English. This book also provides so many pictures that some students may not understand. To adjust on the situation, the teacher may conduct fieldtrip or an exhibit so that students may understand better what was written in the book.

Thematic Content

The topics used in each unit are:

Unit I—Start it Right

Lesson 1 Poems about Nature

Lesson 2 A Book of Words

Lesson 3 Billy Jim

Lesson 4 Balut Making is No Fun

Lesson 5 Mayon Volcano

Lesson 6 The Mountain Stairway

Unit II—Be Informed

Lesson 7 The Origin of Butterflies

Lesson 8 A Letter from Jim

Lesson 9 Saved from Lions

Lesson 10 All Things Bright and Beautiful

Lesson 11 The Owl and the Pussycat

Lesson 12 The story of Houses

Unit III—Do It Right

Lesson 13 Muslim Holiday

Lesson 14 Beware of Dogs

Lesson 15 The Story of Monkey

Lesson 16 The Adventures of Lam-Ang

Lesson 17 A Wise judge

Lesson 18 A Clever Jackal

Unit IV—Look Ahead

Lesson 19 Rizal`s Life in Dapitan

Lesson 20 The Sultan of India

Lesson 21 Equal Pay for Equal Work

Lesson 22 The Three Sisters

Lesson 23 People from other Lands

Lesson 24 The Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly

Lesson 25 The Grasshopper

As we can see, each unit has different topics to tackle. Some topics are similar to each other in terms of their categories like in page 103, the story of the monkey and in page 177, the story of the grasshopper. They are similar to each other because they fall into one category which is, they are both fables.

ANALYSIS OF TEACHING ACTIVITY FOR IMPLEMENTATION IN TEACHING

In all the activities given in this book, some of them are intended to do in class, some are intended to be given as assignments. The other activities are holdback to use for testing and

others are used for review. Another use of the given activities are for special project and used for a longer period of time.

The activities that to do in class are:

Activity 1 - pg.3 Activity 5 -pg. 10 Activity 1 -pg.17 Lesson 4 -pg. 23 Activity 1 -pg. 33 Activity 1 -pg.39 Activity 1 -pg. 47 Words for Study -pg. 54 Words for Study -pg. 62 Activity 1 -pg. 69 Think and discuss -pg. 75 Activity 1 -pg. 84 Words to Study -pg. 92 Words for Study -pg. 99 Questions -pg. 104 Activity 2 -pg. 115 Words For Study -pg. 123 Words for Study -pg. 129 Things To Do -pg. 138 Words for study -pg. 143 Answer this Questions -pg. 152 Words For study -pg. 158 Think and Discuss -pg. 166 Answer This Questions -pg. 172 Think and Discuss -pg. 179

The activities to be assign as homework are:

Activity 2 -pg. 6 Activity1 and 2 -pg. 12-13 Activity 3 -pg. 20 Activity 3 -pg. 27 Think and Write -pg. 36 Activity 3 -pg. 40

Think and Write -pg. 51 Think and Write -pg. 58 Think and Write -pg. 66 Think and Write B -pg. 72 Activity 2 -pg. 78 Think and Write A -pg. 88 Do It Right -pg. 94-95 Think and Write -pg. 109 Activity 3 -pg. 126 Think and Write -pg. 134

The activities that we would holdback to use for testing are:

Activity 1 -pg. 6 Activity 3 -pg. 10 Do It Right -pg. 12 Activity 2 -pg. 13 Activity 2 -pg. 31 Activity 3 -pg. 34 Do It Right -pg. 57-58 Words For Study -pg. 74-75 Activity 3 -pg. 85 Words for study -pg.92 Words For Study -pg. 113 Words For Study -pg.123

The activities that can be used for review in the later term:

Think and write -pg. 13 Think and write -pg. 22 Activity 2 -pg. 29 Think and write -pg. 36 Activity 2 -pg. 42 Do it right -pg. 49 Do it right -pg. 57 Do it right -pg. 70 Activity 3 -pg. 85 Words to study -pg. 92

Think and discuss -pg. 100 Think and write -pg. 109 Words for study -pg. 113 Think and discuss -pg. 129 Activity 3 -pg. 131 Think and discuss -pg. 138 Words to study -pg. 143 Do it right -pg. 155 Activity 1 -pg. 159 Think and write -pg. 170 Think and discuss -pg. 173 Think and discuss -pg. 179

CONCLUSION

Textbook is a tool for learning. It is the most frequently used tool for facilitating learning.

It is both used by the teacher and the students. The textbook is a tool, and the teacher must know

not only how to use it, but how useful it can be. Finding out will involve distinguishing between

method in the use of printed materials, and method in face-to-face teaching. It will involve using

discretion in adapting textual materials to the needs and interests of pupils, choosing only those

materials and methods which are based on sound linguistic and pedagogical principles. The

textbook will continue to play an important role, but it will not be a tyrant.

Every part of a book has its own role. From its cover page up to its glossary. The cover page to attract the student interest in the textbook. The guide content for the student to easily find what they want to read. The content in the book for the student to learn more. And the glossary which is helpful to the student to use it for the word that they don’t understand in the textbook.

Recommendation

This book is recommended to have more colorful pictures and drawing. This book also

should have bibliography appendices. The drawings in the textbook must be large enough to the

student grade level. The printed word is must be appropriate to the grade level of the student.

Bibliography

Miranda, Benita N.2008. , English for You and Me., Book Wise Publishing House, Inc