Activity- Physical Presentation of Text

[juecher]

Social Studies Textbook: Modules in Social Studies with SBA Guide. Ramsawak and Rampersad (2010),pp 35-39;365-639

Text Features Present:
*Index-Family 10,19,35,41,48
*Pictures- examples of family types
*Captions -reorganized family, single-parent family, nuclear family *Headings-Family Types in the Caribbean
*Text-bold-Nuclear family, Future wheels of families
*Text-colour Nuclear Family
*Text-italics-if divource occurs, reduced number of adults as role models for infants, children deprived of love and affection
*Text box: dialogue of problems faced in a single-parent family

This book is a major upgrade to the version I used in school back in the 1990s it is designed to get students to engage with text because it is in colour which students find appealing and instead of dense blocks of text, text is broken down into chunks using various text features which visual learners and adolescents in general would use to comprehend and make connections with the text. Furthemore, students critical thinking ability can be harnessed from the text book because the images are sourced from a variety of Caribbean islands and we do not all live, work and look the same.
However, think that the textbook can be made more useful for teachers and students by including a glossary of terms after completing each unit such as The Individual and the Family. Glossary will help students discover how much of and how well they can explain in their own words the jargon related to each topic. Teachers can also use the glossary to source important vocabulary in each topic to create vocabulary exercises for students. However instead of having to sift them out of the textbook which is currently a tedious process , the glossary provides ease of use and access.

[juecher]

Re: Gonz12

I own the 2010 Ed. of the Modules in SS but apparently the authors have omitted the text box with key terms at the end of each unit. The authors have modified the text book by defining the key terms in each heading in the first paragraph beneath the heading. This does not make the text-book more user friendly. Better when all key terms were in one place.
I also agree with you that the textbook is much too heavy for students to carry with its 646 pages. I appreciate your suggestion of breaking the text book down into units so more children will carry the textbook to school.

[juecher]

Re: cfrancis

I can put myself in the students shoes because am a visual learner and would be mortified if I had to engage with a text which was entirely in black and white, in this current age where we are bombarded with digital imagery on a daily basis thanks to the Internet. The authors seriously need to consider that black and white images will not excite the millenial, tech-savvy generation and should upgrade the text book so it looks less like an "artefact".

[nemma]

The text book that is being used in most schools for principles of business is Principles of Business for Caribbean Examinations by Ivan L. Waterman and Dave Ramsingh. This book has been revised and so it is more student friendly. I would definitely advise for the revised edition of this book to be used since they changes made with the front, color of texts, and visual aids. These changes make the text book more attractive to the students and easier for them to follow or read from.