Content

1. Does content correspond to the objectives of the curricula for the school year under consideration?

2. Does the level of content correspond to what pupils have previously learned? (For the first year of schooling, previous results refer only to whether or not the pupil has had any pre-school education)

3. Is content accurate? Concise? Topical? Varied? Sufficiently objective?

4. Is it sufficiently enriched in relation to the content summarized in the curriculum?

5. Will it stimulate and develop positive social and moral attitudes?

6. Does progression in learning and concepts transmitted by content go from the simple to the complex, from the elementary to the advanced?

7. Are concepts clearly explained and does content offer practical applications?

8. Do learning activities and experiments proposed in the different chapters help to enhance learning? Are they varied?

9. Do such activities call for the intervention of the teacher? Or can they be carried out by the pupil without the teacher's help?

10. Has the author tried to integrate elements from two or more disciplines where possible and desirable?

Educational Approaches

11. Does the method applied in the textbook correspond to a pedagogical concept recommended by the educational authorities?

12. Does the method correspond to a constrained, interventionist pedagogy? Or, on the contrary, is it inspired from open learning methods, inciting the pupil towards some autonomy in learning?

13. Does the manuscript propose research activities for the pupil: observation, surveys, measuring, information?

14. Are the interests of pupils taken into account to stimulate learning and has the author included motivational aspects (varied topics, familiar environment, evocative illustrations, etc)?

15. Has the author taken account of some of the pupils' characteristics, such as age, environment, to arouse their interest?

16. Are there learning exercises, and assessment for each chapter?

17. Are exercises varied? Well adapted to the content of the chapter? Do they seem too difficult or too easy?

18. Are exercises formulated clearly and concisely?

19. Can these exercises serve as a method of evaluating learning?

20. Are they prepared in such a way that the pupil can verify his own progress and success (for instance, answers contained in an appendix, solution routes proposed)?

Drafting

Organization

21. Does the manuscript clearly reflect the existence of logical organization of the text (Presentation. Main text divided into chapters and sub-chapters according to the curriculum. Summary. Exercises, Evaluation)?

22. Are some chapters organized in a different way from others, destroying the balance of the overall text, or is this difference justified?

23. Does the length of chapters correspond to the importance of themes?

24. Are some chapters too long, despite the importance of the topic? Or, too short?

Language

25. Is the language used in the text easy to understand and adapted to the level of the pupils for whom the textbook is intended?

26. Does the vocabulary used correspond to the assumed level of the pupils, taking into account previous knowledge?

27. Is subject-specific vocabulary or terminology used? Are definitions given of new or unfamiliar words?

28. In general, is the length of phrases and their structure well adapted to the comprehension level of the pupils?

29. Is the meaning of the text clear and intelligible?

30. Is the punctuation in the text always justified?

The continuous link or thread

31. Where content permits, has the author used a continuous link or main theme to arouse the interest of the reader and incite him to further study the text?

Summary

32. Is the summary placed at the beginning or the end of the chapter? Is it clear, concise and does it correspond to the main aspects of the text?

The style of writing

33. Is the style sober and efficient or are there too many enumerations, imprecisions, dramatisation?

First and last pages

34. Does the introduction or the presentation clearly establish the objectives of the book and the meaning of the subject?

35. Is the table of contents detailed and accurate?

36. Were appendices and an index foreseen and have they been provided?

Illustrations

37. Are all the illustrations contained in the textbook fully justified? Or, are there too many?

38. Do they correspond to the content of the chapters in which they appear?

39. Are they clear and accurate?

40. Do they transmit interesting information, and visual representations unfamiliar to pupils or outside their environment?

41. Are illustrations evocative and will they arouse the pupils' interest?

42. Has too much attention been paid to aesthetic quality of illustrations to the detriment of their role of transmitting accurate information?

43. Are they in the right place? Is their location clearly indicated in relation to the texts to which they refer?

44. Are accompanying titles and captions clear and accurate? Have they been numbered?

45. Is their cost justified. (For reproductions of photos, works of art, processing of original images, printing, number of copies of the book foreseen?)