Advanced Language and Literature

Evaluation for 2.1
Materials include high-quality texts for ELAR instruction and cover a range of student interests.

The instructional materials provide a variety of authentic text selections over a range of disciplines and formats. Authors include celebrated novelists, poets, dramatists, essayists, writers of memoirs and experts of diverse disciplines, and include authors such as Julie Oksuta, Charles Blow, and Raymond Carver. Literary selections focus on issues and characters known to engage high school students. Expository texts address modern, relevant topics but also provide students with opportunities to engage with complex vocabulary, language, and concepts. The six theme-based chapters contain texts from diverse authors representing numerous cultures. Though many pieces were written by contemporary American authors, British and world literature are also represented across multiple chapters. The materials provide opportunities for students to engage with texts with increasing complexity throughout the year.

Examples include but are not limited to:

In Chapter 6, Ambition and Restraint, the materials use Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Macbeth as the central text. In a text-set supporting discussion on the themes of risk and reward, pieces include an excerpt from Spanish novelist Cervantes’ classic Don Quixote, William Carlos Williams’ modern reflection of the Renaissance painting Landscape with the Fall of Icarus, and Amy Tan’s short story, “The Rules of the Game.” 

In Chapter 8, Cultures in Conflict, a text-set focuses on themes of displacement and assimilation. Pieces include Rwandan immigrant Nola Kambanda’s recent essay “My New World Journey,” Indonesian American poet Li-Young Lee’s contemporary “For a New Citizen of These United States,” and an excerpt from French-born J. Hector St. John de Crevecoeur’s 1782 Letters from an American Farmer.

In Chapter 9, (Mis)Communication, the materials use Edmond Rostand’s classical play Cyrano de Bergerac as the central text. In an associated text-set focused on language and power, texts include an excerpt from Sandra Cisneros’ award-winning The House on Mango Street, a selection from Frederick Douglass’ 1845 autobiography, and “Children as Enemies,” a poem by Chinese-born poet and National Book Award-winner Ha Jin.

In Chapter 10, Utopia/Dystopia, the materials use the nonfiction text A Small Place by Jamaica Kincaid as the central text. Additional pieces include fictional works such as Kurt Vonnegut’s short story “Harrison Bergeron,” Chinua Achebe’s “A Civil Peace,” and nonfiction pieces such as Margaret Atwood’s “Are Humans Necessary?”

Evaluation for 2.2
Materials include a variety of text types and genres across content that meet the requirements of the TEKS for each grade level.

The materials reviewed include a variety of text types. The literary texts vary in style, theme, and structure to allow for literary analysis. Literary texts include both fiction (e.g., short stories and novel excerpts) and nonfiction (e.g., autobiographical essays and excerpts from memoirs and biographies). Informational texts include argumentative and informational pieces, though the materials provided limited examples of procedural, multimodal, and digital texts. Various print and graphic features are well-represented throughout the textbook.

Examples of literary texts include but are not limited to:

“Eveline” by James Joyce (short story)
“Civil Peace” by Chinua Achebe (short story)
Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes (novel)
“Ozymandias” by Percy Bysshe Shelley (poetry)
The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare (drama)
Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand (poetry)

Examples of informational texts include but are not limited to:

“The Joy of Less” by Pico Iyer (informational)
“Letter III – What Is an American?” by J. Hector St. John de Crevecoeur (informational)
“Speech to the United Nations Youth Assembly” by Malala Yousafzai (argumentative)
The Common School Journal by Horace Mann (argumentative)

Examples of print and graphical features include but are not limited to:

Photographs of the author, as well as visual images, accompany central texts in each chapter to support and deepen students’ understanding of the texts by making connections to the images, such as with the photo of Ray Bradbury for the short story “The Veldt” and the photograph selection from “Souvenir of the Carlisle Indian School.”

Visual selections include an excerpt from Faith Erin Hicks’ graphic novel Friends with Boys and journalist Karim Ben Khelifa’s photo essay “My Enemy, Myself.”

Though the textbook is available in a web-based format and includes hyperlinks and other interactive elements, the textbook does not include texts specifically designed to be experienced in a digital environment.

Evaluation for 2.3
Texts are at an appropriate level of complexity to support students at their grade level.

The materials include texts appropriately complex for English II students. The publisher provides quantitative and qualitative text-complexity analyses for a portion of the texts. In addition, the Teacher’s Edition provides a chapter overview with additional information on using the Lexile framework and a general approach to instruction with each of the texts. Additionally, the wide range of Lexile measures within and across the units make it possible for teachers to meet a variety of students’ needs.

Examples include but are not limited to:

The instructional materials provide a Lexile analysis including a Lexile measure and word count. The Lexile ranges from 640 (Otsuka’s When the Emperor Was Divine) to 1880 (Horace Mann’s Common School Journal).

Chapter 5 includes a brief description of the text selections as well as an explanation of the qualitative complexity of the texts. The publisher provides a summary of the excerpt from The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth by Alexandra Robbins and notes that while “the excerpt is written in an approachable, narrative style,” students will have to  “read and interpret results of scientific studies that Robbins brings into her argument.” Chapter 5 also includes one selection provided from James Joyce’s “Eveline.” The publisher includes a brief summary of the text and notes that the selection is challenging due to the “remote time period and location (early twentieth-century Ireland), as well as the complex language choices” and suggests providing ”extensive scaffolding” for students to successfully analyze the text.

In the Chapter 10 overview, the textbook authors state that the central text, an excerpt from Jamaica Kincaid’s extended essay A Small Place (with an assessed 1490L Lexile, considered above grade level) “is not a difficult one to read as Kincaid intentionally uses simple and straightforward diction, but students will need some additional background about British colonialism and Antigua. Kincaid’s tone is biting and acerbic, and students will likely need scaffolding in identifying and analyzing it.” (A note mentions that quantitative text-complexity information is available on the Teacher’s Resource Flash Drive.) Teaching suggestions are provided to help students develop background knowledge and an understanding of the text. In addition, the Teacher’s Edition details information about three texts of varying text complexity that students could use to practice rhetorical analysis: an excerpt from James Barrat’s Our Final Invention: Artificial Intelligence and the End of the Human Era (1160L) is deemed “approachable,” Francis Fukuyama’s “Transhumanism” (1270L) is labeled “medium,” and John Meacham’s “Free to Be Happy” (1390) is considered challenging. In the chapter overview, however, the textbook authors state that “Transhumanism” is “probably the most challenging text” in the text-set, noting Fukuyama’s “elevated” language, “sometimes esoteric” references, and complex argument.

Evaluation for 3.a.1
Materials contain questions and tasks that support students in analyzing and integrating knowledge, ideas, themes, and connections within and across texts.

The materials contain questions and tasks to support students in analyzing and integrating knowledge, ideas, themes, and connections within and across texts. The first four chapters provide students with a foundation for analyzing and responding to texts. The genres of subsequent chapters focus on connections between texts and analyzing theme and purpose. The tasks include making personal connections and determining the author’s message as well as using the texts as a mentor for composing students’ own writing. The majority of questions and tasks build conceptual knowledge and are text dependent. The units integrate multiple standards throughout.

Examples include but are not limited to:

In Chapter 1, Reading the World, the introduction to analysis of texts starts with photographs. Students determine what they observe, noting any patterns, and drawing conclusions. Students then apply this analysis routine to a poem, informational text, and graphic novel excerpt.

In Chapter 5, Identity and Society, students read the selection titled “The Devil’s Thumb” by Jon Krakauer and connect this reading to an article in The Outside Magazine. Upon reading both selections students are asked “How is this setting and situation similar to that of Krakauer in Alaska?” and “What effect is created by the overhead of point of view of this shot?”

In Chapter 7, students read “The Case Against Perfection.” A connection to a medical center survey is embedded within the text, and the students connect the data in the survey to the author’s claims in the text. A Washington Post political cartoon is also embedded in the text of part two of “The Case Against Perfection,” to allow students to compare the message of the political cartoon to the message of the author of the text.

In Chapter 8, students read When the Emperor Was Divine, and the poem “In Response to Executive Order 9066: All Americans of Japanese Descent Must Report to Relocation Centers.” Students explain the ways the speaker of the poem is similar or different from the boy in When the Emperor Was Divine.

In Chapter 9, students draw conclusions about the audience and purpose for Fredrick Douglass’ Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by responding to questions such as “Who is the primary audience for Douglass’ Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass? What ethos does he establish to appeal to this audience? Cite specific textual evidence to support your response.” This task requires students to engage in reading comprehension, analysis, making inferences, and citing textual evidence.

Evaluation for 3.a.2
Materials contain questions and tasks that require students to analyze the language, key ideas, details, craft, and structure of individual texts.

The materials provide ample opportunities to analyze texts, language, key ideas, and structure. The chapters are organized by theme and contain multiple texts from a variety of contexts (historical and contemporary) with tasks focused on the analysis of the author’s purpose and craft. Each chapter has a central text as well as additional selections providing students opportunities to connect the content of the texts and structures used to convey the content. The materials provide few tasks or questions focused on studying the differences between genres.

Examples include but are not limited to:

In Chapter 5, students read George Orwell’s “Shooting an Elephant” and discuss the questions “Who do you think was Orwell’s intended audience in 1936, and what do you think he was trying to communicate to them? How successful do you think he might have been in communicating his message? Why?” and “What are some of the words and phrases that are used to humanize the elephant’s death and how do these details help to illustrate Orwell’s point about imperialism?”

In Chapter 6, students analyze Kluger’s organization in “Ambition: Why Some People Are Most Likely to Succeed,” by responding to the question “What is the order in which he makes his points, how does he develop them, and what connections does he draw between his different points?”

In Chapter 7, students read a collection of texts on the topic of cheating. The conversation asks students to consider the ways authors Christopher Bergland in “Cheaters Never Win,” Chuck Klosterman in “Why We Look the Other Way,” and Brad Allenby in “Is Human Enhancement Cheating?” address cheating in sports and “what are the similarities and differences in the authors’ attitudes toward the role of cheating in sports?” 

In Chapter 9, students read “No Speak English” by Cisneros and respond to the following: “How does Cisneros develop the idea of entrapment through imagery and specific detail in this story?” This allows students to analyze the language of a text to determine its impact on the reader. In addition, students read the poem “English” in both English and Spanish and compare the poetic elements of the poem in the different languages: “note the difference in rhythm in the sections of the poem about English and those on Spanish. How do the different sounds and pacing reinforce the speaker’s meaning?”

Evaluation for 3.a.3
Materials include a cohesive, year-long plan for students to interact with and build key academic vocabulary in and across texts.

The materials provide some opportunities throughout the year for students to build their knowledge of academic vocabulary and apply their understanding in the context of written and oral responses. Students receive instruction and examples of academic, content-specific terms. Many of the selections include opportunities for students to determine the meaning of general vocabulary. Teachers receive some guidance on how to instruct students and make the content more familiar, but there are no opportunities for scaffolding instruction to meet the needs of diverse learners. Academic vocabulary is introduced in the foundational chapters and reinforced during the thematic chapters; however, the materials do not provide a year-long plan for intentionally building academic vocabulary.

Examples include but are not limited to:

In the foundational chapters, students learn literary and other academic terms with definitions, explanations, textual examples, and sample analyses. Students apply those concepts in their own textual analysis and writing, beginning with teacher-mediated discussion, then responding to prompts. Students encounter these literary terms in discussion and written tasks in the thematic chapters.

In Chapter 2, Thinking about Literature, in the “Language and Style” section, the literary term “allusion” is briefly defined along with other terms related to figurative language. Students identify examples of allusion in the opening lines of Genny Lim’s “Winter Place.” The materials state “be sure that students can identify the examples of imagery and figurative language from the excerpt of the poem.” The Teacher’s Edition also suggests the teacher “ask students to create their own original examples of each type of figurative language or identify examples from songs or other texts they know.” In the next section, “Analyzing Style and Theme,” students apply what they have learned earlier about diction, syntax, figurative language, and imagery.

In Chapter 6, students read “Flight 063” by Brian Aldiss. In the “Analyzing Language, Structure, and Style” section, the following question is posed: “How do the connotations of the word “silly” (l. 28) contribute to the speaker’s attitude toward Icarus’ fall?” No other guidance is provided.

In Chapter 9, the materials explain irony and its impact on a text. The culminating task requires students to apply their understanding: “Reread ‘Facebook Sonnet’ by Sherman Alexie (p. 811). Identify examples of verbal and situational irony. How do these ironies lead you to an understanding of the argument Alexie is making in this poem?”

In the overviews for several chapters, previews of individual texts include a note about vocabulary complexity. For example, in Chapter 10, Utopia and Dystopia, the Teacher’s Edition notes that the vocabulary in Pico Iyer’s “The Joy of Less” is complex and the language “quite elevated…so scaffolding and context building will be important.” No further suggestions are given, however, about how to scaffold for the complex vocabulary in the piece. No reference is made in the Teacher’s Edition in the after-reading questions and tasks related to vocabulary.

Evaluation for 3.a.4
Materials include a clearly defined plan to support and hold students accountable as they engage in independent reading.

The materials do not provide a clearly defined plan to support or hold students accountable for engaging in independent reading. While there are opportunities for students to independently read, these opportunities focus on the reading and studying of texts from within the materials. Additionally, there is a lack of procedures and protocols for teachers to foster independent reading and achievement of independent reading goals among students, and the materials do not provide guidance on holding students accountable for independent reading.

Examples include but are not limited to:

The materials provide suggested texts in the Teacher’s Edition that could be used as a pool of potential texts for independent reading. The materials also include an “Entering the Conversation” section that provides structured guidance on how to work with texts students select focused on the themes within each chapter.

In each unit, the Unit Overview and Planner provides an outline that suggests that students are given the opportunity to “choose to read two or more other pieces that interest them from the chapter.” The texts can be those provided in the materials, or they can be other texts that are aligned with the genre focus of the unit. For example, in Chapter 6, students read Yousafzai’s “Speech to the United Nations Youth Assembly” as a central text. Later in the chapter, students are able to choose two or more pieces to read from the chapter that interest them, focusing specifically on the writers’ use of persuasive techniques. The written composition is an assessment of the self-selected text but does not address students’ independent reading goals.

There is no evidence of a plan for guiding self-selection of texts or establishing independent reading goals independent of the themes within the materials.

Evaluation for 3.b.1
Materials provide support for students to develop writing skills across multiple text types for a variety of purposes and audiences.

The materials provide students the opportunity to engage in composing literary, informational, and argumentative texts, as well as producing correspondence. In each chapter, students have sections entitled “Analyzing Language, Style, and Structure” and “Topics for Composing,” which provide writing tasks organized by genre. Each chapter also has a writing workshop, which provides an opportunity for students to engage in the writing process with guidance and instruction on a specific genre.

Evidence includes, but is not limited to:

In Chapter 5, students read texts about individuals and society and write a story “about a time when you had to wear a metaphorical mask.” At the end of the chapter, students engage in a detailed writing workshop to compose a personal narrative following seven steps, which include planning, organization, adding dialogue, and reflecting on the significance of the experience. Students also read “Shooting an Elephant” by George Orwell. They then compose one letter from the point of view of the elephant’s owner, and a second letter, writing as Orwell, responding to the district administrator, justifying his position for shooting the elephant.

In Chapter 6, students read a speech by Malala Yousafzai and given the following task: “create a composition in which you explain a few of your strongest values and the inspirational sources to which you would credit the development of these values in you.” Students also read Macbeth and engage in informational writing, such as writing an essay that explains how Shakespeare uses imagery to develop the central theme or Macbeth’s attitude toward his wife.

In Chapter 7, students read about ethical issues. Students compose a speech to parents in which the student explains what it means to be a parent in the twenty-first century. The writing workshop task is to compose an argument. Students go through the process of analyzing sources, establishing a position, and integrating sources into their argument. Students also compose a poem called “‘A Contribution to Statistics in High School’ that focuses on the teachers, students, administrators, community members, and parents involved in [their] school.”

In Chapter 9 students read about miscommunication. Students then write a close analysis of the text they read by explaining their interpretation. Students work through the steps of developing a thesis, providing evidence, and explaining the significance of the evidence.

Evaluation for 3.b.2
Most written tasks require students to use clear and concise information and well- defended text-supported claims to demonstrate the knowledge gained through analysis and synthesis of texts.

The materials provide written tasks requiring students to use clear and concise information and well-defended text-supported claims. Students learn how to read and analyze texts throughout the first four chapters of the book. As students engage in reading texts throughout the chapter, they employ the skills of analysis and complete a culminating task to demonstrate mastery of the skills. In subsequent chapters, students implement the analysis, argumentation, and synthesis skills they learned to compose responses to prompts requiring those skills.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

In Chapter 3, students learn about rhetorical and argument analysis, which they build on in Chapter 4 by synthesizing multiple sources to analyze and write about texts. The culminating activity instructs students to, “First, analyze the rhetorical appeals and strategies Skenazy employs to achieve her purpose in this article. How persuasive do you think her argument is? Second, write your own brief essay arguing whether you believe a nine-year-old in your community should be allowed to travel (on a subway, bus, bicycle) without adult supervision, and if so, to what extent?”

In Chapter 5, students read “Eveline,” respond to the interpretation they find most plausible, and support their written response with “references and specific passages from the story.” Students also read “Shooting an Elephant,” determine the central idea of the text, and “use direct evidence from the text to support [their] response.”

In Chapter 6, Ambition and Restraint, after students read Act 2 of William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Macbeth, students write a summary of “Lennox’s description of the night and explain the effect it has at this moment in the play.” They also respond to the following question: “What other references to sleep does Macbeth make and what purpose do his descriptions of sleep serve within the scene?”

In Chapter 8, Cultures in Conflict, students respond in writing to a set of post-reading questions focused on understanding and interpreting the text. For example, students re-read an exchange of letters in paragraphs 37–41 and then “identify what is said and what is not said in the boy’s letter and explain what this reveals about their relationship.” Later, in “Conversation: Displacement and Assimilation,” after reading an excerpt from Maira Kalman’s illustrated book And the Pursuit of Happiness, students represent Kalman’s meandering style in a flow chart and respond to the prompt “How would you state Kalman’s position? What evidence supports your inference?”

Evaluation for 3.b.3
Over the course of the year, writing skills and knowledge of conventions are applied in increasingly complex contexts, with opportunities for students to publish their writing.

The materials provide opportunities for students to engage in the stages of the writing process (planning, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing); however, the materials include limited opportunities to revise and do not provide instruction for editing or publishing written products. In addition, the materials provide flexible grammar tools that allow teachers to target their instruction to specific students' needs. Those needs can be defined either through the formative writing opportunities in the book, or through the grammar diagnostics found on the LaunchPad platform; however, limited opportunities for practice within the context of a student’s writing exists within the materials.

Examples include but are not limited to:

The materials include the resource Guide to Language and Mechanics in the appendix. The guide includes sections on grammatical sentences, effective sentences, word choice, punctuation, and mechanics. This style guide provides simple rules, explanations, and examples for common issues related to grammar and mechanics. For example, in Part 4, “Punctuation,” students can read advice for the use of end punctuation, commas, semi-colons, colons, dashes, and parentheses. Students receive the following guidance in instruction 15a: “DO use a comma with a coordinating conjunction to join two main clauses.” Explanations and examples are provided. The materials are in isolation and not specifically connected to any chapter or writing genre. Teachers can assign the tasks to students, but no opportunity exists for students to demonstrate their understanding of the concept in or out of the context of writing.

“Grammar Girl” podcasts offer a self-study opportunity for students on a wide range of writing, grammar, and punctuation topics. The podcasts do not provide interactive components nor any associated tasks for students. The teacher can assign the “Grammar Girl” podcasts to individual students or to the whole class. The podcast titles do not always use the same language as the style guide, which may cause difficulty in identifying the relevant podcast.

LearningCurve interactive lessons are available to allow students to practice recognizing correct and incorrect applications of conventions in the format of multiple-choice questions; however, they are not called upon explicitly to apply those conventions in their own writing within the platform.

Diagnostics in the LaunchPad platform provide an individualized study plan for students and teachers. The exercises increase in difficulty; for instance, there are activities called “Avoiding Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers 1,” “2,” and “3,” with each designed to be progressively more difficult.

In Chapters 1–4, students receive instruction in analyzing and writing about literature. Each of the subsequent thematic chapters (5–10) walks students through the planning, drafting, and revising stages of composition in various genres. Students have an opportunity to study models of writing in each genre, analyze genre-specific composition, and then plan and draft their own compositions step by step.

In Chapter 5, students compose a personal narrative. The materials provide seven steps with examples to guide students’ development. The steps include “Finding a Topic,” “Organizing and Starting Your Narrative,” “Adding Details,” and “Reflecting on the Significance.” Students do not receive guidance on editing the draft or publishing.

In Chapter 6, students plan and draft an argument following these steps: 1. Find a Topic; 2. Gather Information; 3. Make a Claim; 4. Select Your Evidence; 5. Write Your Opening; 6. Write Your Body Paragraphs; and 7. Wrap Up the Argument. Revision is referenced several times in the text, but this revision focuses on rhetoric, clarity, and author's craft rather than sentence-level composition decisions. Editing for grammar, syntax, and mechanics is not treated as a skill set to be developed within the writing workshops.

Evaluation for 3.c.1
Materials support students’ listening and speaking about texts.

The materials provide limited speaking and listening opportunities focused on the text(s) being studied in class. Students can demonstrate comprehension by referencing the texts and responding to written prompts that require comprehension; however, few tasks require students to listen or speak about a text. The materials do not embed intentional verbal discussion opportunities for students to support their positions on topics using textual evidence.

Examples include but are not limited to:

Each chapter has two options for “Entering the Conversation,” which allow students to make connections among texts while considering the major theme of the chapter. Many of the tasks are written, not speaking or listening. Students support their positions on topics through the use of textual evidence after engaging in analysis and synthesis of information in the tasks, but the tasks are not explicitly addressed as oral activities. For example, in Chapter 7, students have an opportunity to compose a speech, but they are not required to present it. “Sandel’s argument pivots on his definition of what it means to be a parent in the early twenty-first century. Write a speech that you would deliver to an audience of parents from your community explaining why you agree or disagree with Sandel’s viewpoint.”

In Chapter 4, Thinking About Synthesis, students study an excerpt from Amanda Ripley’s “The Case against High School Sports.” The Teacher’s Edition recommends a gradual release of responsibility for reading this challenging text. The teacher can provide students time to work in small groups, alternating reading aloud chunks of the text with discussions about annotation decisions, and finally having students read a few paragraphs silently. As the Teacher’s Edition explains, “This process of reading in different modes (full class, small group, individually) along with discussion should stimulate deeper understanding and keep the focus on textual evidence.”

In Chapter 5, students read the central text, “Shooting an Elephant,” and can “hold a mock trial to debate the speaker’s actions. There should be a prosecutor who is trying to convict the speaker of property damage, a defense attorney who is trying to justify the speaker’s actions, a judge, and a jury to determine guilt or innocence. Be sure that all of the evidence you consider comes directly from the text itself and any relevant research you conduct on the time period and location.” Also in Chapter 5,  Conversation: Changes and Transformation, during the study of Caitlin Horrocks’ story “Zolaria,” the Teacher’s Edition suggests dividing students into groups to analyze the narrator’s character in four phases of her life, challenging them to identify three to five character traits with textual support for each stage, then compare traits among groups. The teacher poses questions that call for students to synthesize information across different parts of the text: “Is she static or dynamic? How and why?” This activity is noted as a suggestion and does not serve as an integral part of the core curriculum.

In Chapter 6, Ambition and Restraint, while students read the central text, Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Macbeth, the Close Reading teaching idea suggests the teacher “have students examine the paradoxes offered by the witches in lines 65–69, then have them discuss the effect it has on this first encounter between Macbeth and the witches.”

Evaluation for 3.c.2
Materials engage students in productive teamwork and student-led discussions, in both formal and informal settings.

The materials provide guidance on how to engage in academic conversations and presentations throughout Chapter 1 and the “Speaking and Learning” appendix. These resources provide detailed information on topics such as active listening, effective group communication, and using presentation aids; however, the materials provide few intentional opportunities to apply the skills throughout the rest of the year.

Examples include but are not limited to:

In the Guide to Speaking and Listening, found in the appendix, students receive information about effective listening and group communication, including group decision-making and framing disagreements. The appendix also contains information about the steps for creating a speech, the characteristics of informative and persuasive speeches, and suggestions for citing sources and incorporating presentation aids into a speech.

In Chapter 1, students learn about active listening, challenging an idea, and reaching consensus. In addition, students receive instruction in public speaking, including delivering a presentation and presentations in the digital age. The culminating activity calls upon students to present a speech on a topic chosen by them.

In Chapter 3, Thinking about Rhetoric and Argument, the Teacher’s Edition suggests using student discussion to build collective understanding for the concepts of rhetoric and argument. Students search for the terms and divide into six groups to compile their findings and begin looking for patterns and discrepancies. Students share their results and discuss the multiplicity of meanings for the terms. Later in the chapter, students are presented with four scenarios to consider the ways changes in context cause changes in an argument. The Teacher’s Edition suggests students “work in groups to discuss the elements of each scenario…and flesh them out; then each group can choose one member to deliver the argument with the rest of the class serving as the designated audience.”

In Chapter 6, Ambition and Restraint, in an opening activity, students write their personal response to a guiding question and share those responses in small groups. The materials provide two opportunities to present for peers. Option one involves formal research: “Do some research into the history and philosophy of dub poetry. Who are its major artists? Is it largely a protest movement? Present your findings in a multimedia format that includes performances.” Option two requires a less formal presentation: “Write a poem intended to get under the skin of its audience in a way that continues “ringin talkin irritatin” (I. 67) people, that is, a poem that calls its readers to action. Use a vernacular or English dialect in some parts or throughout the poem. Present your poem either as a written or performed text.” Another option for this task: “Record yourself or a classmate reading ‘English,’ or read with someone to alternate ‘English’ and ‘Spanish’ voices. Add background music that captures the ideas and tone of each section.”

In Chapter 9, (Mis)communication, “Conversation: Socially Networked,” in a study of Sherman Alexie’s “Facebook Sonnet,” the Teacher’s Edition suggests assigning each sentence to a different group. Each group is charged with analyzing their sentence in relation to the poem as a whole, their experience with social media, and the poem’s title. After approximately ten minutes, each group is called upon to summarize their findings in a brief oral presentation.

Evaluation for 3.d.1
Materials engage students in both short-term and sustained recursive inquiry processes to confront and analyze various aspects of a topic using relevant sources.

The materials provide opportunities for students to engage in short term research and inquiry projects throughout each thematic-based chapter. Students find and analyze sources as well as synthesize the information. The materials address bias and credibility within sources but contain no discussion about primary versus secondary sources. The research opportunities within the materials do not grow in complexity as the year progresses. The materials provide opportunities for students to discuss research with peers, but students do not engage in sustained research or present their findings in a more formal presentation format.

Evidence includes, but is not limited to:

In Chapter 4, Thinking about Synthesis, the materials include information and practice related to integrating sources into one’s writing. Students consider the source of Kai Sato’s “The Case for High School Sports,” published on the Huffington Post website, by identifying the target audience and the influence the target audience might have on the text’s credibility. Later, in “Activity: Finding and Evaluating Sources,” students find an additional related source either via a Google search or library database. The materials provide specific suggestions for search terms and questions to support the students’ evaluation of the source’s credibility. The Teacher’s Edition suggests pairing students to share the source they found as well as their evaluation of its credibility. In the culminating activity, students write an evidence-based synthesis essay from the texts related to the topic of high school sports. There is no evidence of discussion of primary and secondary sources or a sustained recursive inquiry process.

In Chapter 6, students engage in a conversation about risk and reward after reading a variety of texts. One possible research task suggests to “select a person from history whose ambition led to greatness, but at a great cost.” Additionally, students “determine what drove this historical figure to achieve and how his or her accomplishments contributed to history. Refer to at least two sources from this Conversation as you present your findings.” This opportunity allows students to employ the synthesis activities presented in Chapter 4. There is no evidence of discussion of primary and secondary sources or a sustained recursive inquiry process.

In Chapter 8, Cultures in Conflict, the Teacher’s Edition suggests students research a range of topics related to the central text, an excerpt from Julie Otsuka’s novel When the Emperor Was Divine, to build context. The teacher can also present students with a broad research question about civil rights and allow students to research in teams, using the Bill of Rights as a source. Of the eight possible composition topics for the Otsuka piece, six involve research. One topic instructs students to research the process by which legislation provided a formal apology to Japanese Americans imprisoned during World War II, and a different topic involves researching Colorado governor Ralph L. Carr’s opposition to the detention of Japanese Americans. There is no evidence of discussion of primary and secondary sources or a sustained recursive inquiry process.

In Chapter 10, students read an essay by Jamaica Kincaid and engage in the following task: “This essay was written in 1988. Research the things that Kincaid describes and discuss whether they remain the same today. Is the library open? Is the sewer system developed? Then comment on how your research has informed your view on whether it is right or wrong to be a tourist in Antigua.” This provides an opportunity to develop an argument based on research. There is no evidence of discussion of primary and secondary sources or a sustained recursive inquiry process.

Evaluation for 3.e.1
Materials contain interconnected tasks that build student knowledge and provide opportunities for increased independence.

In the foundational chapters, questions and tasks focus on honing students’ reading, writing, speaking and thinking skills. The thematic chapters apply these literacy skills to analysis and synthesis of texts. The sequenced tasks integrate reading, writing, and thinking, and consistently provide text-centered written responses. The materials provide writing workshops and reading workshops within each chapter. The materials provide limited vocabulary, syntax, and fluency instruction.

Examples include but are not limited to:

In Chapter 5, Conversation: Changes and Transformations, in the study of Sharon Olds’ poem “My Son the Man and The Possessive,” the post-reading tasks in the “Understanding and Interpreting” section include: 1) describing the speaker and identifying her fears based on text evidence; 2) analyzing and explaining a metaphor; 3) evaluating the speaker’s motivation; and 4) evaluating a simile from the point of view of the speaker. The “Analyzing Language, Style, and Structure” tasks include: 1) evaluating the implications of the speaker’s sense of time as indicated by the opening lines; 2) explaining how imagery establishes the relationship between two characters; 3) inferring how the speaker communicates her fear; and 4) analyzing how a description reveals a central struggle of the speaker.

In Chapter 10, Utopia/Dystopia, “Conversation: The Pursuit of Happiness,” in the study of Wislawa Szymborska’s “Utopia” (the third poem in the conversation), tasks in the post-reading “Understanding and Interpreting” section include: 1) identifying what certainties are ensured in the poet’s description of the island of “Utopia”; 2) interpreting descriptions of the island; 3) describing the difference between the “Tree of Valid Supposition” and the “Tree of Understanding”; and 4) inferring how the poem might be interpreted as a commentary on the reading of poetry. In the Teacher’s Edition, Chapter 10, Utopia/Dystopia, “Unit Planner: Rhetorical Analysis,” the teacher is instructed to conduct a formative assessment, then “review or work through portions of Chapter 3, including sections on the Rhetorical Situation, and Pitfalls and Vulnerabilities.”

Evaluation for 3.e.2
Materials provide spiraling and scaffolded practice.

The materials provide opportunities to engage in reading, writing, and thinking skills throughout the course of the year. The foundational chapters focus on building students’ skills in reading, analyzing, and writing texts. Students then apply these skills to complete the tasks in subsequent chapters. Each thematic chapter contains both a nonfiction- and a literature-based “Conversation.” This allows for spiraling of skills taught in the foundational chapters within each thematic chapter. Further spiraling and deepening of instruction is done in the reading workshops, which contain activities for students to demonstrate their increasing mastery of skills. The design of the materials, however, includes limited scaffolds for students.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

In Chapters 1–4, students learn the skills to read, analyze, and write about texts. Chapter 1 teaches the analysis process and Chapter 2 provides a context for analysis of the literary element, language, and style of text. Chapter 3 provides practice in analyzing rhetoric and argument, while Chapter 4 provides a process for synthesizing sources to create an original argument.

In Chapter 5, students analyze rhetoric in the text “Shooting an Elephant.” Question examples include “Who do you think was Orwell’s intended audience in 1936, and what do you think he was trying to communicate to them? How successful do you think he might have been in communicating his message?” The materials suggest students go back to Chapters 1–4, but no specific, additional scaffolding is evident.

In Chapter 7, students implement the skills they learned in Chapter 4 to compose a synthesis argument. In a workshop, students read three articles and respond to the prompt “Why do you think the public is so outraged when it finds out that a professional athlete has taken performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs)? Is this outrage appropriate?” Students have to analyze the sources, include the sources in the conversation, take a stand, and integrate the sources into an original argument.

In Chapter 10 students write a rhetorical analysis that follows the same structure (make observations, identify patterns, and draw conclusions) that was established in Chapter 1.

Evaluation for 5.1
Materials include supports for students who demonstrate proficiency above grade level.

The materials do not provide explicit opportunities for students to demonstrate above-grade-level proficiency or investigate the grade-level content at a greater depth. While the materials provide a general overview of the selections and tasks within the unit as well as “teaching ideas,” no specific resources provide extensions or differentiation for above-grade-level performance. The unit planners for the chapter writing tasks list a challenging text option to use as a model, but the recommended tasks associated with the challenging option do not provide students demonstrating above-grade-level literacy skills an opportunity to extend or challenge their literacy skills.

Examples include but are not limited to:

The introduction to the materials provides an overview of the organization and some guidance on differentiation strategies. The materials provide “a description of the challenges each text may pose for students based on the language complexity, time period, unfamiliar contexts, or other factors. This information will help you differentiate based on materials. For every chapter you will see a series of annotations, including Teaching Ideas, Building Context, Check for Understanding, and Close Reading notes, all designed to assist you in differentiating based on the process that you use. And finally, you will also see a wide range of questions and prompts throughout this book to help you differentiate based on the product—both in terms of difficulty and mode of composition...”

While the materials contain an abundance of post-reading tasks, the items do not provide an indication about the difficulty level of any task. For example, in the “Understanding and Interpreting” task section after Act II, 23 tasks are listed with no indication of which ones might be appropriate for students performing above grade level. The items are not labeled with any headings to help students and teachers make the decision about which tasks might be most appropriate.

Evaluation for 5.2
Materials include supports for students who perform below grade level to ensure they are meeting the grade-level literacy standards.

The materials do not consistently provide options for differentiating or extending texts, products, or processes. The teaching suggestions within the materials indicate challenging aspects of individual texts and suggest approaches to build context or help students make connections. Suggestions for addressing the needs of students struggling to understand a text typically involve a whole-class discussion or finding additional information on the Internet.

Evidence includes, but is not limited to:

In Chapter 2, students begin analyzing literature. The teacher materials provide the following differentiation suggestion: “Like identifying theme, analyzing a work for its tone is essential to understanding the text, so be sure to take your time with this section on tone and refer to the Reading Workshop in Chapter 10 if your students need more support.”

In Chapter 6, the materials provide the following suggestions to support students: “The second section in particular may challenge students with its difficult syntax and its biblical allusion. It might be useful to talk through this section with them or to read it aloud to emphasize the subjects and verbs in the sentences.” Later in the chapter, the materials suggest, “to aid students’ analysis of the essay’s structure, you might ask them to create a formal outline for the essay.”

In Chapter 10, to build context for the reading workshop, the materials suggest “Diction and tone were both addressed in Chapter 2; you may want to ask students to look back at those sections before beginning this Workshop.”

Evaluation for 5.3
Materials include supports for English Learners (EL) to meet grade-level learning expectations.

The materials reviewed for English II do not meet the requirements of the indicator because there are limited opportunities for teachers to provide support for students who are English Learners. The materials do not include strategic accommodations with a clear plan for sequencing and scaffolding different proficiency levels for English Learners. The materials do not include adapted text, translations, or native language support. The materials do not address the strategic use of students’ first language as a means to enhance English proficiency. The materials do include summaries and overviews of the texts as well as pictures and some vocabulary support such as a glossary/glosario and cognates, but these are not designed specifically for English Learners.

Examples include but are not limited to:

The materials do not incorporate realia, bilingual dictionaries, native language support, translations, summaries, or adapted texts.

The materials do not encourage strategic use of students’ first language as a means to support linguistic, affective, cognitive, and academic development in English (e.g., to enhance vocabulary development). Evidence could not be found of suggestions for students or teachers to draw upon prior knowledge of a primary language other than English for vocabulary development or other instructional purposes.

A glossary/glosario is provided at the back of the textbook, but the definitions are not written to meet the needs of students who require linguistic accommodations.

The materials do not include adapted texts, translations, native language support, bilingual dictionaries, or a thesaurus.

The student textbook allows for students to choose to have the text read aloud; however, the computer-generated audio-recording includes mispronunciations, such as “notice,” “opposites,” and “conclusion,” and years are read as numbers (e.g., “one thousand eight hundred and eight”). The audio recording is of all text on the page, and a specific word or sentence cannot be selected.

The overview explains how to use the “key context” to build background knowledge, how to use the visual texts, which “inform the reading of a print text, suggest new ideas, provide additional context, extend an understanding to the real world, or allow students to make interesting connections,” and how to use the “seeing connections” boxes, which “give students the opportunity to ponder how the ideas of a piece connect with images, films, and outside texts. These boxes are departures from the text that ask students to explore the world of ideas and find new insights.” These supports can be used with English Learners, but the materials do not support teachers in using these with English Learners. 

In Chapter 5, Identity and Society, in preparation for the study of William Shakespeare’s “The Seven Ages of Man,” a “Building Context” teaching note states that “the number of unfamiliar words in the passage may overwhelm English language learners.” The note recommends that the teacher make a list of “likely problematic vocabulary,” have students “self-select terms they need to know,” and “have students complete a vocabulary four square for their word” with a definition, a “simple image,” the part of speech, and the word in a sentence. The suggestion is made to post these in the classroom and allow students to take photos of the graphic organizers for later reference. The materials do not list which vocabulary might be challenging for students, nor is the teacher instructed to take any further steps to help students build their understanding of the unfamiliar words.

Evaluation for 6.1
Materials include assessment and guidance for teachers and administrators to monitor progress including how to interpret and act on data yielded.

The materials include options for formative and summative assessments that are aligned to the chapter’s content; however, there is no reference to the TEKS in any of the materials. Additionally, while the materials provide some guidance for the scoring of summative writing assessments, there is not sufficient guidance for interpreting and responding to student performance on pre-assessments or on formative or summative tasks. Assessments are connected to the regular content to support student learning but lack guidance and support for teachers to document and track student progress. The chapter overview provides support for teachers to incorporate both formative and summative assessments throughout each of the chapters.

Examples include but are not limited to:

Assessments are connected to the regular content to support student learning. The instructional materials include assessments that are aligned to the instructional content of the unit. For each chapter, the formative tasks are used to build up to the summative assessment. The Teacher’s Resource Flash Drive contains suggested responses for the formative assessment and student responses to questions in the materials but does not contain information for scoring or for responding to students’ performance.

Each of the writing assessments include a rubric for scoring the students’ compositions. For example, the Chapter 5 overview includes a summative rubric for a narrative writing task. The Chapter 8 overview includes a rubric for thematic interpretation of analytical writing. Both rubrics provide guidance on what to expect from students’ performance, but there is no guidance for responding to students’ performance other than references to the foundational chapters that address the specific writing genre assessed in the task.

In Chapter 1, a suggested formative assessment is, "One way of working through these three texts is by using the gradual release of responsibility approach. Practice the analysis process with the poem as a class, then complete the nonfiction piece in pairs, and the third — the graphic novel — could be analyzed independently, used as an early formative assessment.” The assessments are aligned to the chapter’s content, but information about the TEKS addressed in each of these assessments is not included.

In Chapter 7, teachers are provided with an overview that outlines formative assessments for reading and writing as well as summative writing tasks for the chapter. The assessments are aligned to the chapter’s content, but information about the TEKS addressed in each of these assessments is not included.

Evaluation for 6.2
Materials include year-long plans and supports for teachers to identify needs of students and provide differentiated instruction to meet the needs of a range of learners to ensure grade-level success.

The differentiation supports within the materials focus on the process, product, and texts; however, few specific examples of differentiation could be found throughout each chapter. The Teacher Edition annotations include a limited number of strategies to engage students in the task and selections or to provide contextual information to make the tasks more relevant to students. The materials do not provide an overarching year-long plan for teachers to engage students in multiple grouping (and other) structures.

Examples include but are not limited to:

The introduction to the materials provides an overview of the publisher’s view on how to use the resource to differentiate instruction. The materials discuss three ways to differentiate: process, product, and materials. “The features of this Teacher’s Edition are intended to give you as much information about the texts and other resources within this book as possible, in order to help you target and differentiate your instruction. In the Chapter Overview preceding each thematic chapter (Chapters 5–10), you will see, for instance, a description of the challenges each text may pose for students based on the language complexity, time period, unfamiliar contexts, or other factors. This information will help you differentiate based on materials. For every chapter you will see a series of annotations, including Teaching Ideas, Building Context, Check for Understanding, and Close Reading notes, all designed to assist you in differentiating based on the process that you use. And finally, you will also see a wide range of questions and prompts throughout this book to help you differentiate based on the product — both in terms of difficulty and mode of composition. Differentiation is about making sound, informed instructional choices based on the identified needs of your students.”

The Teacher Edition materials include some annotations and support for engaging students in the materials, as well as support for implementing ancillary and resource materials. Throughout the materials, teachers are provided with suggestions to “build context” and well as “teaching idea[s]” to support the level of student engagement by including activities to make the content more relevant or accessible. The grouping strategies suggested within the materials also tend to focus on engagement rather than being presented as a plan to differentiate instruction; typically the materials suggest breaking the whole class into pairs or groups to allow students to address different aspects of a text, break up a topic into smaller parts, or allow for more student engagement.

The unit overview for each chapter provides teachers with an opportunity to plan instruction based on the needs of students. The overview contains an entry text to provide a foundation for the learning; the formative assessment; three model selections designated as approachable, medium, and challenging; an additional text to “deepen skills”; formative writing opportunities; and a summative assessment.  The material did not include support for utilizing the student progress components to differentiate instruction.

In Chapter 3, the teaching ideas suggest using a video to support students’ understanding. “The Monty Python video on argument (available on YouTube) is likely to get a laugh out of your students — and you can use it as an occasion to discuss what argument is not.”

In Chapter 4, Thinking about Synthesis, a “teaching idea” note for an activity allowing practice for drawing on a source explains that the exercise “invites paired or group work so that students can consider why different passages appealed to different individuals.” The composition of groups is left to the teacher.

In Chapter 11, students read about “(Mis)Communication.” One of the activities suggests building context: “You may want to show students excerpts of the film The Social Network so they can better understand and visualize how Mark Zuckerberg founded the company.”

Evaluation for 6.3
Materials include implementation support for teachers and administrators.

The materials provide a context and overview of the instructional program with the knowledge and skills that will be addressed. The materials are not accompanied by a TEKS-aligned scope and sequence outlining the essential knowledge and skills that are taught in the program or their connection between grade levels; however, guidance is evident of the order in which knowledge and skills are presented. There is some teacher support provided in implementing the materials through the use of annotations, suggested student responses, and an overview of the selections and how to pace instruction. There is no evidence within the materials reviewed of additional support to help administrators support teachers in implementing the materials as intended. The materials provide a pacing guide based on 50-minute class periods. Teachers would have to adjust for their individual schedules, but the breadth of content is available to cover a year of instruction.

Evidence includes, but is not limited to:

“Chapter Overview”/“Unit Planner” sections for each thematic unit provide guidance on text choices and instruction as well as a suggested pacing guide. The “Guided Tour of Advanced Language & Literature” section in the front matter of the Teacher’s Edition explains the layout of the textbooks and describes additional resources provided to assist the teacher.

The front matter of the Teacher’s Edition provides an overview of the materials. “In the Chapter Overview preceding each thematic chapter (Chapters 5–10), you will see, for instance, a description of the challenges each text may pose for students based on the language complexity, time period, unfamiliar contexts, or other factors. This information will help you differentiate based on materials. For every chapter you will see a series of annotations, including Teaching Ideas, Building Context, Check for Understanding, and Close Reading notes, all designed to assist you in differentiating based on the process that you use. And finally, you will also see a wide range of questions and prompts throughout this book to help you differentiate based on the product — both in terms of difficulty and mode of composition.” This information provides teachers with some support in implementing the instructional materials.

The materials do not include a connection to or outline of the TEKS, nor do they demonstrate how the skills presented build and connect across grade levels; however, in the notes of the digital Teacher’s Edition, the materials state which TEKS are addressed by particular activities.

While there is no explicit guidance on how to incorporate the materials over the course of the school year, the “Planning Your Course” section at the introduction to the text states: “While we tried to keep Advanced Language & Literature as brief as possible, we also wanted to provide enough material that teachers with classes of various interests, aims, and ability levels would have plenty of material to choose from for years to come. It is very unlikely that your students will be able to read all of the stories, poems, and nonfiction pieces found here, and we don’t recommend that they try. In teaching with this book, the emphasis should be on depth of study, rather than breadth and covering as much material as possible.”

As stated in the “Teaching with Advanced Language & Literature” section in the Teacher’s Edition, “Depending on which components of each chapter or how much of the four opening chapters you cover with your students, you can probably expect to be able to get through three to four of the thematic chapters in a single school year, so one possibility is to do what one of the authors of this book did: let the students vote on the chapters that most interest them!”

The materials include a pacing guide for the opening chapters that describes the focus of the chapter, the culminating activity, and a suggested time frame for instruction. Each thematic chapter includes a chapter overview and a guide for pacing. The materials do note that the pacing is built on a 50-minute class period schedule.

Evaluation for 6.4
The visual design of the student edition (whether in print or digital) is neither distracting nor chaotic.

The digital text is designed with ample white space and text features consistently help readers navigate the text successfully. The materials use pictures and graphics to extend students’ understanding of the associated text. Images are included throughout the student text. In many cases, these images are integrated with the associated text. Photos are hyperlinked to allow readers to expand to full screen or zoom in; however, many images are of a lower resolution, so full-screen and zoom options are of limited utility.

Examples include but are not limited to:

Each chapter includes bold headings and numbering to direct students to the appropriate sections for each task.

The materials include a different color text and font to differentiate between the texts and the questions and tasks for students.

Throughout each chapter, images and photographs are aligned center or justified right or left to provide adequate spacing for captions.

Chapter outlines are provided for each chapter, with hyperlinks to individual activities and texts. The outlines are formatted in outline format, though without numbers or letters to aid in navigation.

In Chapter 5, the central text is “Shooting an Elephant” by George Orwell. The images included provide insight to the author’s background on elephant poaching and are related to the content of the paragraph above or below it. Questions about the images are also included.

In Chapter 10, the “Analyzing Diction and Tone” activity provides students with a photograph of Arlington National Cemetery and asks students to analyze the photographer’s choices.

Evaluation for 6.5
If present, technology components included are appropriate for grade level students and provide support for learning.

The online platform offers access to textbook materials outside of the classroom. The downloadable eBook allows students and teachers to access the content on a computer and a phone even without Internet access. Instructors can assign specific content to the class or to individual students. All materials from the textbook are accessible digitally. The digital table of contents provides access to materials for both teacher and student, and instructors can view the platform in student view. Text is clear and discriminable. In the eBook, text can be changed to meet the needs of students with visual impairments or dyslexia. In the web-based version, text can be expanded 200 percent without a loss of clarity. Audio support is limited, as is embedded text support. Navigation within each webpage is via table of contents and side scroll bar with limited embedded page navigation. The page layout is linear, reproducing the text organization in the print materials. Visual texts are static in the eBook and have limited interactivity in the web-based version.

Examples include but are not limited to:

The student textbook material is accessible via the LaunchPad online platform in a web-based format and as a downloadable eBook. The Teacher’s Edition is also available as a downloadable eBook.

The text in both online formats is high contrast with simple font. Color is used to code certain activities and types of text, but headers indicate these shifts as well. In the eBook version, readers can change the text size, font, viewing mode (Day, Night, Sepia, or Cyan), margins, and line height. In the web-based format, text is zoomable to at least 200 percent with no loss in clarity. The text selections do not appear to have text-to-speech or audio-recorded alternatives in either the web-based or e-Book formats.

The platform allows instructors to assign content directly to a class or to individual students and to remind students of the assignment via email. The instructor platform allows the instructor to preview materials in the student view. The instructor console allows the instructor some ability to personalize general information, navigation, and gradebook preferences.

Students access assigned content via the LaunchPad platform and may also access unassigned resources, including game-like LearningCurve quizzes related to material covered in each chapter that can be used as adaptive formative assessment.

Online diagnostic assessments in grammar, style, reading skills, and reading strategies are available via LaunchPad, and an ExamView test bank allows teachers to customize multiple-choice assessments to be administered digitally or on paper.

“Grammar Girl” audio podcasts are available for listening within the online platform. Though there is no closed captioning for hearing-impaired students, there is an option to download a transcript.

In the web-based version and eBook, each text selection is accessible via the table of contents and accordion menus as well as via a search feature. In both the eBook and web-based versions, a slender right-side scroll bar allows the reader to navigate up and down the page.

In the eBook, all the material for each textbook section is contained on a separate webpage. The left-side accordion-style Table of Contents menu allows the reader to navigate to a particular part of the webpage, though the page itself does not typically contain embedded navigation (except for in some cases hyperlinks for included texts at the top of the webpage). The eBook webpage for Chapter 3, Thinking About Rhetoric, “Effective Argumentative Claims”, contains initial explanatory information, a key question and two activities, the second of which contains three short texts. The webpage embeds navigation tools, though the reader could navigate to subsections via the Table of Contents.

In the web-based version, students can click on most images embedded within web pages to zoom in to a degree, though the zoom feature is limited to one size increase. In the eBook, images are static. In Chapter 9, (Mis)Communication, on the webpage for the section “Conversation: Socially Networked,” three charts – “Size of Facebook Network by Gender,” “Has the Internet Been a Good Thing or a Bad Thing?” and “Technologies That Would Be Very Hard to Give Up” – are blurry. The caption for a political cartoon on the same page is pixelated. Other images on the page are clear (e.g., author photographs, a chart, a political cartoon, artistic images).

Though most intra-page hyperlinks successfully navigate the reader to the correct location on the page, hyperlinks to other pages or outside resources are not always successful. In the eBook version of Chapter 3, Thinking about Rhetoric and Argument, the first webpage contains a hyperlinked chapter outline and introductory materials. A click on the hyperlinked term “rhetoric” does not seem to navigate to another location, but the definition is provided immediately below. In Chapter 9, (Mis)Communication, on the webpage for the section “Conversation: Socially Networked,” a hyperlinked page number navigates the student to a political cartoon from the chapter introduction. Once the reader navigates away from the webpage, the return path is unclear. In the web-based format of the same resource, once the student navigates to the hyperlinked page, clicking on the “Previous” button redirects the reader to the beginning of the section, rather than to the page including the hyperlink. In Sherman Alexie’s poem “Facebook Sonnet,” the poem references church.com, a modern cultural reference, which is hyperlinked to a non-existent website in both the eBook and the web-based format.