Within the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) standards, it is intended to construct consistency within teaching foreign languages as a whole. The standards are focused on language content, delivery, and instructions. Textbook evaluations based off of ACTFL guidelines include the 5 Cs; communication, culture, connections, comparisons, and communities. Textbook evaluations following ACTFL guidelines also include the seven curricular elements; language systems, communication strategies, cultural knowledge, learning strategies, content from other subject areas, critical- thinking skills, and technology.

            The five Cs consist of communication, culture, connections, comparisons, and communities. An area of the 5 Cs that I find the most effective for my textbook, Grammar Dimensions; Form, Meaning, and Use (4^th edition) by Diane Freeman, is that it focuses mainly on how the L2 learner can apply their language into real life settings and experiences. It provides excellent vocabulary, diagrams, grammatical structures, examples, and written response questions for the L2 learner to utilize if needed. Each chapter in Freemans textbook consists of four to eight different focus sections that each focus on the form, meaning and/or use of that particular aspect of language for the chapter. L2 learners are easily able to compare their own native language to English along with incorporating their personal interests on certain activities. One thing that Freeman does not capitalize on according to the 5 Cs is the cultural aspect. From my understanding, Freemans textbook does not provide a great deal of cultural information for the L2 learner to compare their native language to. This is an area that I would improve within this text.

            The seven curricular elements evaluate language systems, communication strategies, cultural knowledge, learning strategies, content from other subjects, critical- thinking skills, and technology. One area that Freemans textbook capitalizes on within these factors, are the learning strategies and critical thinking aspects it provides. Each chapter is filled with tips and tricks to help the learner understand better or use that specific skill within social settings. At the end of each chapter, there is a ‘use your English’ section to help bridge the gap for the L2 learner using their English outside the classroom. This section is designed to incorporate grammatical components into their writing, reading, speaking, and listening skills. One aspect that Freemans textbook doesn’t necessarily lack but I think not enough information is present within just the text is the technology aspect. There are aspects throughout the text that the learner has the option to listen to a CD or download an app, but I think there could be more of a base using technology when learning English as a second language. With our generation, everyone relies heavily on technology, so I believe that by incorporating more technology aspects it can have a positive effect on the L2 learner. They can have the option to make learning English a more fun way through an app and also carrying their learning outside of the classroom and into their own lives at home. This can help bridge that time gap and help learners develop their skills quicker.

            I believe that Grammar Dimensions; Form, Meaning and Use (4^th edition) is an excellent option and one of the best out there when it comes to ESL textbooks. It offers plenty of ways to help the L2 learner understand what they are learning and practice their abilities in many different ways. The exercises can be fun at some points and can relate to real life conversations that they will be having. For the most part, Freemans textbook follows the evaluation within the ACTFL standards of the 5 Cs and the seven curricular elements. Of course, it doesn’t fully complete every aspect of these evaluations, but all of the main points are there and were noted on in the text. I am excited to continue evaluating Freemans textbook and learning more in-depth about how the book was developed and what exactly each exercise plays a role in when it comes to learning English as a second language.

            In my opinion, Freemans text provides a great deal of exercises that are useful in the acquisition of learning English as a second language. Her chapters are diverse enough for the learner to build up to mastering the knowledge presented in each chapter as well as bringing in reviews from the previous chapters to keep their mental map flowing. A major pro I have for this textbook is that it brings in exercises from previous chapters that may have been more structured and are then presented later on in other chapters as a review, but have no structure to them what so ever. This allows for the student to really test their knowledge and if they are understanding everything that they should be. A con to this text is that there are no answers to any of the exercises specifically in this text. I understand that this is usually a textbook that is used within the classroom, so a teacher would have the answer book, however it doesn’t leave the student with any opportunities to continue practicing outside of the classroom. They very well can practice outside the classroom, but they have no way of checking their answers until they see the teacher again.