Activity 1a

All textbooks will have similar features because all textbooks have to relay information to the student in a comprehensible manner. Such features include chapters, chapter titles, page breaks, parapgraph headings, bolded or italicized vocabulary, practice exercises and chapter summaries. These different features are necessary in order to convey information in an organized manner so that it is easily understood. Ancient Rhetorics uses all of these features along with some others because it makes understanding the curriculum simpler.

The functions of the features of Ancient Rhetorics are easily understood because the layout of the book is so basic. One specific feature that has a clear function is the bolded vocabulary words. The obvious function of this feature is to call the reader's attention to an important word or phrase. Once the reader sees this word/phrase he knows that it is important and pays more attention. Another feature is the use of page breaks and headings. The page breaks are used to tell the reader that a new section is beginning so the topic or content is changing, and the headings are used to explain what is going to be discussed.

Student Activity in textbooks is meant to help the student understand the chapter content by putting it to some kind of practical use. For example in Ancient Rhetorics the student acitivities ask the reader to take the information in the chapter and apply it to everyday life somehow. It asks the reader to remember the given information, observe aspects of daily life and take the information from the textbook and apply it to that life. Other textbooks, such as mathbooks, for example, ask the reader to do sample problems similar to those in the book, and history books ask questions to test the readers understanding of the chapter's contents.