Authentic materials are those basic sources of information used in the study of a particular subject. In social studies authentic materials are such primary and secondary sources as letters, diaries, speeches, artifacts, original photographs and artwork, data, encyclopedias, and textbooks. It is important to understand that textbooks are a legitimate means of exploring a subject. According to research by Armbruster and Anderson, certain features can make a text more considerate by helping th reader identify, integrate, and extend important concepts and ideas. Two characteristics of such a considerate text are coherence and unity.
Coherence refers to the logical flow of information between the parts and the whole of the text.
A coherent text enables students to follow the development of interrelated ideas in an orderly fashion by clearly relating sections and weaving lessons together with meaningful transitions. Unity emphasizes a strong focus throughout a text. A unified text helps students achieve a more in-depth knowledge of a subject by continually making connections, identifying relations among ideas, and hooking up new knowledge to prior understandings. Considerate methods and tasks, the second dimension of integrated instruction, possess three characteristics features. It is not uncommon for the methods and tasks of traditional social studies instruction to address content, process, and value goals separately.