An Analysis of School Based Curriculum Reading Materials in English Textbooks for Grade X Senior High School.

This research was based on the problem of selecting teaching materials, especially texts used in reading activity, in modeling of text, in written cycle. Texts used should match the characteristics of genres for grade X as stated in Standard of Competence and Basic Competence and criteria of good texts for students of English as a Foreign Language (EFL). This research is aimed at analyzing Reading Materials in English Textbooks for Grade X Senior High School which are used as modeling of texts in written cycle to explain to what extent the reading materials match the characteristics of genre for grade X in terms of genre, purpose, generic structure, grammatical features, and criteria of a good text for students of English as a Foreign Language. The kind of research is an evaluative research using document analysis technique. The data were collected by providing forms as the instrument. The source of data of the research was all reading materials provided in English textbooks for Grade X which are used in modeling of text in written cycle. They are Picasso, The Fly and the Bull, The Hole Game, The Gift, Debby Putti, and Man jailed for striking RI maid provided in Look Ahead published by Erlangga; An Unforgetable Experience, John’s English Teacher, How to Develop the Tourism in Indonesia, Steve’s Favourite Sport, Live in Ancient Rome, and Illegal Medicine Destroyed from Linked to the World published by Yudhistira; Can You Grow Your Own Food in a Jar?, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, and The Most Important Thing provided in Contextual Learning Developing Competencies in English Use for SMA published by Grafindo; The Proclamation, A King and Two Servants, Sour Cream-Prune Pie, Hydroponics: Farming without Soil, and Flood-borne Diseases provided in English published by Bumi Aksara. To analyze the reading materials, the researcher used reading material analysis sheets describing the characteristics of genre for grade X Senior High School and criteria of a good text for students of English as a Foreign Language. The data showed that the reading materials fulfill the characteristics of genre for grade X Senior High School. Related to criteria of good text for students of English as a Foreign Language, the texts have weaknesses in providing the exercises to understand the content and kind of text (genre). The exercises are not developed from simple to complex ones. Here, the students cannot develop reading strategies. Besides, almost all the texts intended as the example of genres for Grade X Senior High School have no current cultural information of the target language. They cannot be used as the window to learn the target culture. Finally, it is concluded that reading materials are excellent as modeling of texts in English textbooks for Grade X. They are qualified as totally lack of current cultural information of the target language. Moreover, the reading materials are grouped into different qualification in terms of interest, exploitability, readability, topic and appearance.