A practicum addressed the high percentage of students who were experiencing difficulty with reading comprehension and vocabulary retention in a fifth-grade Drop Out Prevention class by implementing a supplemental whole-language program. Subjects were 19 fifth-grade students. An informal reading inventory, an attitude survey, and academic grades were used as pretest measurements. The students were instructed in reading through the use of a 13-week whole language program. In addition to any supplemental reading done by the students, each week the students were required to read five short stories or one book. The weekly whole-language activities were centered around the reading done by students. Students worked on whole-language activities for at least one hour per day. Results indicated that there was an increase in reading comprehension, vocabulary retention and attitudes towards reading and academic grades. It was concluded that the use of whole-language instruction was effective in increasing reading comprehension and vocabulary retention skills. (Twenty references are attached. Appendixes include pretest, posttests, student data and an implementation timeline.) (Author/MG)