Five papers given at the International Reading Association conference held in conjunction with a National Council for the Social Studies conference in 1968 are presented in this work. Although each paper is addressed to a different subtopic, there is the common theme of the role that reading can play in social studies instruction. The subtopics are: 1) the importance of reading and writing in social studies; 2) the improvement of vocabulary through the use of linguistic techniques as opposed to routine vocabulary drill; 3) the use of controversial issues to stimulate reading; 4) the use of historical primary documents through reading and analysis to teach and learn history; and, 5) the importance of induction and logical thinking in critical reading. Each paper contains a bibliography. (CWB)