This course is designed for independent students to improve their reading skills and their ability to interpret literature. The course should enable students to understand and use highly idiomatic vocabulary and grammatical structures of present-day English that interfere with comprehension. Excerpts from contemporary novels, short stories, newspaper articles, and appropriate periodicals, as well as taped television and radio scripts, are examined critically and discussed. Performance objectives are listed that relate to writing, reading, and analysis of reading passages. Also listed are suggested activities for specific objectives within content areas. Included in these activities are: (1) diagnostic testing and periodic retesting, (2) priorities to consider when selecting reading materials, (3) methods used in teaching the reading lessons, and (4) suggested activities for building specific skills for specific objectives. A sample reading passage is included. (WR)