Reading and social studies instruction in 39 third- through sixth-grade classrooms in central Illinois was observed in a study designed to determine whether elementary school classrooms provide comprehension instruction. Among the findings were that practically no comprehension instruction was seen but that comprehension assessment, usually carried on through interrogation, was common; that other kinds of reading instruction were not seen with any frequency; that in addition to being interrogators, teachers also appeared to be assignment-givers, spending a large part of the observed periods on giving and checking assignments; that sizeable amounts of time went to activities categorized as "transition" and "noninstruction"; and that teachers did not see the social studies period as a time to improve children's comprehension abilities, but instead were concerned about covering content and having children master facts. (The report discusses definitions and examples of comprehension instruction, notes differences between comprehension instruction and comprehension assessment, explains the categories used for teacher and student behavior, offers suggestions for future research, and reports the findings of the study in descriptive and tabular form.) (GW)