In the face of declining student reading abilities, content area instructors at community colleges can no longer ignore the gap that exists between student reading levels and the higher levels at which college texts are written. Indeed, these instructors have a responsibility to include reading improvement in course objectives, because: (1) the ability of public schools to teach reading is limited by the fact that most people aren't capable of assimilative comprehension until the ages of 16 to 18; (2) the provision of special reading courses at the college level deflates the self-esteem and motivation of adult students; and (3) the use of lower-level texts can be self-defeating due to the unreliable results of standard procedures for determining text reading level. One method of assuming this responsibility is to provide for each text a section-by-section study guide composed of short-answer questions. Such Directed Reading Activities (DRA's) lead the student through a four-step process of reading comprehension: identifying the author's main point, recognizing ideas used to support this point, identifying details, and drawing conclusions from what has been read. DRA's keep students' minds focused on the reading, reinforce student learning, and enhance student motivation and self-esteem. (Illustrations of DRA questions are provided in the paper.) (JP)