In this quasi-experimental study, the researcher examined teachers' awareness of the five essential components of reading instruction, teachers' knowledge of the five essential components, teachers' use of professional journals, and teachers' implementation of best practices in the context of a professional development intervention model called "Readings and Meetings Workshops". Participants (N=30) consisted of K-2 teachers in a micropolitan area in the southeastern United States. The "Readings and Meetings Workshops" consisted of 18 hours of professional development during which the participants were provided time to read and discuss professional journal articles related to the five components--phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. The experimental and control group completed the "Pre- and Post-Survey and Assessment of Awareness, Knowledge, and Use of Professional Journals". Following the "Readings and Meetings Workshops", the experimental group completed the Follow-up Survey of Best Practices . Using RM-ANOVAs to analyze portions of the data, statistically significant differences were found between the experimental and control group following the "Readings and Meetings Workshops" on three of the variables including teachers' awareness of the five essential components of reading instruction, teachers' knowledge of the five essential components of reading instruction, and teachers' use of professional journals, namely "The Reading Teacher". Based on correlation analyses, no significant relationships were found between teachers' knowledge of the five essential components of reading instruction, teachers' use of professional journals, and teachers' implementation of best practices; however, descriptive information is included relevant to the experimental group's reported implementation of best practices. A discussion of implications and recommendations for future research is included. In sum, the "Readings and Meetings Workshops" proved effective as a professional development intervention on teachers' awareness and knowledge of the five components of reading instruction and on teachers' use of professional journals. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]