Cooperative Study of Reading 



43 



opportunity thru wide reading to interpret the broader signifi- 

 cance of the content subjects which he studies. He should 

 be trained to discover and appreciate the valuable contribu- 

 tions which reading makes to his vocational interests. He 

 should develop a permanent interest in current events and he 

 should establish the habit of reading newspapers and period- 

 icals regularly. On the technique side two problems are ap- 

 propriate for this period. The first is the development of 

 effective and appropriate habits of study, and the second is the 

 development of more comprehensive and critical interpreta- 

 tions. The latter should be developed by building up an ex- 

 tensive background of experience rather than by the intensive 

 study of a limited number of selections. 



In conclusion it should be said that the teachers of Indiana 

 are confronted with the following reading problems: (1) 

 the development of fluent oral reading ability in the first 

 three grades so that pupils can read independently and intelli- 

 gently selections of ordinary difficulty; (2) the development of 

 a wide background of experience thru extensive silent reading 

 and the enlargement of units of recognition in the fourth, 

 fifth, and sixth grades; (3) the independent application of 

 reading ability to various fields of experience in the seventh 

 and eighth grades. This includes an increase in a pupil's 

 ability to make comprehensive and critical interpretations. 



