A DESCRIPTIVE STUDY OF THE ORAL READING OF FIRST-, SECOND-, AND THIRD-GRADE CHILDREN IS REPORTED. THE STUDY TREATS READING AS A PSYCHOLINGUISTIC PROCESS WHICH IS CUED OR MISCUED DURING THE CHILD'S INTERACTION WITH WRITTEN LANGUAGE. THE SUBJECTS WERE 100 CHILDREN ATTENDING THE SAME SCHOOL IN A DETROIT INDUSTRIAL SUBURB. EVERY SECOND CHILD ON AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF ALL THE CHILDREN WAS INCLUDED IN THE STUDY. EACH SUBJECT WAS TESTED INDIVIDUALLY WITH A WORDLIST FROM A STORY ON HIS GRADE LEVEL. HE WAS THEN ASKED TO READ ORALLY THE STORY ON WHICH HIS WORDLIST WAS BASED. FOLLOWING THIS, THE CHILD RETOLD THE STORY AS BEST HE COULD. BOTH THE READING AND THE RETELLING WERE TAPED AND STUDIED. THE CHILDREN IN THE STUDY WERE ABLE TO READ MANY WORDS IN CONTEXT WHICH THEY COULD NOT READ FROM LISTS. CHILDREN IN SUCCESSIVE GRADES WERE INCREASINGLY EFFICIENT IN USING CUE SYSTEMS IN OTHER WAYS. SUBSTITUTIONS AND REGRESSIONS IN A CHILD'S ORAL READING ARE DISCUSSED. FIVE IMPLICATIONS FOR THE TEACHING OF READING ARE PRESENTED. A PARTIAL LIST OF CUE SYSTEMS USED IN READING IS GIVEN. THE TYPES OF READING ERRORS ARE SUMMARIZED IN FIVE TABLES. THIS ARTICLE IS A REPRINT FROM "ELEMENTARY ENGLISH," VOLUME 42, OCTOBER 1965. (RH)