Presented is the first of three reports on taxonomic instruction, which is defined as a method of systematizing strategies and substances of instruction for purposes of diagnostic teaching. The target population is a group of behaviorally disordered, underachieving boys, aged 10 to 15, and the instructional content is reading, which is divided into basic skills, basic subskills, and sequential levels. The unit on taxonomic instruction explains that the taxonomy model has the following structural organization: instructional content organized logically and sequentially through epistemological analysis; transmission of instructional stimuli through any of pupil's receptive sensory modalities; response elicitation through any of pupil's expressive channels of communication; and mastery of total range of instructional modes and methods available. Five basic skills related to reading are coded as cognitive perceptual, language analysis, comprehension, study skills, and aesthetic expression. Lengthy instructional materials on reading are included for each basic skill. Also included are simulated experiences of a taxonomic inservice teacher education project in the form of 36 facsimiles of various project transparencies, which are intended as a guideline for taxonomic instruction. (See also EC 040 217 and EC 040 218.) (CB)