In helping students to read materials in intermediate level science classes, teachers should first motivate them to read and should set a purpose and a focus for their reading. A postreading discussion should follow each reading task, in order to help students share, integrate, and apply insights obtained from the written materials. Books and reading should be used in concert with an activity-oriented inquiry program. Reading science materials involves such tasks as making measurements; reading graphs, maps, blueprints, star charts, diagrams, and pictures; and decoding symbolic statements. Each of these tasks requires specific skills, and instructional techniques may be devised to help students develop these skills. Students must have clear directions to follow so that they can work independently in examining, organizing, and analyzing data. Five factors that influence readability of directions are sentence structure, vocabulary, illustrations, sequencing, and readability of print. Finally, since teacher attitudes toward reading may influence students, teachers should assess their own attitudes; they should also attempt to improve student attitudes toward reading science materials. (GW)