Using instructional system design, a unit of instruction for teaching problem solving through literature to at-risk students was developed to reduce frustrations, increase productive time on task, and show low-achieving students that they can have fun in an English classroom. The target population was a 7th-grade multi-ethnic English class of 28 students ranging in age from 11 to 14 years old, all at the same grade level. Instruction was provided in eight separate lessons, each with its own related, but unique objective. An essay served as a posttest of application of the material learned. A reaction questionnaire measured behavioral and attitudinal changes. Results indicated that: (1) student retention remained high after a 2-month interval; (2) all students learned the problem-solving process and the names of the events of a story; and (3) many students sought reading materials more readily, while others still read only what is assigned. (Five tables and one figure of data are included; a pre-instructional activities sheet, a paper giving the format for instructional strategy, a project planning chart, reproductions of transparencies, definitions of story terms and events, the post learning test and questionnaire, reproductions of flip charts, and a 20-item bibliography are attached.) (RS)