Motivational devices are useful in content-area reading because the content load of most content textbooks is so extensive that few if any students can be expected to understand all that an author intends to communicate. Many students who are inexperienced with the subject matter are unable to read the assignments independently. The recognition of two general factors will help the teacher to establish instructional purposes in content-area reading: the idea to be discovered, and the reading process to be applied. The student's clear understanding of the purpose for which he or she is reading will be valuable. Suggested activities which will be helpful in assisting readers to process content-area materials include the following: inform the reader in advance of the ideas to be discovered in order to establish a cognitive set for reading; set short-term goals; and use an advance organizer, positive reinforcement, adjusted reading level, structured overview, paragraph processing, mapping, and webbing. (DF)