The paper suggests rationales and practical procedures for improving student learning skills in high school social studies courses. A major objective is to help classroom teachers minimize problems brought about by the mismatch between student capabilities and program demands. It is hypothesized that secondary social studies teachers have not usually had formal training in teaching the basic mathematics and reading skills required for comprehending textbook material. To rectify these deficiencies in teacher training, the document presents tips on assessing student reading ability, determining textbook readability, teaching content vocabulary, providing structure to reading assignments through directed activities, and helping students comprehend content presented through mathematics. Included in the descriptions of each of these procedures are background information, formulas used to calculate various ability ranges, vocabulary definitions, suggested reading, and pointers on specific learning problems of which teachers should be aware. Information is presented in textual form and is illustrated by means of graphs, charts, pictographs, tables, and scale drawings. (Author/DB)