This handbook for kindergarten through grade eight provides instructional objectives for student mastery in the basic skills of reading, mathematics, written communication, and oral communication. The section on reading is divided into the following strands: word identification skills; vocabulary skills; comprehension (literal, inferential, and critical reading); study skills (research skills, book parts, and pictorial aids); and literary skills (literary forms, literary types, elements of literature, and styles and devices). The book emphasizes decoding and comprehension skills through a multimedia approach. The section on mathematics addresses skills in the areas of problem solving; applying mathematics to everyday situations; alertness to the reasonableness of results; estimation and approximation; appropriate computational skills; geometry; measurement; reading, interpreting, and constructing tables, charts, and graphs; using mathematics to predict; and computer literacy. Strands for the section on written communication include capitalization, punctuation, grammar, sentence structure, penmanship, written expression, creative writing, and spelling. The last section, on oral communication, places emphasis on acquiring conversational skills, vocabulary, articulate speech, oral expression, social amenities, and courteous listening habits, and on giving and following directions. A scope and sequence chart of the skills is provided for each section. (HOD)