A willingness by the teacher to experiment with innovative instructional strategies and aids is a prerequisite to success for students in a reading situation in which the reading material is not properly matched to the student's reading competence. Using recordings done by professionals is one such technique. Another device is the tape recorder, used to record group responses, role playing activities, panel discussions, or individual reports. Another effective instructional strategy involves the selection of five students in the class who are assigned a different story to read at home and to present in a five-minute oral summary to the class on the following day. To promote increased interest and understanding of biographical material, the teacher can ask students to play the role of a person being interviewed on a talk show. An optional instructional strategy for using biographical material is the use of the television format in "To Tell the Truth." Using the panel format, three students can be given the same biography to study carefully and attempt to play the part of its subject. The teacher, acting as the master of ceremonies, can then draw out the participants so that they reveal the facts found in the biography. Through such experiences, students can find reading a joy instead of a pain. (HOD)