In order to assess the effectiveness of model lessons in reading in the content areas, reading skills for the areas of science, social studies, and business education were extrapolated from relevant literature. Lessons incorporated the content of textbooks used at Greeley (Colorado) West High School, in order to develop the following specific reading skills: surveying a chapter, using graphic aids, using context clues and structural analysis to understand word meaning, and so on. Three subject-area teachers used the model lessons during the 1975-1976 school year. All three responded positively to the lessons, indicating that the exercises seemed helpful to the students and that they themselves learned more about reading needs in their particular fields. Students chose either the middle rating or the second highest rating on a five-point scale to indicate the usefulness of the lessons; reading skills rated most useful varied from subject to subject. Implications of this study suggest that inservice teachers should apply reading instruction techniques to the materials they use in the classroom. (Author/KS)