THE FIRST YEAR OF A 3-YEAR PROJECT ENTITLED "COMPARING READING APPROACHES IN FIRST GRADE TEACHING WITH DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN" (CRAFT) IS REPORTED. CRAFT COMPARES A SKILLS-CENTERED APPROACH WITH A LANGUAGE-EXPERIENCE APPROACH TO TEACHING READING. VARIATIONS OF THE SKILLS-CENTERED APPROACH ARE THE BASAL READER METHOD AND THE PHONOVISUAL TECHNIQUE WHICH IS AN INTENSIVE PHONICS PROGRAM USING BASAL READERS. THE LANGUAGE-EXPERIENCE APPROACH USES TWO GROUPS WHICH DIFFER ONLY IN THE AMOUNT AND TYPE OF AUDIOVISUAL MATERIALS USED. ABOUT 1,000 CHILDREN FROM 12 SCHOOLS IN THREE NEGRO NEIGHBORHOODS IN NEW YORK CITY WERE TAUGHT WITH ONE OF THE FOUR METHODS FOR 140 DAYS BY TEACHERS WHO RECEIVED INTENSIVE TRAINING ON THESE TECHNIQUES. INSTRUCTIONAL TIME WAS EQUALIZED AMONG THE FOUR METHODS, AND READING TIME AND TIME FOR SUPPORTIVE ACTIVITIES WERE DISTINGUISHED. TEACHERS FILLED OUT DAILY TIME LOGS FOR 5 CONSECUTIVE TEACHING DAYS FROM JANUARY THROUGH MAY, 1965. RESULTS SHOWED THAT THE BASAL-READER APPROACH WAS SIGNIFICANTLY SUPERIOR IN DEVELOPING READING COMPREHENSION AND POSITIVE ATTITUDES TOWARD READING. THE AUDIOVISUAL VARIATION OF THE LANGUAGE-EXPERIENCE APPROACH PROVED MORE EFFECTIVE THAN THE REGULAR APPROACH. ONLY INSTRUCTIONAL READING TIME POSITIVELY INFLUENCED READING ACHIEVEMENT FOR ALL METHODS. THIS ARTICLE APPEARED IN "READING RESEARCH QUARTERLY," VOLUME 2, NUMBER 1, FALL 1966. (NS)