Drawing from observations of discussion in 24 different classrooms, this book will provide preservice and inservice teachers at the middle and school levels with the motivation and knowledge to use discussion to foster student comprehension of content area text assignments. The first chapter examines the distinctions between discussion and recitation, and redefines major issues related to content area discussion in light of recent research and school reform reports. The second chapter establishes a basis for the premise that discussion is important to the development of reading comprehension, illustrating those skills that enrich or refine students' understanding of text. The third chapter uses portions of transcripts from videotaped content class discussions to illustrate how classroom context influences discussion practices. Alternatives to teacher dominated discussions are described, and guidelines are provided for establishing the rights and responsibilities of critical readers. The fourth chapter demonstrates how to plan for classroom discussion of assigned material, describing five aspects of the planning process. The fifth chapter presents discussion strategies that help students master the content, examine more than one side of the issue, and evaluate alternative solutions to a text based problem, while the sixth chapter analyzes one content area teacher's implementation of a preplanned discussion. Finally, the seventh chapter describes two procedures for informally evaluating classroom discussion used to promote reading comprehension. References follow each chapter. (HTH)