Social studies teachers must take a role in promoting long-term literacy as part of schoolwide efforts in all subject areas to motivate students' independent reading. This may be accomplished by: (1) including literature as part of the instructional program, to support recurring themes in history (such as "in quest of freedom") or to cover certain historical periods; (2) using a wide variety of materials during class time, such as newspapers, textbooks, anthologies, paperbacks, and magazines--in essence, a mini classroom library; (3) reading aloud to students on a regular basis, using passages that provoke students into listening and responding critically to the ideas presented while reinforcing the joy of reading; and (4) avoiding conditions that dissuade students from reading, including traditional book reports and the teacher's insistence on finding the "correct meaning" of the text. Students will not become lifetime readers unless they frequently experience reading as a pleasurable activity. By providing class time for reading self-selected resources, the social studies teacher encourages the long-term habit of reading. (One figure and 16 references are attached.) (SR)