This paper addresses the value and components of developing prereading skills to improve students' reading comprehension. Prereading activities are seen to prepare the student to both read and comprehend the story and involve cognitive engagement with ideas crucial to comprehension of the reading material. Teachers are urged to develop the student's background knowledge, including activating prior knowledge in a prereading schema or mental set. The paper also stresses the importance of clarifying central concepts of the story, teaching new vocabulary, and previewing the story to pique interest. A sample directed reading lesson is appended. (Contains 13 references.) (DB)