IN THE GREATER CHICAGO AREA A STUDY WAS MADE OF TEACHING MATERIALS AND METHODS FOR LITERACY EDUCATION. AN ANNOTATED, SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY OF PUBLISHED MATERIALS WAS COMPILED OF PROFESSIONAL BOOKS, BASAL MATERIALS INCLUDING PUBLISHERS' SERIES, AND SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS. TEACHERS ARE CAUTIONED TO ASSUME A SELECTIVE APPROACH BECAUSE NO BASAL SERIES WAS FOUND COMPLETE ENOUGH TO JUSTIFY EXCLUSIVE ADOPTION. OPEN-ENDED INTERVIEWS WERE CONDUCTED WITH TEACHERS AND ADMINISTRATORS OF LITERACY PROGRAMS. MOST TEACHERS CONDUCTED SOME ORIENTATION, BUT THEIR METHODS VARIED TOO MUCH TO SUMMARIZE. THE MAJORITY REPORTED NO ADVERSE STUDENT REACTIONS TO CLASS GROUPING. PRETESTING WITH STANDARDIZED FORMS WAS COMMON, AND MANY TEACHER-MADE TESTS WERE USED DURING COURSES. TEACHERS DESCRIBED MATERIALS THEY HAD MADE OR USED AND PUPILS' REACTIONS TO THEIR TECHNIQUES. TECHNIQUES USED INCLUDED THE PHONICS APPROACH TO WORD RECOGNITION, EXPERIENCE CHARTS, LISTENING EXERCISES, AND A COMBINED LANGUAGE ARTS APPROACH. OVER HALF THE TEACHERS REPORTED PERSONAL INVOLVEMENT IN THE LIVES OF THEIR PUPILS. (RT)