Developed by the Lutheran Settlement House Women's Program, a community-based multi-service organization in a multi-racial, multi-culutral area of Philadelphia, this curriculum guide presents a practical approach to teaching basic reading skills. The curriculum materials, which are suitable for reproducing and handing out to students, combine basic skill development with content drawn from students' experiences and daily concerns. Topics covered in the reading lessons include finding out about one's past, women and the world of work, nontraditional work, working conditions, solutions to the problem of illiteracy, and balancing work, home, and self. Each lesson consists of a short story written in the first person, discussion questions, and language activities, such as phonics. The guide also contains information about the Women and the World of Work project, the theory and methodology of teaching the adult non-reader, the mechanics of reading, and how to use the language activities. (KC)