THE USE of the dictionary as a word attack skill can be beneficial to the reader who is approaching independence, as well as to the already independent reader. Eventually, the independent reader will be able to use the dictionary as a source of meanings for words, and as a source of expansion of vocabulary meanings. The dictionary can give the independent reader valuable assistance in the pronunciation of troublesome words. Because the dictionary has words written phonetically with a pronunciation guide complete with key words, a reader with basic phonic skills can look up words to find out how to pronounce them. As a source of meanings for words, the dictionary can be used to clarify material read. In the area of content subjects, the dictionary can be particularly helpful. Often, an independent reader can use a dictionary to expand his knowledge of meanings for a given word. It is not unusual for a student who has had some difficulty with reading to tend to establish a single meaning for a single word. By using the dictionary with wellconstructed exercise work, an independent reader can gain insight into additional meanings. Before the use of the dictionary can become an effective skill, however, there are certain mechanical procedures that need to be mastered. The following pages a step-by-step approach to the development of a child's mastery of these mechanical procedures. This approach is designed to help the reading