basal reader

noun

1. an elementary-school textbook that teaches reading by combining stories with practice exercises:

   The Dick and Jane series was the most famous basal reader.

Word History and Origins

Origin of basal reader¹

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

By contrast, the U.S. fourth-grader is still at work on a "basal" reader with a vocabulary of fewer than 1,800 words, "a middle-class idealization" of cardboard mommies and daddies in "a hypothetical and sterile community"�trirling stories written by obscure women with three names.

From Time Magazine Archive

The fatuous "basal reader" with its Oh-Oh-Sue-said trivia destroys all joy in words.

From Time Magazine Archive

Regardless of the word count of one company's basal reader, Johnny is exposed to an average of three to five of these readers, plus additional readers, plus library books�all in the first grade.

From Time Magazine Archive