The document outlines the stages of reading development from early childhood through college. It identifies 6 stages: reading readiness, beginning reading, a period of rapid growth, a period of refinement, learning how to read, and listening and speaking vocabulary. Each stage builds on the previous one and progresses from simple to more complex skills. Development is influenced by personal maturation and social/educational demands. The stages involve acquiring basic sight words and sounds, oral and silent reading, vocabulary building, comprehension, and higher-level skills like research, note-taking and analytical reading.