There is a well-established link between reading and learning. Basically, the more we read, the more we learn and the better we write. Exactly how this happens is still not understood (Kroll 2003) but the fact that it happens is well-documented (Hafiz and Tudor 1989). Commonsense would indicate that as we meet more language, more often, through reading, our language acquisition mechanism is primed to produce it in writing or speech when it is needed(Hoey 2005).

There are a number of ways to build English language learners' comprehension skills. Often, standard strategies that teachers use in mainstream classrooms are a good starting point, they just need to be tweaked with English language learners' language and academic needs in mind. To do this and let them start to read and learn English, there are three main approaches: building background knowledge, teaching vocabulary explicitly, and checking comprehension frequently.