A case study is presented that details the English learning experiences of Mashud, a Bangladeshi boy who emigrated to England. Although Mashud was fluent and skilled in his native Sylheti language, he had a great deal of difficulty learning English. He attempted to spell phonetically and showed little understanding of grammar or punctuation. In writing assignments, Mashud consistently produced formulaic moral tales. Mashud's teacher hypothesized that Sylheti, as an oral language, had emphasized learning moral lessons and formulaic repetition of information rather than creative writing skills. Instead of discouraging his Sylheti-based linguistic attempts, the teacher employed individualized discourse and autobiographical writing tasks to expand Mashud's English knowledge and writing ability. Mashud showed marked improvement in these areas, illustrating the importance of individualized, whole-language approaches to educating bilingual students. (JL)