Two successful and two struggling beginning readers were studied with the goal of understanding how beginning readers of varying ability levels make sense of instruction in learning to read. Through interviews, classroom observations, and the collection of artifacts from home and school, the author explored meanings constructed by the students about literacy and literacy learning. The findings suggest that standardizing the presentation of information does not neutralize the differences in students' meaning making. The findings raise questions that challenge current trends in instruction for beginning readers, particularly those who struggle.