This paper, written from the perspective of a classroom teacher who is also the child of immigrant parents, examines issues related to teaching reading to low-literate minority students for whom English is not their first language. The paper presents background issues, examines the process of language acquisition, and focuses on the following: the political context (this country is in the middle of a controversy over bilingual issues, with several states arguing over how to teach new immigrants and various federal mandates about bilingual education); educational factors that affect the process of gaining English proficiency (teacher effectiveness and student motivation); cultural factors that influence immigrants' adjustment to U.S. education (including language); key principles of second language acquisition (e.g., literacy in the first language); age and second language acquisition; language and meaning (the importance of cultural relevance); and instructional strategies (environment, meaning and the language experience approach, content-centered approach, and cooperative learning). (Contains 93 references.) (SM)