When working with limited English proficient (LEP) children who have been mainstreamed into regular elementary school classrooms, teachers must keep in mind that the first order of business is to help the students build a store of knowledge about English--how it sounds, what it looks like in print, and what it means. Teachers will discover that it is not necessary to wait until students can understand and speak English before introducing them to reading and writing in that language. All of the language processes support and clarify each other, but they must be developed in meaningful, full-context situations. The first reading materials should be oral dialogues learned and language experience stories developed through real classroom experiences. Next, the teacher should add repetitive stories and chants, songs, and poems to the repertoire. Listening to tapes while following along with a text and having many opportunities to write and compose will help LEP children to develop an understanding of the language for themselves. Classroom teachers and reading teachers who know language, know children, and know how to bring the two together in meaningful situations can go a long way in helping the LEP child move into the American mainstream. (FL)