The CATESOL Journal

This article presents linguistic and applied psycholinguistics information that can help teachers teach Spanish literate ESL/EFL learners to read English more effectively. It describes the starting point, or the learner’s existing knowledge state, if the learner is a successful reader in Spanish. The knowledge and strategies for reading Spanish are outlined, a few of which transfer to English reading. It then describes the ending point, or the learner’s knowledge state that is necessary to be an expert English reader. The knowledge and low-level strategies for reading in English are not the same as those needed for Spanish reading; therefore the transition between literacy in Spanish and literacy in English may not proceed automatically. The article then briefly describes the learning stages that the Spanish-to-English learner traverses, and the implications for ESL/EFL methodology, curriculum, and materials.