Educators should become aware of ways to tap potential knowledge gained by learners who are already familiar with another language. Reading has been called a passive activity but in fact involves the reader in much the same way as listening includes the hearer. Eyes move forwards and backwards across a text depending upon comprehension and intent. The reader controls his or her speed and relies on background knowledge and expectations to understand what the writer has written. A student learning to read in a second language has the benefit of access to the patterns and information gathered by experience in first language use and from first cultural norms. Language teachers should consider the different dimension added to the task of reading by students who have already developed a schema related to the topic in another language. This study suggests that earlier ways of interaction with reading material are built upon connecting ideas from both languages to facilitate understanding.