Adult Emergent Readers learn reading skills best when they practice reading words and phrases that already have meaning for them. As a teacher, I can accomplish this by arranging lesson activities to present "meaning" first, before putting written material in front of students. I usually spend 20 to 30 minutes facilitating a variety of communication games, role plays, and interactive activities that relate to the written material before I have students open their books. See the photos and captions below for several examples. If you'd like more ideas, the Teacher's Activity Guide for abc English: Book One describes over 300 "Before Reading" activities that support the reading material in abc English: Book One.