To investigate how Mexican-American students constructed meaning from English texts when engaged in reading and writing activities, a study examined 12 fifth grade Mexican-American students who lived in a "barrio" with literacy in both Spanish and English. The aim was to tap the envisionments (text interpretations or understandings, and expectations of what a particular text will include) students developed over time. During a series of research sessions, students read four passages--two in English and two in Spanish--in two genres, story and report. In each session students responded to envisionment and probing questions, gave oral retellings of the passages at various points, and wrote story summaries. Bilingual researchers conducted the sessions, and students were told to use either language--throughout the sessions, researchers mirrored the students' language lead. Findings indicated that good reading strategies made a difference in students' text comprehension in both languages, and that students' familiarity with genre affected their ability to build appropriate meanings. Also, question types affected students' ability to communicate what they understood. Finally, all students exhibited the ability to gain meaning from phrases in context and to explain what they meant, although the better envisionment makers provided more "school like" explanations. And all students exhibited greater comprehension of the English texts than would be expected based on reading comprehension test scores. (Eleven tables are included, and a student interview form, reading passages, envisionment questions, probing questions, tree diagrams for analysis of recalls, and 25 references are appended.) (MM)