Too often, students enter our classrooms with insufficient knowledge of physical science. As a result, they have a difficult time understanding content in texts, lectures, and laboratory activities. This lack of background knowledge can have an impact on their ability to ask questions and wonder--both key components of inquiry. In this article, the authors demonstrate the impact that building background knowledge through wide reading can have on student achievement. They also identify a number of reasons why wide reading is not commonly used in the classroom and how to address those concerns. (Contains 1 figure.)