Reading skills are essential for all students for their successful advancement through school and on into adult life. With limited English, many Non English Speaking Background (NESB) students are under-achieving at school due to their lack of reading ability in English. This research investigates a skills-based program with an emphasis on decoding (often referred to as a bottom-up theoretical perspective) compared to a program emphasising the development of comprehension strategies, where higher level thinking is required (top-down perspective). Using a case study approach with one NESB student, it appeared that a skills-based approach was more successful and preferred by the student.