My Friends and Family

Abstract

This chapter documents an activity during a Family Literacy Night in Latino community of the Southwest. All of the families participating were of Spanish-speaking (i.e., México, El Salvador, Puerto Rico). From a socio-cultural perspective, three points became clear through the interaction: (1) as parents and children collaborated around short texts, they were able to share their individual schema as well as their social, cultural, and linguistic capitals in conversation and in writing Spanish and English; (2) parents naturally assumed the role of mentor throughout the writing sessions; (3) when afforded topic choice and scaffolding for cultural adhesion, students generate texts that reflect their personal perspectives and lived experiences. Thematic analysis of the data revealed that the ELL writers signaled their quotidian concerns and challenges as the reasons for wanting a s/hero. The results argue that, for increased writing in English, educators are well advised to frame school tasks within their students' cultures.