Bringing Family and Community into the Writing Curriculum

While middle school educators are faced with No Child Left Behind's demands for improving students' literacy learning, it is also wise to incorporate family and community involvement into the curriculum. In designing activities that meet such demands, middle school educators should consider allowing their students to write profiles on family and community members to support students' literacy learning. Providing opportunities for students to explore the lives of different people through profiles allows students to connect literacy skills to the real world. This article examines how writing profiles integrate parental and community involvement into literacy instruction across the curriculum. (Contains 4 figures.)