1. A Sense of Place for Writing in the Mother Tongue in Mainstream English Classrooms
When we invite students to write in their mother tongue, can we validate their languages and identities and at the same time help them to write mainstream English?
Is there a place in our classrooms to help students validate their mother tongues?
Certain writing lends itself more easily to use of mother tongue than others. The following are some examples.

2. Perspectives/Theoretical Rationale
Elbow (1985) suggests students capitalize on oral skills to enhance writing, by speaking onto the page.
.Elsasser and Irvine (1985) found a reluctance in their Caribbean students to write in mainstream English.
Dyson (1989) and Fang (1999) found that children rely on their cultural, linguistic base to construct writing.

3. Teacher Candidates Evidence a Reluctance Toward Writing
Teacher candidates wrote:
“I definate hate writing…In my country, we spoke “Patois,” as a result, is sometimes confuses my tenses and punctuation.”
“I am from Grenada in the West Indies where we spoke broken English. In school is something different we different we speak and write under the British rule, even some of the words are spell different from the American words.”

4. Second Grader’s Reluctance Toward Mainstream English
When I came to American when I was six, I was scared. I did not know hoe to speak English. I spoke Spanish. My friend showed me how to speak English. Then I was not scared because I knew how to speak English
I speak Jamaica.
I was born in Jamaica.
I love to play in Jamaica.
I love to sleep in Jamaica.
I love to play jump in Jamaica.

5. Second Graders Poems Winter The snow is falling mon
We’re doing something which you know
Like playing and talking
In the snow mon
Me like to play in the snow mon.
I like to play snowball fit mon
Me like to make snow angles too
Me like to play with my friends mon
Me like to play the snow mon

6. More Second Graders Poems
Snow
Me gusta nieve angelos
Me gusta hacienda nieve hombre
Me gusta tiene nieve ball pelleo
Me gusta avel me breath in air
Food
Me like chicen n dumplings
Rice n noodle n con beef
N Roast beef n barbecue chicken.
Me eat evertin in Jamaica.

7. Conclusions
The issue is when and how it makes sense to invite students to write in their home languages.
We need to give students, especially children, a sense of place where their home language and culture can be used and validated.

8. What’s Next?
Since I did this study, I began teaching in an education program where students are from poor socioeconomic backgrounds and speak different home languages/dialects. Students share the same reluctance toward writing as graduate students. I am exploring different discussion groups, in different languages, as a prelude to writing.
I am also investigating the relationship between group talk and emergent writing in younger children.