The CATESOL Journal

Much research has been conducted documenting the reading and writing challenges students in precollege courses face (Crosby, 2007; Masterson, 2007). Some colleges label these courses “developmental,” “remedial,” or “basic skills” courses. These “developmental” students comprise both US-born and immigrant pupils from culturally, linguistically, and economically diverse backgrounds (Roberge, Siegal, & Harklau, 2009) and are often institutionally marginalized (Blumenthal, 2002), leaving them often underprepared when matriculating into credit-bearing collegelevel courses (Roberge, 2009). In this article, we report on a case study where a community college ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) instructor and three faculty members at a local university worked collaboratively on developing resources to support his struggling readers through leveled, culturally responsive texts. We share a unique approach to mentor texts, employing them both as exemplars for developing reading and writing skills, and also as a means to support avenues for finding “voice.”