Lauren Esposito
Where to Begin? Using
Place-Based Writing to
Connect Students with
Their Local Communities
T he first day of teaching, for novices
and veterans alike, usually comes
with its fair share of apprehension:
Am I fully prepared to teach? Will
my lesson be engaging? Are there enough cop-
ies made for students? What will I say to start off
the school year? For some, first-day jitters can arise
even before stepping into the classroom. As a new
teacher at an urban school in Queens, New York, I
needed to first locate my schools building. Unfa-
miliar with the surrounding area, I searched franti-
cally for signs of the school, anxious not to upset the
brisk pace of commuters. For at least a city block,
I followed what appeared to be a promising sight,
a group of students traveling together, only to find
them quickly dispersed and headed in different di-
rections. This was not the morning I envisioned
when boarding the train at 6:50 a.m., ready to
teach first-year writing at an open-enrollment col-
lege. I was armed with the strategies and methods
I developed while teaching high school students a
year prior. But I hadnt anticipated navigating and
acclimating myself to a new place that would be so
vital in my teaching.
Before melting under the heat and worrying
about being late, I eventually found the school and
began class by passing out copies from the Met-
ropolitan Diary section of the New York Times.1
This section, written by and for local New Yorkers,
chronicles chaotic commutes, run-ins with out-of-
towners, unreliable transportation, being serenaded
in the subway by musicians, and other Only in
New York stories. Initially, I chose these short en-
tries to introduce students to the real concerns of
70 English Journal 101.4 (2012): 7076
Copyright 2012 by the National Council of Teachers of English. All rights reserved.
EJ_Mar2012_B.indd 70
Writing about the places
that matter in their lives,
students explore
personally relevant and
real-world issues affecting
their communities by
creating print and
multimodal texts.
writers, mainly audience, purpose, and genre, but
I gravitated to this feature because of its content,
which I thought would be intriguing and relevant
to students living and working in Manhattan and
its boroughs. Little did I know, these excerpts
would provide an opportunity for students to voice
their own frustrations with issues that mattered in
their lives, such as late trains, overcrowded buses,
and limited school parking.
Writing and then reading aloud their own
Metropolitan Diary entries, students discussed
their neighborhoods, jobs, families, and friends. I
noticed a common affinity for some of the places
in which they lived and worked that held an un-
mistakable presence in their writing. What started
out as a discussion of genre and conventions soon
became a chance for students to connect with each
other and the larger community. Their shared ex-
periences confirmed that whats important about
these places is the people who reside in them, the
communities that bring these places to life.
Place Matters
Place plays an indelible role in the way we per-
ceive and come to understand the world around us.
Whether at home or at school, sitting in a quiet
coffee shop, or on a busy street corner, our lives are
shaped by the places we inhabit and the commu-
nities therein. Place influences our interactions by
shaping the genres, texts, and languages we use as
writers and readers. Therefore, writing thats tied
to place and community encourages students to
seriously consider the effects of these interactions,
2/17/12 4:38 PM
 Lauren Esposito

their intended audiences, and underlying purposes. students to use recorded sounds, music, still im-
It also helps them think independently about their ages, text, and/or video to effectively persuade their
involvement in these communities. Its our job, target audiences to act or think in a certain way. For
then, as English teachers to help students identify instance, students designed PSAs that addressed
those places and communities that are personally social and environmental issues such as teen preg-
significant, and engage them in meaningful work nancy, family health, bullying, and the dangers of
that deals with real issues and real audiences. smoking.2 By doing this work, they were able to see
One assignment that I found can help amplify themselves as valuable contributors to local issues
students investment in community and writing and agents of social change.
is Derek Owenss place portrait, which he out-
lines in Composition and Sustainability: Teaching for
Finding a Way In
a Threatened Generation. The place portrait, Owens
explains, calls attention to the particular environ- Using place as an entry point into discussions of
ments and places in which students live and work community, writing, and language has garnered re-
with the understanding that place-related issues cent attention in English language arts and writing
often go unaddressed or remain invisible in aca- instruction. The January 2011 English Journal was
demic settings (70). Oftentimes, we approach writ- devoted to Green English,
ing instruction with a predetermined list of topics to pedagogies of place and I wanted students to
that might be of interest to students but arent environment. Its authors identify a specific issue,
necessarily grounded in their personal experiences. highlight the importance choose a community, and
Writing a place portrait invites students to explore of raising awareness about then gather research that
these experiences by considering all aspects of a local community issues
would help them create
particular place (home, school, or work), including and encouraging students
a public document, in
physical and emotional characteristics. They detail to develop as active think-
how this place makes them feel about themselves, ers and members of society. this case a public service
their relationship to the place itself, and their re- Heather Bruce writes that announcement (PSA).
lationship with the people who inhabit it. Because we must see students for That way, students might
this assignment emerges out of students inter- their potential as participa- transform their personal,
ests, concerns, and local histories, it can easily be tory citizens who can make reflective writing into a
adapted for secondary classrooms, whether urban, a difference in the commu-
public text that addresses
suburban, or rural. It positions students as critical nities in which they live
investigators of the places and communities they (22). This commitment is real-world concerns
may typically take for granted. supported by place-based for local or national
Based on these personal reflections, I directed education, which engages communities.
students attention outward to a range of local audi- students in authentic learn-
ences and communities being affected by the issues ing regarding the places and communities about
they raised in their writing. I wanted students to which they care deeply. These places and communi-
identify a specific issue, choose a community, and ties represent relationships with people that affect
then gather research that would help them create their continued development. Place-based writing,
a public document, in this case a public service then, connects students and teachers to the stories
announcement (PSA). That way, students might of people past and present (Lundahl 44) and leads
transform their personal, reflective writing into a to the creation of documents written for and about
public text that addresses real-world concerns for communities that reinforce a sense of civic respon-
local or national communities. These community sibility (Bruce; Jacobs).
audiences can include but are not limited to par- The students I worked with were aware of
ents, teenagers, school board members, working place and how it functioned in their lives. Many
professionals, government officials, industry lead- grew up and continue to live in culturally diverse
ers, religious leaders, and public safety volunteers. neighborhoods with distinct practices and tradi-
The multimodal aspects of this project encouraged tions that influence food, language, customs, and

English Journal 71

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 Where to Begin? Using Place-Based Writing to Connect Students with Their Local Communities
Part of the challenge of the assignment was getting students to see
their local urban environments as important and worthwhile places.
Photo by Alex Nartowicz.
religion. They expressed a deep pride in the cul-
tural heritage and mutual support exhibited in
their neighborhoods. Yet, they also understood the
social and economic challenges of living in inner-
city neighborhoods often affected by violence and
poverty, and the hardships of working in low-pay-
ing jobs. They recognized the importance of at-
tending school to potentially move themselves, and
their families, out of the places that hampered their
success and growth. But as vital caretakers and
providers for their families and communities, they
struggled with balancing the demands and expecta-
tions of home and school.
Given these circumstances, I felt it was espe-
cially important to find ways to connect their aca-
demic lives, which sometimes seemed detached and
irrelevant, to their lives outside school. I started by
asking them to think about the places that mat-
tered to them, places where they wanted to be and
places where they felt they had to be. Following
Owenss lead, I encouraged students to describe as
specifically as possible what they liked or disliked
about these places. Several students described feel-
ings of safety and camaraderie when writing about
their neighborhoods, while others openly criticized
their workplaces, often citing long hours and un-
healthy working conditions.
More importantly, I asked students to think
about what, if anything, they thought needed to
change and how they might see themselves enact-
72 March 2012
EJ_Mar2012_B.indd 72
ing this change: What obligations do you have in
these places and to/for whom are you responsible?
What roles are you asked to perform and what roles
do you choose to perform? Which aspects of these
places should remain the same or change? During
our conversation, I noticed some students were
reluctant to admit they felt no real ties to their
neighborhoods or workplaces, and often sought
opportunities to escape them. Rather than discuss
issues of community and social justice from a de-
tached stance, I encourage students to examine
why they feel a lack of connection, or why certain
communities may seem unapproachable, distant,
or even dangerous. As educators, we should ad-
dress these concerns and work with students to un-
cover why they feel alienated from particular places
and communities. Their feelings of disconnection
may stem from a lack of support or guidance from
families, teachers, or other adults in their lives, or
the prevalence of violence, financial difficulties, or
other adversities.
Writing about community also challenges
the attitudes and assumptions we associate with
various places, especially urban and suburban areas.
For many of my urban-dwelling students, suburbia
represented an idealized utopia beyond the walls of
the city. They viewed its greener environments,
such as parks, playgrounds, and wooded areas, as
considerably more attractive and desirable. Having
shared with students that I grew up and continue
to work on Long Island, a suburb of New York, I
couldnt deny these advantages. But it was crucial
for me to help students look more closely at how
these perceptions emerge and how labels can limit
an understanding of place and community. I also
shared with them my own sense of the city: a vital
and vibrant place where cultures, languages, and
traditions converge, but that also embraces diverse
histories and ideologies. To deepen our discussion,
we examined sample texts written by Owenss stu-
dents and published in his book. I include in Figure
1 a copy of an assignment handout, adapted from
Owenss book, with student-written excerpts that
reflect the topics and issues my students also chose
to write about.
Several students were surprised to see that the
stories written by Owenss students echoed their
own. These students also lived in Queens, Brook-
lyn, and the Bronx, and they found ways to make
2/17/12 4:38 PM

Figure 1. Place Portrait Assignment Handout
Think about a place that matters to you. This place
could be where you live, where you work, or where
you go to school. Describe this place in writing, using as
many details as possible to give readers a sense of the
location and surrounding areas, including the names of
streets, local stores, and businesses. Be sure to include
your observations about how this place makes you feel,
what you like or dislike about it, and any ideas or
thoughts you associate with it. For example, you may
associate your job with feelings of success or failure; or,
you may associate your neighborhood with feelings of
kinship or boredom. Describe the types of tasks you
perform in this place, the responsibilities you hold, and
the kinds of people with whom you interact (remember
to think about issues related to ethnicity, culture, race,
gender, religion, and class).
Here are some published samples of student work
from Derek Owenss Composition and Sustainability:
Teaching for a Threatened Generation:
I remember playing house, tag, red light/green light,
spud and ice cream parlor in the street. . . Now you
have to worry about not being killed when crossing
the street. As I grew older I started seeing that many
families were leaving for summer homes on Long
Island. The block became lonely at times and my
friends and I would put on shows for the neighbors.
Rosa (63)
My town [in Brooklyn] is very small. In my block, it
has just two big, white buildings. People might think
that it is very pleasurable to live here. Yes, it looks
clean and nice, but I can not feel anything from it. It
is just like one big matchbox. . . All my neighbors
hate noise. They close their doors and windows just
like their minds. Esther (62)
The developments that are supposed to be going
underway in Nassau [County] are attempts to just
eat up land and destroy our environment. Its what I
like to call Lego City. Remember as kids when we
used to play with those Lego pieces? . . . This is
meant to lessen traffic and make the motorists com-
fortable so they can get to work on time. I hate this
concept that people live to work, I always thought
that it was to live to live life. Oscar (53)
these places worth writing about. Some of Owenss
students even acknowledged a common belief that
living in communities that were less like a city
was often preferred, and that the unique qualities
of urban placessuch as living among people of di-
verse cultural backgroundsare often overlooked.
Oscar (see fig. 1) highlights the fact that develop-
ments mirroring suburbia arent always sought-af-
ter, especially if they reinforce conformity through
efficiency. Based on our reading of these sample
EJ_Mar2012_B.indd 73
Lauren Esposito
texts, I wanted to get students talking about how
they envisioned urban and suburban communities.
Helping them unravel preconceived notions helps
challenge stereotypes about communities. Owens
reminds us that students need to realize how nega-
tive judgments prevent them from seeing the value
of the communities in which they live. Similarly,
Elliot Jacobs, in his article in EJs Green English,
suggests that a pedagogy that embraces writing
about place also embraces all places as worthy of
writing about (53; italics added). By extension, we
must honor all communities as worthy of study and
resist labels that inherently become part of our stu-
dents thinking and limit their ability to imagine
positive social change.
Moving Outward
Community writing offers students a more dynamic
engagement with audience, purpose, and context.
It motivates authentic writing designed to achieve
real results. In an EJ issue devoted to authentic
learning, Grant Wiggins argues that this type of
writing is typically not assigned in schools, wherein
students write repeatedly for an audience of one (the
teacher) and are rarely asked to consider the impact
of their writing. By keeping with this static, artifi-
cial model, Wiggins claims, we are not adequately
preparing students for the
kinds of tasks faced by pro- Community writing
fessionals in the field, adult offers students a more
citizens, and/or consumers
dynamic engagement
(32). Put another way, we with audience, purpose,
are not preparing students
and context. It motivates
to become sophisticated
authentic writing
communicators in the com-
munities in which they will designed to achieve
live and work in the future. realresults.
More recently, Arthur N.
Applebee and Judith A. Langer highlight the bleak
circumstances of writing instruction in middle
schools and high schools today. Based on a four-year
study, they conclude that although secondary stu-
dents are being asked to write across disciplines and
for their peers, they write less often, write shorter
assignments, and write predominantly for their
teachers-as-audience. Due in large part to the con-
straints of high-stakes test preparation, writing as
a way to study, learn, and go beyondas a way to
English Journal 73
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 Where to Begin? Using Place-Based Writing to Connect Students with Their Local Communities
construct knowledge or generate new networks of
understandings (Langer, Envisioning Knowledge, En-
visioning Literature)is rare (Applebee and Langer
26). Thus, we must provide time and space in our
curricula for the kinds of audience-driven writing
characteristic of life outside school, instead of lim-
iting students writing to fill-in-the blank or test-
based responses.
This approach to writing instruction is nec-
essary at both secondary and postsecondary levels.
First-year basic writers and high school students
share similar difficulties with learning to write be-
yond the test and with greater confidence in mak-
ing decisions independently. A writing pedagogy
that involves community writing, outside audi-
ences, and a critical exploration of place engages
students in real writing tasks to reach communal
goals. In Teaching the Neglected R, Thomas Deans
and Megan Marie delineate between writing about,
for, and with community to highlight key distinc-
tions in purpose and audience. They argue that stu-
dents need to realize the different choices they make
when writing for community members versus gov-
ernment or business leaders, and with or without
the aid of nonprofit organizations (19092). The
place portrait I assigned invited students to write
about community in the form of a personal, reflec-
tive narrative, while the public service announce-
ment served as a text written for community. In
this way, the students produced rather than simply
interpreted texts about community and dealt with
Upon closer inspection, urban landscapes provided enriching opportu-
nities for learning, critical thinking, and purposeful writing. Photo by
Alex Nartowicz.
74 March 2012
EJ_Mar2012_B.indd 74
real problems by offering solutions. They helped
generate new knowledge by comparing prior ex-
periences with new information gathered through
research and reflection. By allowing students to
grapple with issues of place, community, and audi-
ence, we can better prepare them for the writing
demands that lie ahead in college and thereafter.
Going Public: Designing a Public
ServiceAnnouncement
Part of what I hoped to achieve with students was
for them to slow down and discover new ways of
thinking about and responding to specific commu-
nities. I wanted them to consider the rhetorical ele-
ments of context, audience, purpose, and message in
light of their communitys needs. One student, who
worked as a parking garage attendant, decided to
create an informative public service announcement
that would advise his employers about the dan-
gers of inhaling toxic fumes. He noticed that while
working in an enclosed garage over long periods of
time, older coworkers experienced health problems
due to poor air quality and lack of adequate ventila-
tion. As a result, he designed a PSA using Micro-
soft PowerPoint that could potentially be viewed at
a company meeting. He was determined to reach
a professional, corporate community in a position
to effect greater change on behalf of employees. To
him, this meant more powerful results.
Since PSAs may include original photographs
and videos, still images and music downloaded
from websites, and/or original sound recordings, I
wanted students to better grasp the effects of work-
ing with different modes. In groups, students ex-
amined sample PSAs from the Ad Councils website
(http://www.adcouncil.org/), which offers useful
models of this real-world genre, arranged by topic.
They rotated among four stations that I had pre-
viously set up, each of which featured a different
PSA (print, audio, or video). At one station, stu-
dents gathered around a laptop to view and then
analyze a video PSA about high school drop-outs.
The PSA incorporated footage of a single mother
working two jobs, her testimony, images of her son
outside of school, and heartfelt music. Together,
students discerned the purpose of the PSA, its in-
tended audience, and how effectively it persuaded
viewers to take action. Additionally, I encouraged
2/17/12 4:38 PM

A view of the Manhattan skyline from Brooklyn Heights Promenade.
Photo by Nicole Galante.
them to imagine where they might see their own
PSA broadcasted: on television, the radio, or on-
line. As they worked, it became apparent to stu-
dents that choosing a mode was not about finding
the technology that felt the most familiar or com-
fortable, or which seemed the most exciting. It was
about making deliberate, rhetorical decisions about
which mode, or group of modes, would be most ef-
fective and appropriate in convincing their chosen
community.
Writing for outside communities can some-
times mean writing in unfamiliar, yet navigable,
territory. Writing with new technology for out-
side communities can sometimes mean writing in
completely unknown terrain. Many of our students
are unprepared to work outside the predetermined
structures of school writing. That is why we need
to present them with opportunities to write for nu-
merous audiences and with newer technologies for
a purpose. In his oft-cited book, The Digital Writ-
ing Workshop, Troy Hicks maintains that choices in
technology should not overwhelm instruction. He
writes that if we engage students in real writing
tasks and we use technology in such a way that it
complements their innate need to find purposes and
audiences for their work, we can have them engaged
in a digital writing process that focuses first on the
writer, then the writing, then the technology (8).
We cannot afford to forget the student writer and
the actual writing in the midst of new technolo-
gies, or forget that these technologies present new
challenges to students. Central to our teaching is a
responsibility to help them develop portable writ-
ing skills for various situations and imagine newer
contexts for reaching and defining communities
with technology. Recent work in digital writing
and multiple literacies supports students growing
knowledge and use of multiple modes for commu-
EJ_Mar2012_B.indd 75
Lauren Esposito
nicating beyond print alone (Knobel and Lankshear;
National Writing Project; New London Group).
Through scaffolding, modeling, and discussion,
teachers can help students
understand how to meet I learned more about
the challenges of real-world where the students are
writing with technology. from, who and what they
Once students com- care about, and how
pleted their PSAs, they pre- they see themselves as
sented them to the class so
community members
that fellow students and I
could learn about the com- than I ever could have if I
munities they passionately assigned them a teacher-
valued and the changes generated topic.
they wanted to see made
and why. They identified key issues and concerns
and shared what they hoped their PSA would ac-
complish. Students not only envisioned positive
change, but through research and reflection they
devised a public text, created from a variety of
sources, that contributed to a larger cause.
Looking Ahead
Traveling the streets of Queens that morning, I
found more than just a classroom. I found a com-
munity of students willing to share with me their
feelings and attitudes about the places and commu-
nities that mattered most to them. I learned more
about where the students are from, who and what
they care about, and how they see themselves as
community members than I ever could have if I as-
signed them a teacher-generated topic. Community
writing provides inroads into the complex, real-life
issues that drive authentic, meaningful learning.
It offers an entryway into the worlds in which our
students live and work, and into the real problems
facing the communities in which they play a part.
More specifically, community writing presents an
enriching opportunity for students to write reflec-
tively and publicly to enact social change.
We should provide more of this kind of writ-
ing in our classrooms, writing that steers students
and teachers away from the safe choice of formulaic
prompts and meets students where theyre at. The
classroom can be a place where students find some-
thing they want to say and write with purpose,
conviction, and a responsibility to the communi-
ties that influence their livelihood. At a time when
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 Where to Begin? Using Place-Based Writing to Connect Students with Their Local Communities

our students and their families continually feel the
aftershocks of economic failure and unemployment,
it is essential for us to further teaching that empow-
ers change and growth. We are in a position to help
students realize their ability to make a difference,
however small, and achieve specific goals in writ-
ing, in print or multimodal texts. Its when we take
our commitment to teaching writing and connect
it to real-world situations that we help students see
themselves as knowledgeable, active contributors
to the larger community.
Notes
1. I want to thank Patricia Dunn for this lesson idea,
which I observed her use in a class with preservice English
teachers.
2. While creating their PSAs, students also worked
on a more traditional research paper addressed to the same
audience. The research students found on their topic pro-
vided valuable background information for both the PSA
and the paper, but the information was incorporated in
varying ways based on genre and purpose.
Works Cited
Applebee, Arthur N., and Judith A. Langer. EJ Extra: A
Snapshot of Writing Instruction in Middle Schools
and High Schools. English Journal 100.6 (2011):
1427. Print.
Bruce, Heather. EJ in Focus: Green(ing) English: Voices
Howling in the Wilderness? English Journal 100.3
(2011): 1226. Print.
Deans, Thomas, and Megan Marie. Composition as Com-
munity Action. Teaching the Neglected R. Ed.
Thomas Newkirk and Richard Kent. Portsmouth:
Heinemann, 2007. 18697. Print.
Hicks, Troy. The Digital Writing Workshop. Portsmouth:
Heinemann, 2009. Print.
Jacobs, Elliot. Re(Place) Your Typical Writing Assign-
ment: An Argument for Place-Based Writing.
English Journal 100.3 (2011): 4954. Print.
Knobel, Michele, and Colin Lankshear. Profiles and Per-
spectives: Discussing New Literacies. Language Arts
84.1 (2006): 7886. Print.
Lundahl, Merrilyne. Teaching Where We Are: Place-Based
Language Arts. English Journal 100.3 (2011):
4448. Print.
National Writing Project with Dnielle Nicole DeVoss,
Elyse Eidman-Aadahl, and Troy Hicks. Because Digi-
tal Writing Matters: Improving Student Writing in Online
and Multimedia Environments. San Francisco: Jossey-
Bass, 2010. Print.
The New London Group. A Pedagogy of Multiliteracies
Designing Social Futures. Multiliteracies: Literacy
Learning and the Design of Social Futures. Ed. Bill Cope
and Mary Kalantzis. London: Routledge, 2000.
937. Print.
Owens, Derek. Composition and Sustainability: Teaching for a
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Wiggins, Grant. EJ in Focus: Real-World Writing: Mak-
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98.5 (2009): 2937. Print.

Lauren Esposito is a PhD candidate in English at Stony Brook University. She has taught English and writing at Farmingdale
High School and Briarcliffe College in New York. Her research interests include writing pedagogies, rhetoric and composition,
multiple literacies, and place-based learning. She has been an editorial associate for English Journal since 2009. Email her at
Lauren.esposito@gmail.com. Editors note: This essay was blind reviewed by three referees.

R E A D WR IT E T H I N K C O N N E C T I ON Lisa Storm Fink, RWT

MyTube: Changing the World with Video Public Service Announcements invites students to make and edit
videos that deal with important social, economic, and political topics. First, students will watch examples of online
public service announcements (PSAs) and probe the multiple meanings of these video texts by asking challenging,
open-ended questions. They use their responses and a Persuasion Map tool as a basis for writing scripts for
their own PSAs. Students then create short video clips and use Windows Movie Maker to edit their videos.
http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/mytube-changing-world-with-1069.html

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