This ethnographic study of 22 bilingual Mexican American fifth grade students in rural Texas examines which pedogogical techniques reduced students' risk of failure. Classroom instruction was based on Cummins' model of community intervention in which story-telling, dialogue journal writing, and bilingual dialogue between teacher and students figure significantly. Twenty-one books, written and compiled by the students in one year, achieved the following goals: they (1) conveyed the importance of writing, (2) developed fluency, (3) showed students that errors are integral to the learning process, (4) provided genuine communicative exchanges, (5) provided a daily reading lesson, (6) addressed individual needs, (7) developed a positive self-image, and (8) created a sense of success. Pre- and post-test scores on the initial reading inventory revealed achievement gain of three years during this one-year program. Students' statements of their future plans suggested that their self-esteem as bilingual students and their goal orientation had improved. Examples of the children's writing and drawing are appended. (CS)