Unlock engagement in an opinion writing unit of study with mentor texts that widen the possibilities for students.
Category: mentor texts
Mentor Texts for Navigating Second Person Point of View
Stories and novels written in the second person, where the narrator uses "you" to talk to the reader, are not as familiar as stories told from the perspective of a character or an observer. I've compiled a small group of picture books you can use as mentor texts for teaching students how to address their readers in the second person and do it well! Leave a comment for a chance to win all of them for your classroom library.
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ICYMI: Two-Week Recap
You will be all caught up with this, in-case-you-missed-it post recapping the past two weeks here at TWT!
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Mentor Texts as Springboards for Writing
I'm always on the hunt for books that capture a universal experience in a way that opens possibilities for writing in response (or in conversation). Mentor texts that invite writers to riff off their brilliance while creating something entirely new. April Pulley Sayre’s latest picture book, In Between, is exactly that kind of book (Beach Lane Books, 2023).
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Lessons from Abdul’s Story: The 2023 Classroom SOLSC
As we enter the fourth week of the Classroom SOLSC, read how "Abdul's Story" can help students stay motivated.
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Make and Take: Poetry Lesson
Do you need a print-and-go poetry lesson? This can serve as a starting point for multiple age groups.
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Micro Mentor Texts: A Review and Giveaway
This book is the absolute GIFT of thinking alongside Penny Kittle while she makes the thinking work necessary to choose and use mentor texts visible.
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We’ve Got Anchor Papers…Now What?
Have you ever found yourself with student anchor (exemplar) papers and not known what to do with them? Today's post provides several ideas for using student writing in powerful ways for assessment, instruction, and communication.
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What’s the Big Idea?
Ever get lost in the details of a writing unit? Ever get overwhelmed by the "bigness" of your vision? Plan for that and shift: from details to the big idea and back again.
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Tap Into the Power of Whole-Class Text Studies
Whole-class text studies are one of the most impactful ways to strengthen our reading-like-a-writer work with students.
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A Deep Dive Into One Spectacular Mentor Text
In this post, I’ll describe the ways I would use Rabbit and the Motorbike as a mentor text for instruction with writers in upper elementary grades through middle school. This is an example of the thinking work I do in advance of sharing a mentor text with students, anticipating what students might notice and planning for the questioning I will do to help them name those craft moves. My goal is always to get kids to the HOW, because that is the level of understanding they need to be able to try strategies out in their own writing.
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Tapping Into the Power of Some New Mentor Texts
Mentor texts are important co-teachers in the writing workshop! Here's an in-depth look at the mentor texts I talked about in a recent podcast. After you finish reading, be sure to leave a comment after on this post for a chance to win all ten of the featured books!
