MENTOR TEXTS
TEACHING WRITNG THROUGH CHILDREN'S LITERATURE
Connecting With Read Alouds
"Before we teach students how to read and think about literature through the eyes of a writer, first we must show them how to make meaningful connections to the story."
Discovering the Inside Story
Territories - Where writers find their story seeds that can grow and blossom. Creating lists that can be developed into stories.
Powerful Beginnings and Satisfying Endings
A good beginning leads to a more satisfying ending and finally to a better story. Students must have internalized the typical format of beginning, middle, and end.
Scaffolds to Organize
Frames, vocabulary lists, readers theatre, alphabet, numbers, letters, journals, and scrapbooks.
Poetry
Children love poetry but need lots of practice to write poetry successfully.
Choice, Voice, and All That Jazz
Using special vocabulary, colorful words, nouns and verbs, voice, and figurative language.