Sunday, March 10, 2013

Why We Need to ReOrganize Our Mentor Texts



With all the new changes coming with Common Core, I want to rethink the way I organize my mentor texts.  In the past, I had lovely bins labeled with the six traits of writing with mentor texts that helped teach each trait separately.  Now, I think I want to change my writing mentor texts to focus on the types of writing.  There are many benefits to this new way of thinking too!
1. I no longer have to 'force' a picture book into just one trait.
2. I can help my students see the strenghts of all the traits throught the reading.
3. Many of mini lessons will already be planned!
4. It's an excuse to buy some more books :)  


Here are some of my favorites:

Mentor Texts for Narratives
My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother by Patricia Polacco
The Day the Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant
Memoirs of a Goldfish by Devin Scillian
Bully by Patricia Pollacco
The Best Town in the World by Byrd Baylor
The Wednesday Surprise by Eve Bunting
The Hickory Chair by Lisa Rowe Fraustino
Thank you, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco
Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes
Every Friday by Dan Yaccarino
Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman
The Old Woman Who Named Things by Cynthia Rylant
How I spent my Summer Vacation by Mark Teague
Night of the Veggie Monster by George McClements
How to Write Your Life Story by Ralph Fletcher
Nothing Ever Happens on 90th Street by Roni Schotter
When I was a Young Boy in the Mountains by Cynthia Rylant

Mentor Texts for Opinion or Persuasive
Dear Mrs. LaRue by Mark Teague
The Greedy Triangle by Marilyn Burns
Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin
I Wanna Iguana by Karen Orloff
Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willeins
The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka
The Perfect Pet by Margie Palatini
My Brother Dan’s Delicious by Sylvia Lollis

Mentor Texts for Nonfiction
What if You Had Animal Teeth by Sandra Markle
Olivia Bird’s Saving the Golf by Olivia Bouler
Don’t Lick the Dog by Wendy Wahman
The Black Hole is Not a Hole by Michael Carroll
Pop! The Invention of Bubble Gum by Meghan McCarthy
You are Weird: Your Body’s Peculiar Parts by Diane Swanson
Tornadoes! by Gail Gibbons
Wheels of Change by Sue Macy
Who Hoots? By Katie Davis
The Sun is My Favorite Star by Frank Asch

If you love teaching with mentor texts and are following the common core, you might be interested in my writing bundle to help teach children how to write narratives, opinion pieces, and nonfiction.  You might also want to check out my blog post on nonfiction writing where I helped my students use their writing to make a real change. 

Download these labels if you want to reorganize your writing mentor texts!


What are some of your favorite mentor texts?

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