baby literary essay mentor texts

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Friday, October 24, 2014

Baby literary essay.

• First, students read the text. (start off with short texts such as short stories, picture books, or excerpts from longer texts)
• Reread to interpret the text 
• Fast Drafting
• Whose story is being told?
• What kind of a person is the character? What traits could I use to describe the character?
• What does the character want at this point?
• What are some of the emotions and feelings the character has during this part?
• What gets in the way of the character getting what he wants?
• Have the character's feelings and emotions changed? How and why are they changing?
• Are there any problems or issues starting to arise?
• What is the message the author wants us to notice?
• Is there a life lesson being taught?

Below is an example of how the unit might go: 

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How to Successfully Use Mentor Texts to Teach Writing

This post may contain affiliate links.

If you’re wondering how to successfully use a children’s book to teach writing. It’s called using a mentor text. Let’s dive into what a mentor text is and how to use them to teach writing. 

Here’s what you’ll read in this article…

• What is a Mentor Text?
• How to Use a Mentor Text
• A Short Example
• How to Choose a Mentor Text

Where to Find Mentor Texts

What Is the Definition of a Mentor Text?

A mentor text is an excellent piece of writing that models for students what good writers do — the craft and skills involved in writing, to which we apprentice ourselves and use it to learn from so that we can improve our writing.

Often, when I’m stuck for inspiration on how to write an article an editor has assigned me, I read something first. Not even writing about the same topics; I just read good writing.

For example, I choose magazines that have high-quality writing such as “Outdoors” or “National Geographic”. 

They usually get me back into my writing zone because reading good writers inspires me and reminds me to do what I know — write catchy leads, use vivid verbs, writing with clear organization, etc.

It’s the same when we’re teaching children to write.

We read exceptional books and passages of text with children to teach them HOW TO WRITE.

Usually, we focus on a specific craft move in the writing.

The experts at the National Writing Project say, “ Mentor texts are pieces of literature that you — both teacher and student — can return to and reread for many different purposes. They are texts to be studied and imitated… Mentor texts help students to take risks and be different writers tomorrow than they are today. It helps them to try out new strategies and formats. They should be [texts] that students can relate to and can even read independently or with some support. “

The good news?

Mentor texts can be almost any piece of writing including picture books, chapter books, articles, nonfiction books, magazines, and poems.

What’s more, they can be published books, something you’ve written for your students, or something a student has written.

Using student work helps the entire class to see examples at that grade level. If you’re using a student exemplar in your homeschooling, it’s also beneficial as examples for writers to learn from.

How to Use a Mentor Text?

So what do you do with your mentor text?

Classroom teachers will use it in the writing workshop, reading workshop, too.

Homeschoolers will use it during writing time.

Here’s how you use a mentor text in a writing lesson… (for any grade level and age.)

• Read the text and observe.
• Discuss what the writer did that made it SO good.
• Label the writing craft move (technique)  for students if they don’t have the words for it. (Example: The author used dialogue to make the writing flow. Or, the author used vivid verbs to make the writing come alive.)
• Apply the craft move (technique) to your own writing. (First, model how to do this before releasing children to try it on their own.)
• Share and reflect on how it went.

An Example of Using a Short Passage to Teach a Craft Move

READ this passage from Southwest Sunrise by Nikki Grimes.

What does Grimes do that makes the writing so rich?

What could you teach writers to apply to their own writing?

“ I wake up to a knife of sunlight slicing through the room Dad says is mine. I rub my eyes, stare out the barless window at a mountain striped in rainbow. “

LABEL the craft move. Grimes uses VISUAL details to show to give readers a picture in their minds.

Can you see the sunlight? How about the mountain?

After you read this passage with students, discuss what she does to give you a mind movie (sensory details). Then, show students how to apply the craft move by modeling how you would describe something that you all can see. Talk aloud about your thought process.

Then, ask student writers to apply the craft move of using sensory details (sight, in this case) in a short descriptive piece.

How to Choose a Mentor Text?

I’ll be honest, I agonize FOREVER about mentor texts.

First, I look for AMAZING writing. Specifically, writing that exemplifies the craft moves I want to teach.

Then, I consider if the passage or book is APPEALING to kids.

In addition to looking for writing crafts that I want to teach, I also consider the REPRESENTATION in the story.

If I’m going to use a story with a white character, I also want to make sure that I also use stories with BIPoC characters. That’s so my growing writers all have a chance to see themselves in the books.

Another consideration is the LENGTH.

I use Lulu and the Brontosaurus to teach fictional narrative not just because it’s well-written and exemplifies what I want to teach but also because it’s SHORT and can be read in one or two days.

Finally, I consider if the students can COMPREHEND the text — and if it is AGE-APPROPRIATE .

In other words, I won’t be reading a difficult passage describing the injuries in World War II with first graders.

To sum up, here’s what to look for when you’re making a selection:

• amazing writing (that demonstrates the writing craft you want to teach)
• appealing to kids
• diversity in characters
• at a comprehensible reading level, appropriate for the age

Here on Imagination Soup!

I’ve published many lists of mentor texts for both reading and writing with many more in the works.

GO HERE TO SEE the mentor text book lists that I have so far.

Your own bookshelf.

Start reading with new eyes…as a writer noticing the author’s craft.

Start with picture books. Ask yourself…Is the writing rich and amazing? Would it meet the requirements you have to be a mentor text? 

You’ll find so much just by starting to notice books in a different way.

A New Homeschool Curriculum That Uses Mentor Texts

The reason I LOVE to use mentor texts to teach children writing is that it connects writers with real-world writing!

It teaches kids to READ LIKE WRITERS ; to read carefully and study the craft of writing. 

And, to WRITE LIKE READERS ; to write for an audience who will love and appreciate what they write.

Using mentor texts GETS RESULTS.

It transforms reluctant writers into successful writers who feel pride and confidence.

More Recommended Books:

Craft Moves: Lessons Sets for Teaching Writing with Mentor Texts by Stacey Shubitz

Writing with Mentors by Allison Marchetti and Rebekah O’Dell  

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Melissa Taylor, MA, is the creator of Imagination Soup. She's a mother, former teacher & literacy trainer, and freelance education writer. She writes Imagination Soup and freelances for publications online and in print, including Penguin Random House's Brightly website, USA Today Health, Adobe Education, Colorado Parent, and Parenting. She is passionate about matching kids with books that they'll love.

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Bell Ringers

Literature analysis using mentor texts, middle school realistic fiction unit for literature analysis using mentor texts.

Young adult fiction novels are perfect for teaching literature concepts, literature terms, and literature analysis. 

When I developed this realistic fiction unit , I wanted to do so with mentor texts in mind. This unit focuses on literature analysis using mentor texts and  includes studying literary concepts, interacting with the text, and collaborating with others. This 300+ page unit takes 4 weeks and includes mentor text examples for grades 6-8, so you can use it each year!

Connecting with Literature Through Book Clubs

Whether you call them literature circles or book clubs, this realistic fiction unit is perfect for introducing books that your students will read together in groups. First, I like to use the Starbooks Realistic Fiction Novel Selection/Book Club Selections as a pre-lesson to have your students select books.

Let your students test the books with a book tasting at “Starbooks”. You can open up your own “coffee shop” in your classroom to have your students try out books before they make final decisions on their top five books. Get all you need to open up your own Starbooks!

Literature Concepts

I genuinely love teaching realistic fiction because kids can relate to so many of the characters. However, sometimes it’s hard to fit in all the literature concepts in four weeks. That’s exactly why I created this unit the way I did. It makes sure that the focus is literature analysis using mentor texts, but it also breaks down each literary device. 

I put together this realistic fiction unit with 18 lessons designed to cover multiple literature concepts and Common Core State Standards. The general idea is that Overall, here are all the lessons you’ll get with the realistic fiction unit:

• Starbooks Realistic Fiction Novel Selection/Book Club Selections
• Hard and Fast Figurative Language and Literature Terms
• Point of View Impact
• Setting Impact
• Analyzing Character Traits
• Direct and Indirect Characterization
• Analyzing Theme
• Literary Inferences
• Point of View vs. Perspective
• Literary Text Structures
• Inspiration from the Past
• Elements of Plot
• Figurative Language Analysis
• Theme Development
• Central Idea and Objective Summary
• Multimedia Versions Analysis
• Narrative Point of View

Each of realistic fiction unit lessons not only includes interactive notebook activities for independent learning or literature circle groups but also include links to reinforcement activities. The 18 lessons (including two pre-lessons) are designed to be flexible. Since the lessons are modeled after mentor texts, you can use them as they are or use the open questions designed for any realistic fiction novel or short story.

READING WORKSHOP

Each daily lesson follows a reading workshop schedule in the  realistic fiction unit . In addition, each lesson has the following sections:

• CCSS Learning Standards for 6th, 7th, and 8th
• Learning Target for Lesson
• Guiding Questions for Reading Responses
• Interpretive Question for Book Club Discussions
• Teacher Preparation (though all my examples can be used)
• Literature Interactive Notebook Lesson and Examples/Answer Keys
• Learning Period: Lesson, Read Aloud, and Modeling
• Reading Response Break Down
• Display Slides for Reading Response to show students an example for each lesson.
• Different Reading Response Example for each grade with Unique Mentor Texts for each (6th- Ghost by Jason Reynolds; 7th- Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick, and 8th- The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton).
• Graphic organizer reading response options for all lessons
• Book Club Assignment

I start my class by having students complete a bell ringer for 5 minutes while I take attendance.

Next, students review and learn vocabulary terms necessary for the day’s lesson for 10 minutes.

During the next 20 minutes is the learning period. Read aloud from mentor texts to model good reading, metacognition, and also the targeted literature concept for the day.

Next, your students complete their reading response materials in interactive notebooks.

While the students work independently, you can grade their reading responses quickly from the day before.

Next, your students interact and discuss in their literature circle or book club books for 10 minutes or so.

Finally, spend the last few minutes wrapping up and sharing responses. Overall, your students experience reading workshops every day with these lessons. 

LITERATURE TERMS AND FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE REFERENCE NOTEBOOK

With the common core literature standards, there are honestly so many terms and concepts to unpack. Give your students the resources they need in this  realistic fiction unit  with literature terms and figurative language reference notebook pages.

All of the concepts covered in the unit are broken down on these convenient reference sheets. Easily store them in a notebook to use during the unit or they can be used all year long. To snag this for free >> CLICK HERE <<. 

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Your  realistic fiction unit  for literature analysis using mentor texts will have everything you need to teach realistic fiction from start to finish. However, additional resources include:

• Three Different Examples for All Reading Responses (6th- Ghost by Jason Reynolds; 7th- Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick, and 8th- The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton).
• Reading Response Slides to Be Displayed While Students are Reading and Writing
• Book Club Slides to Be Displayed During Book Club Meetings
• Graphic Organizers for all Reading Responses
• Literature Circle Forms, Implementation Resources, and Group Grading and Forms.
• Editable Reading Response Rubrics
• Using the  middle school realistic fiction unit  for literature analysis will help your students learn all the common core state standards and engage and interact with high quality literature and one another. 

FREE LITERARY DEVICES REFERENCE BOOKLET

If you’re feeling overwhelmed when it comes to teaching ALL the literary devices in middle school ELA, then I’ve got you covered.

This FREE Literary Devices Booklet  has 17 different reference pages for middle school students to use as they do simple response to reading work or as they navigate their way through complete literary analysis essays.

Each reference pages takes a different category of literary devices and breaks it down into manageable chunks and concepts for students in a way that fosters their independence.

These reference pages will support turning your students into analytical readers and writers in no time. To snag this for free  >>  CLICK HERE  <<. 

• Read more about: Middle School Reading

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Get your free middle school ela pacing guides with completed scopes and sequences for the school year..

My ELA scope and sequence guides break down every single middle school ELA standard and concept for reading, writing, and language in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. Use the guides and resources exactly as is or as inspiration for you own!

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Curating Mentor Texts That Inspire Student Writers

Mentor texts that reflect the breadth and depth of student experiences not only get students enthusiastic about writing but also help build a sense of belonging at school.

Writing is a complex process that encompasses everything from forming solid ideas to expressing them with creativity and coherence—as well as discovering new insights along the way. And whether your students are mastering the basics or looking to expand their writing abilities, mentor texts can be a useful, “show-don’t-tell” tool that helps them achieve their goals.

Traditionally, mentor texts are exemplary books or essays that you use to model good writing for students as they read, deconstruct, and analyze various facets of the works. These texts aren’t meant to just guide students to develop their vocabulary, sentence structure, and grammar—they also play an essential role in influencing students’ reading comprehension, critical thinking, and imagination . “When the content of learning about the structure of a narrative eventually fades in a student’s rearview mirror, what’s left is the thinking they gained,” writes Kara Douma , a supervisor of English language arts, describing the value of mentor texts.

To make sure the mentor texts in your classroom are engaging, up-to-date, and relevant to an increasingly diverse body of students across the nation, consider implementing a few of the strategies below as you curate your collection of mentor texts.

Broaden the Definition of Writing

Books, magazines, and essay collections aren’t the only places where you can find examples of good writing, as teachers have long known. Good writing exists in an abundance of formats, from songs and poems to comics. Aside from including a variety of formats, your go-to set of mentor texts should reflect a range of writing modes—such as narrative, informational, and opinion—and writing levels, from student work on up to polished texts by professional writers.

Content from genres such as comics and graphic novels is appealing to students since “the fusion of words with images supports literacy development in all learners,” writes Dan Ryder , a former teacher and education director at Mount Blue Campus in Farmington, Maine. Try looking for comics that have a strong narrative arc and let students talk about the texts in pairs or small groups. In Ryder’s high school classroom, students also learn how to create their own comics by interviewing people around them or collecting icons and objects from old magazines.

Teachers also tell us they have used song lyrics or poems to help guide student writing in their classrooms. High school English teacher Elizabeth Jorgensen, for example, uses exemplary poems written by young authors to help her students ease into writing their own. Jorgensen identifies contemporary poets through literary journals and poetry competitions, and she finds that her students relate to these poems more than those from the traditional canon because they allow students “to see themselves in poetry, to realize that they too can write successfully.”

And other educators, like high school English teacher Jori Krulder , have tapped into the ever-growing world of podcasts, letting students do research and present their findings in the form of a podcast instead of a traditional paper. Throughout this process, Krulder’s students listen to professional podcasts as mentor texts, and analyze them using questions such as, “What do the creators do at the beginning, at the end, and during transitions?” or “What is the main idea or insight that this podcast is illuminating?”

While learning the technological ropes can take some time, in the end her students “worked harder on the analysis and synthesis—and did far more thinking—than they would have done if I were the only audience,” Krulder writes.

Connecting to Student Experiences

While good writing takes a lot of practice, you want to send the message that it is within students’ reach by showing how young writers have been successful, so your students see they can learn a lot from their peers.

It’s intuitive to search for mentor texts in prestigious publications that feature established authors, but showing students texts by someone close to their age or writing experience can encourage them to “have greater confidence in their abilities to implement in their own writing the techniques that a peer used,” write Sean Thompson and Deborah K. Reed , researchers at the Iowa Reading Research Center. They suggest supplementing your lessons with works from student publications whenever possible, such as using exemplary poems produced by poetry club members—or you can use poems from student competitions, as Jorgensen does—or movie reviews from the school’s art and culture magazine.

If you haven’t already, begin building an archive of your students’ exemplary work, and let the writers know that their work will be shared—anonymously if preferred—with students in subsequent years. It’s likely that students will work on similar assignments from year to year, and it can be helpful to learn from the collective wisdom of previous peers. Having done this in her elementary classroom, writing teacher Kathleen Neagle Sokolowski explains at Two Writing Teachers that her students are able to “see a model that is closer to what they can approximate and the gap doesn’t feel as wide as it might when comparing their writing to a professional, published piece.”

Effective mentor texts inspire students to experiment with new writing techniques, structure, or plotlines, but they should also provide windows and mirrors—in the metaphor popularized by Rudine Sims Bishop —for students to see both themselves and their peers represented in the texts and their writers. Literacy consultant Stacey Schubitz recommends doing an audit of your mentor texts to ensure that you include books written about and by people from all walks of life, both in your community and around the world.

Realistic Expectations

To help students have realistic expectations of themselves as writers, it will help if your archive of mentor texts—by both students and more experienced writers—includes revisions, so they can see that those stellar essays didn’t start out as stellar. Another way to approach this, writes David Cutler , a history and journalism teacher, is to do your own quick writes for your assignments as students watch, so they can observe your writing process and the kinds of revisions you make even as you’re working on a first draft.

Students see “how I constantly refine my work, moving often between paragraphs to tweak structure and narrative flow. Meanwhile, I field questions about my thought process, such as why I have decided to tweak a clause or reconsider my syntax,” Cutler explains. And “to deter students from feeling deflated by my productivity,” he adds, “I remind them that I’ve had much longer to think about their assignment and that I’ve been teaching these skills for a dozen years.”

Another helpful way to encourage students to use mentor texts as models is to scaffold more advanced, jargon-rich texts, which may prompt students who are often frustrated by difficult vocabulary to “[give] up as soon as they come across an unfamiliar word,” writes former teacher Christina Gil . She recommends spending a few minutes going over any words that they might find discouraging, as well as being patient as students attempt to understand and implement the techniques they learn from mentor texts.

Mentor texts that reflect the breadth and depth of student experiences not only get students enthusiastic about writing but also help build a sense of belonging at school. The more students see themselves in what they're trying to emulate, the more engaged they will be as aspiring writers.

Language & Grammar

Science & Social Studies

Digital Learning

Mentor texts for common core literature standards.

My ELA units for Kinder, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Grade include three mini-lessons, printables, passages, interactive notebook activities, task cards, and an assessment. Some of these activities require the use of a mentor text. I have had many, many requests for a suggested book list, so I wanted to create a blog post for teachers to reference when using mentor texts for ELA! This is a list of 10 books for each literature standard, with affiliate links to Amazon.

Ask and Answer Questions

Ask and Answer Questions (RLK.1, RL1.1, RL2.1, RL3.1, RL4.1)

Key skills to hit: questioning, inferring, predicting, answering, and text evidence

• Why by Richard Torrey
• The Raft by Jim LaMarche
• Poppleton by Cynthia Rylant 
• First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg
• Baghead by Jarret Krosoczka
• Fly Away Home by Eve Bunting
• Hello, Goodbye Dog by Maria Gianferrari
• Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall
• Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pena
• Stella Brings the Family by Miriam B. Schiffer

Retelling and Recounting

Retelling and Recounting (RLK.2, RL1.2, RL2.2, RL3.2) Key skills to hit: retelling/recounting, moral/lesson, folk tales, fables, myths

• The Magic Hat by Mem Fox
• A Bad Case of the Stripes by David Shannon
• The Ant and the Grasshopper by Luli Gray
• Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes
• Aesop’s Fables Collection 
• Young Zeus by G. Brian Karas (3rd Grade Only)
• Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens
• Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry
• I am Enough by Grace Byers
• Why Mosquitos Buzz in People’s Ears by Verna Aardema
• The Legend of Blue Bonnet by Tomi dePaola

Primary Mentor Texts – Story Elements

Story Elements  (RLK.3, RL1.3) Key skills to hit-  characters and traits, settings, events

• Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett
• A Story for Bear by Dennis Haseley
• The Lorax by Dr. Seuss
• Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
• The Salamander Room by Anne Mazer
• If You Give a Pig a Pancake by Laura Numeroff
• What I Like the Most by Mary Murphy
• Islandborn by Junot Diaz
• Ruby Finds a Worry by Tom Percival
• In Our Mothers’ House by Patricia Polacco
• My Awesome Brother by Lise Frances

Character Challenges

Character Challenges and Solutions (RL2.3, RL3.3) Key skills to hit-  character traits, problem/solution, challenges and how the character resolves it

• Ira Sleeps Over by Bernard Waber
• The Name Jar by  Yangsook Choi
• Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes
• Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion 
• Jamaica’s Find by Juanita Havill 
• Enemy Pie by Derek Munson 

Vocabulary in Poetry

Vocabulary in Poetry (RLK.4, RL1.4, RL2.4) Key skills to hit-  feeling emotions while reading, imagery, poetry, sensory word, repetition

• Dog Breath by Dav Pilkey
• When Sophie Gets Angry- Really Really Angry by Molly Bang
• Edward the Emu by Sheena Knowles
• Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein 
• There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly by Lucille Colandro
• Class Two at the Zoo by Julia Jarman
• Word Collector by Peter H. Reynolds
• Malala’s Magic Pencil by Malala Yousafzai
• Yo! Yes! by Chris Raschka
• Fry Bread by Kevin Noble Maillard

Primary Mentor Texts – Figurative Language

Figurative Language (RL3.4, RL4.4) Key skills to hit-  similes, metaphors, imagery, personification

• The Worrywarts by Pamela Duncan Edwards
• Amelia Bedelia and the Baby by Peggy Parish
• I Know the River Loves Me by Maya Christina Gonzales
• The Colors of Us by Karen Katz
• Quiet as a Cricket by Audrey Wood
• Owl Moon by Jane Yolen

Story Structure

Story Structure (RL2.5, RL3.5) Key skills to hit-  beginning, middle, and end structure

• Don’t Slam the Door by Lori Chaconas 
• No Dogs Allowed by Sonia Manzano
• Chicken Little by Steven Kellogg
• The Perfect Nest by Catherine Friend
• The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch
• Max’s Words by Kate Banks
• Parker Looks Up by Parker Curry
• Black, White, Just Right by Marguerite Devol
• Festival of Colors by Surishtha Sehgal
• Noah Chases the Wind by Michelle Worthington

Primary Mentor Texts – Point of View

Point of View (RL1.6, RL2.6, RL3.6, RL4.6) Key skills to hit-  character’s opinion, how a character feels about something, compare to own

• A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead and Erin E. Stead
• The Day the Crayons Quit by Draw Daywalt
• My Big Dog by Janet Stevens
• The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka
• Goldilocks and the Three Bears by Caralyn Buehner 
• Three Hens and a Peacock by Lester Laminack
• The Sandwich Swap by Queen Raniah of Jordan Al Abdullah
• Julian is a Mermaid by Jessica Love
• The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson
• Grace for President by Kelly DiPuccio

Story Illustrations

Story Illustrations (RLK.7, RL1.7, RL2.7, RL3.7, RL4.7) Key skills-  comparing text to illustration, how the illustration adds to the text

• Pancakes for Breakfast by Tomie dePaola (wordless book)
• Flotsam by David Wiesner  (wordless book)
• Office Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathman
• The Snowman by Raymond Briggs (wordless book)
• Rotten Teeth by Laura Simms
• Do You Want to Be My Friend? by Eric Carle
• Another by Christian Robinson (wordless book) 
• Pink is for Boys by Robb Pearlman
• The Big Umbrella by Amy June Bates
• I Walk with Vanessa by Kerascoet (wordless book)

Compare Two Stories by Different Authors

Compare Two Stories by Different Authors (RL1.9, RL2.9) Key skills to hit-  comparing and contrasting character, setting, events (different author)

• Honestly, Red Riding Hood Was Rotten  by Trisha Shashkan and  Little Red Riding Hood by Paragon Books
• The Three Ninja Pigs by Corey Schwartz  and  The Three Little Pigs by Patricia Seibert
• The Little Red Hen by Paul Galdone  and  The Little Red Elf by Barbara McGrath
• Cinderella by Sarah L. Thompson  and  The Rough Faced Girl by Rafe Martin
• G oldy Luck and the Three Pandas by Natasha Yim  and  Goldilocks and the Three Bears by James Marshall
• Ninja Red Riding Hood by Corey Rosen Schwartz  and  Little Red Riding Hood by Candace Ransom
• La Princesa and the Pea by Susan Middleton Elya  and  The Princess and the Pea by Hans Christian Andersen
• Reading Beauty by Deborah Underwood  and  Sleeping Beauty by Michael Teitelbaum

Comparing Two Stories by the Same Author

Comparing Two Stories by the Same Author (RL3.9) Key skills to hit- comparing and contrasting character, theme, plot (same author)

• Jumaji  and  Zarthura  by Chris Van Allsburg
• Fish is Fish  and  Swimmy  by Leo Lionni
• The Hat  and  The Mitten  by Jan Brett
• Wemberly Worried  and  Chester’s Way  by Kevin Henkes

Suggested Standards-Based Literature Activities

For full ELA units with mini lessons for these books and extra reading passages (and much more), check out the grade level sets for RL standards. If you click the links below, check out your grade level. They’re sold separately as well if you only want one or two standards at a time.

Want a free mentor text organizer?

FREE MENTOR TEXT ORGANIZER

When you sign up for my email list, this Mentor Text Organization freebie will be sent directly to your inbox. Check your email after this!

Want to read more ELA fiction topics?

• Teaching Compare and Contrast in Fiction Texts
• How to Teach Story Structure
• Mastering Story Elements
• Read more about: Books , Common Core Aligned , Reading Blog Posts , Uncategorized

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Mentor Texts to Teach Writing Styles

Descriptive, descriptive literature for mentor texts, children's literature.

Descriptive Literature Database for Middle Grade/High School

• Children's Literature Comprehensive Database This link opens in a new window The CLCD database provides bibliographic data, reviews, awards, and lists for children's books, audio books, and videos. The database contains over 900,000 catalog records, and 130,000 full text reviews from 24 review sources. Approximately 1500 new reviews are added each month. There are retrospective reviews going back 10 years. Additionally, there are links to author sites, publishers, parent resources, curriculum resources and information on reading measurement programs.
• << Previous: Opinion/Persuasive
• Next: Informative >>
• Last Updated: Dec 22, 2023 3:17 PM
• Subjects: Education K-12 curriculum
• Tags: children's literature , writing , young adult books

Note: This article doesn’t cover how to teach using mentor texts. Read how to use mentor texts here .

Help make this article a more powerful resource for teachers by sharing your favorite mentor texts in the comments at the end.

Table of Contents:

Personal Narrative Memoir Fiction Informative Literary Analysis Argumentative Speech

Personal Narrative

Eleven   by Sandra Cisneros Best for 6th Grade

It’s Rachel’s eleventh birthday but she doesn’t feel eleven. On this day she feels more like one. Her insensitive teacher wants to find the owner of a red sweater that’s been sitting in the coatroom for a very, very long time. No one in Rachel’s class wants to claim it. When Rachel is accused she doesn’t speak up for herself. The following writing skills are beautifully done in this short story:

• Descriptive Language
• Figurative Language
• Inner Thinking

Everything Will be Okay   by James Howe Appropriate for Grades 6-8 (very sad though)

James finds a sick kitten in the woods and tells the kitten everything will be okay. He takes it home hoping his his family will help. His mother says, “we’ll see…”. His brother Paul, who works for Dr. Milk, comes home and knows what to do. They drive the sickly kitten over to the vet’s office and the scenes that follow are heart wrenching. This story flows back and forth between the events of this day and memories involving James’s family. These components of narrative writing stand out most in the story:

• Building Tension
• Character Development
• Past and Present Transitions

First French Kiss by Adam Bagdasarian Best for 8th Grade

Will is in sixth grade and invited to Maggie’s party. He and Maggie have been exchanging notes in class. She confessed she liked him better than two other boys. Will gets ready for the party and has high hopes for the night. He and Maggie slow dance and afterward Will gets pressure from his friends to french kiss Maggie. When I read this story out loud to my students they are anything but disengaged. This story is related in so many ways. The following writing skills could easily be taught using this mentor text:

Out of Bounds by Amanda Werner Appropriate for Grades 6-8

My husband and I lived in Salt Lake City, Utah for five years and bought season ski passes every year we were there. We spent most weekends in the Wasatch mountains skiing the greatest snow on Earth. As fantastic as this sounds, things went very wrong one day. Erik, my husband wanted to ski out of bounds. We’d done so before and nothing had gone wrong but every time we did it I struggled with a decision, follow my husband out of bounds or stick to the groomers. On this day, I chose to follow and things went seriously wrong. The following writing skills could be taught using this short story:

What’s the difference between memoir and personal narrative? Memoirs are usually centered on a time period in a person’s life, or a theme, whereas personal narratives are about one important event. The memoirs below are powerful stories about facing both small issues and huge. Your students will find connections and ideas from reading these:

Fish Cheeks   by Amy Tan Best for 8th Grade

Amy Tan is in love at the age of 14 with a boy named Robert. He doesn’t know it. To her horror, his family is invited over to dinner for Thanksgiving. Amy is mortified by her family and their traditional Chinese ways. This story is so short but is packed with wonderful writing lessons about the following topics:

• Setting Description
• Reflective Ending

The Jacket by Gary Soto Appropriate for Grades 6-8

Gary needs a new coat. He describes a super cool biker jacket to his mom and is excited by the potential this new piece of clothing could have on his identity. The next day he finds a guacamole colored, too large coat hanging from is bedpost. His mom says it’s for him. He wears the ugly thing for years and describes in sad detail the negative impact it had on his life and his eventual acceptance of the thing and his situation.

Superman and Me by Sherman Alexie Best for 8th Grade

Alexie describes his love of reading from the age of three to adulthood. He knows this love of reading saved him from the poverty and struggles of life on an Indian Reservation. But he doesn’t just want to save his own life, he wants to save others’ lives too, through books and writing.

Two Kinds by Amy Tan Best for 8th Grade

Jing-mei’s mom has big plans for her daughter. She wants her daughter to be a prodigy. But as time goes on and Jing-mei fails her mother’s expectations over and over, Jing-mei begins to resent her mother and fail on purpose. She and her mother eventually face off and Jing-mei wins. Her mother backs off, but eventually Jing-mei regrets what she did and the things she said to her mother that day.

• Transitions

I believe that most teachers neglect teaching fiction writing because it is a beast! Fiction includes many, many genres and trying to teach how to write all those genres seems daunting. It is daunting! Here’s what I suggest…let students choose the genre and teach core writing skills that apply to all of them. Those core skills might be: plot, character development, setting, tone, mood, point of view, description, dialogue, theme, figurative language, transitions, organization and the writing process.

But what about mentor texts? You can do one of two things: use short excerpts from your favorite fictional books or use short stories. Below are some of my favorite fictional short stories. I think most English teachers use these stories to teach reading analysis, but fictional writing skills can be taught with these stories too!

All Summer in a Day by Ray Bradbury Appropriate for Grades 6-8

Margot is from planet Earth and just moved to Venus. Most children in her class have never seen the sun, because on Venus it rains for seven years straight. On the day that the rain is finally supposed to stop the kids in Margot’s class make a horrendously cruel decision. The following fictional writing skills are very obvious in this classic sci-fi story:

Thank You Ma’am by Langston Hughes Appropriate for Grades 6-8

Mrs. Jones is walking through the street at night when suddenly a young boy tries to take her purse. She is a strong women and grabs a hold of the boy and doesn’t let go. Instead she brings him to her house, feeds him and talks to him. She learns his name is Roger and soon they begin to develop an understanding. This very short story is packed with writing lessons, here are some of the more obvious ones:

The Paper Menagerie by Ken Liu Best for 8th Grade (has mature content)

Jack or “Kan-kan”, as his mother likes to call him, has a magical, paper lion named Laohu. Jack’s mother made it for him. She has an incredible talent for making origami creatures come to life. Jack loves all his “pets”, but when another boy comes over with his Star Wars toys, Jack realizes he is different…and even more so…his mother is different. He begins to keep his distance from his mother and wants her to be more American by learning English. Jack stops speaking Chinese with her and as time goes on he discovers the story behind his mother’s past. This story is worth a read by you and your students! Here are some writing skills you could teach using it:

• Dialogue & Inner Thinking
• Integrating Historical Time Periods & Events into Stories
• Formats/Letters as Part of Stories

The Veldt by Ray Bradbury Appropriate for Grades 6-8

George and Lydia Hadley just purchased the HappyLife Home. This house does absolutely everything you can think of for them and their two children. It even has a playroom that can turn into the African savannah for their children’s entertainment. Lack of discipline and too much reliance on technology leads to a treacherous end. There are so many awesome writing techniques used in this story:

• Ending with a Twist

The Lottery by Shirley Jackson Appropriate for 8th Grade

Members of a small village gather for many events throughout the year, square dances, teen club, the Halloween fair and other civic activities. And now all the members of this small town, men, women and children gather for the annual lottery. This dark story has many writing techniques that students can emulate in their own fictional stories:

• Foreshadowing

Informative

It is fairly easy to find information mentor texts, they are all over the internet in the form of blog posts and news articles. Tween Tribune and Dogo News are my favorite free websites for informational writing mentor texts. They always have articles that interest students. Kelly Gallagher also has a comprehensive list of both information and argumentative articles all formatted to use in your classroom: Articles of the Week . Gallagher uses these articles in his high School English classes, so they are more advanced, however, access to all of these articles in one place can be super helpful for an 8th grade teacher like myself and maybe you too.

Teens and adults say they feel tethered to their phones from Tween Tribune Appropriate for Grades 6-8

Parents are depicted as a bit hypocritical in this article (students will love it). They say they want their children to use their devices less. Yet, parents seem to be on their devices just as much, if not more than their children!

• Citing Studies
• Quoting Sources

How Online Gaming Platform Roblox is Helping Teenagers Become Millionaires  from Dogo News Appropriate for Grades 6-8

Kids can become developers for games like Roblox. The company pays 30% in royalties and this has made some millionaires! Students will love reading about how to make money through what they are most passionate about…video games!

• Citing Data
• Organization

Homework and Tests Stressing You Out? Consider Moving to Sweden  from Dogo News Appropriate for Grades 6-8

A school in Sweden decided to do an experiment…no homework or tests for a whole month. If stress is reduced in these students’ lives they may never have to do homework again! Other countries are experimenting with this idea too. Students will love learning about the negative impacts of homework in this article. Here are some of the features of this article students could emulate in their own informational writing:

• Bias (this article is a bit one-sided)
• Summarizing Studies
• Embedding Video

Giant boom hopes to corral Pacific Ocean’s plastic trash from Tween Tribune Appropriate for Grades 6-8

Between Hawaii and California there floats a patch of trash twice the size of Texas! It is disgusting. Boyan Slat, a 23 year old, has taken it upon himself to find a solution. This article talks about his invention and how he is working toward a solution to this very large and concerning problem. Here are some writing skills students can glean from reading this informative article:

• Embedding Quotes from Interviews
• Providing Differing Viewpoints
• Providing Statistics
• Use of Commas to Add Detail

Literary Analysis

Ever wonder why it is so difficult to find mentor texts to teach literary essays? It’s because people don’t write literary essays in the real world! The only time this type of writing is done is in school. This worries me a bit because I believe students should be writing what people in the real world write. Then, I came across this article called, Thinking About Mentor Texts for Literary Analysis , and was convinced that yes we should definitely still teach literary essays. Not because it is what we’ve always done in English classes, our reason should be to help students develop their analysis skills so that they can think critically about world events, business, politics, books and even their own lives! The mentor texts below are about a wide range of topics but can still be used to teach literary essay writing skills.

Picture Books Tell Children the Harsh Story of Refugee Picture Books by Monica Edingar Appropriate for 8th Grade (advanced writing)

Edingar starts off arguing how important it is that we talk about the experiences of migrants and refugees, especially to our children. She then goes on to beautifully summarize and analyze six children’s books about people from places ranging from Chile to Greece to Mexico. Students could learn these writing techniques from reading all or part of this article:

• Quoting Individuals
• Summarizing

YA Thrillers to Give You Chills This Summer   by Elisabeth Egan Appropriate for 8th Grade

Three thriller YA novels are discussed in this well written article. Not only will students learn the writing techniques listed below, they’ll also learn about some high interest YA novels too.

• Comparing Literature
• Making Connections
• Narrative Hook
• Providing Details in Parentheses

10 Benefits of Reading Everyday  by Lana Winter-Hebert Appropriate for Grades 6-8

This article discusses some excellent reasons why we should be reading everyday. Many important points are brought up such as how reading helps you become a better writer and develop analytical skills! The following writing techniques could be taught using this article:

• Hooking Reader with Questions about Their Life
• Providing Photo Credit

Movie theaters fight streaming by assaulting the senses Appropriate for Grades 6-8

Movie theaters are struggling to compete with the streaming television services Netflix and Amazon Prime. So, they are adding many creative features to keep movie goers coming back.  Reclining seats, food service and even augmented reality! There are many things to learn from this article:

• Using Dashes to Add Extra Detail
• Word Choice

Argumentative

Finding age appropriate argumentative writing samples that are at the middle school level is tricky. I rely heavily on newspaper editorials. This is real life argumentative writing at its finest. However, newspapers are often written above our students’ reading levels. Because of this fact I read these articles out loud with students first read then I have them reread and annotate. It is more likely students will retain the information and the writing skills you teach when you read it out loud first. Then, on a different day during your argumentative writing unit, analyze parts of the articles pointing out skills you want to teach that day. 

Attention, Students: Put Your Laptops Away   by James Doubek Appropriate for Grades 7-8 (article is a bit advanced)

Doubek argues that taking notes by hand is actually better than taking notes on a laptop. When you take notes by hand you synthesize information into memorable chunks because you can’t write absolutely everything down when a teacher is lecturing. When you take notes using a laptop you tend to type word for word what you hear, skipping the important synthesis and thinking process. Not only is this an important article for students to read, you can also teach the below writing skills using the article too.

• Connecting to Audience in Hook
• Making Counterarguments
• Quoting Interviews

The Big Myth About Teenage Anxiety by Richard A. Friedman Appropriate for 8th Grade (term sex is used)

Friedman is a psychiatrist and argues that screens are not causing a rise in psychological disorders like anxiety and depression. Studies done about the impact on screens to our mental health only show correlations and not causation. He argues that anxiety and stress are a normal part of everyday life and parents need to stop assuming it is psychological trauma. This article has all sorts of argumentative writing techniques students can learn from:

• Counterarguments
• Dashes to Include More Detail

An Open Letter About Female Coaches by Pau Gasol Best for 8th Grade (some locker room talk)

Pau Gasol is an NBA basketball player who has been coached by Becky Hammon, the first and only female to ever coach in the NBA. Paul writes this letter to question societal norms and assumptions about women in positions that are dominated by men. It is an excellent read. Here are some skills you could teach using this article:

• Setting Sentences off to Emphasize

Is it Actually Smart to Sit Still? by Hannah Amell

Hannah Amell is a 15 year old New York Times Learning Network essay finalist. Find out more about the contests here: Learning Network Contests.  She wrote her editorial arguing against block schedules. She thinks schools need to start incorporating more movement in their classrooms. Here are some writing techniques she used:

• Connecting with Audience in Hook
• Incorporating Interviews
• Sentence Variety
• Ending with a Question

Thanks to TED Talks (and the transcripts that are provided right beneath them), there are tons and tons of examples of speeches available online for our students. I believe this is why so many teachers are shifting from having students give speeches to having their own TED Talks! If you do this have students watch some talks, read the transcripts and then begin planning their own. Here are my favorite TED Talks to show students:

Overcoming Obstacles  [ Transcript ] by Stephen Claunch Appropriate for All Grades

Stephen Claunch was born with many health issues. But these issues have not stopped him from reaching his goals. Stephen explains that obstacles can be overcome with hard work, not excuses. There are multiple heartwarming stories and lessons students need to learn in this talk!

• Weaving Multiple Stories Together

How to Start a Movement   [ Transcript ] by Derek Sivers Appropriate for All Grades

This humorous talk analyzes the process of creating a movement. Sivers points out that leaders are important but followers might be more important to making a movement. Here are some speech writing topics you can cover with this talk:

• Summary of Lessons to End Speech
• Using Humor
• Video Analysis in a Speech

8 Secrets to Success [ Transcript ] by Richard St. John Appropriate for Grade 8 (the words damn and assholes are used)

This super concise and funny talk gives students advice for how to be successful in life. Here are some speech writing techniques you can teach with this talk:

• Acronyms to Teach
• Listing as a Way to Organize a Speech
• Slideshow Graphics

How to Tie Your Shoes [ Transcript ] by Terry Moore Appropriate for All Grades

This short talk teaches us that we’ve been tying our shoes wrong! It is eye-opening in the simplest way. Here are a few speech writing techniques you can teach with this talk:

• Connecting with the Audience
• Doing a Demonstration During a Speech
• Using a Quote to End a Speech

Type your favorite mentor texts in the comments below…

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11 Comments

This is soooo helpful! Thank you so much for sharing!

Thanks Lyndsey! I’m so happy that you found this article helpful! I appreciate you taking the time to let me know:)

This post is absolute gold, Amanda! Finding good mentor texts is the biggest time-suck, and this post saves sooo much time. Thank you so much for putting it together!

Thank you so much for the wonderful feedback on this article Jeanne! It means so much to me:)

Thank you! This is so helpful! I just shared this page w/teachers in a Twitter chat about mentor texts. I appreciate it! 🙂

Tara, thanks for taking the time to comment and share:) I appreciate YOU!

Thanks you so much for all of the valuable resources and information! Can you please advise/ explain how you incorporate grammar lessons? Thank you SO much!

Hi Gina, I teach grammar as needed during conferences to students who need specific instruction because of glaring mistakes they are making over and over again. I rarely teach grammar lessons to the whole class because I honestly don’t feel my students benefit from knowing grammar terms. Their writing improves the more they read and write not the more they do grammar exercises. I hope that answers your question:)

I wish there was a section with historical fiction. I find historical fiction very interesting and it’d be very helpful right now for my assignment from class.

Great idea! My favorites are Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson, Blood on the River by Elisa Carbone, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr and I could go on. Historical Fiction is probably my favorite genre to read. Writing historical fiction brings a whole other challenge! What are your favorite historical fiction books?

The Lorax is great for teaching argument.

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