Using Mentor Texts in Reading and Writing *Free download

They’re engaging and a great way to get students thinking and talking.
But how do you use mentor texts effectively in reading and writing?
In this post, I break down the steps for using a mentor text.
Hang with me until the end – there’s a free download in it for you, too!
What is a mentor text?
A mentor text is a book (often a picture book, but not necessarily) that can be used to give students an opportunity to notice, practice, or apply a certain skill or strategy.
How do I use a mentor text?
1. Read the book as a read aloud, for enjoyment. The first time you read isn’t about analyzing the text; it’s about situating yourself in the text and thinking about what’s happening to ensure students have comprehension and a connection with the text.
2. Choose a piece of the text that highlights the skill or strategy you want to practice. Re-read that piece during a minilesson. Always encourage students to think about what reading like a writer looks like by helping them think about the text from the writer’s perspective. This chart helps kids think about the writing decisions authors make!
3. Model applying the strategy in that piece of text. Think aloud.
4. Have students apply the strategy in partners or groups, verbally.
5. Connect to group and then independent practice, usually in a different text.
Teaching kids to think differently when “reading like a reader” and “reading like a writer” really helps!
What does that look like in reading?
For example, in reading, the book In November by Cynthia Rylant is excellent for helping students visualize. Rylant includes so many sensory details that it can help students make a movie in their minds.
First, we read the book aloud and just appreciated Rylant’s beautiful words. Then, at a later time, we re-read it and I modeled using the details from the text to make pictures in my mind, which improved my comprehension.
Students practiced this in partners, describing their mental images to each other.
Then, I had students each take a chunk of text and create a picture representation of their mental image, explaining where the details came from by using the text to support their picture.
But it doesn’t stop there. This book can be used as a mentor text for writing, too
What does it look like in writing?
4. Then we brainstormed language we could use in our own writing to describe a season. In groups, students created charts for winter, spring, summer, and fall. You can get this complete activity on TpT!
I LOVED this post! My 5th Grade students really enjoy mentor texts! Could you please tell me where the mentor text list is located? Thanks, ~Stephanie
Thank you so much! To get the list, just enter your email address and name in the boxes at the bottom of the post where it says, "Mentor Text for Reading and Writing." Then the download will be sent to your inbox!
I love your writing labels for mentor texts, I found the freebie online.
DO you have a reading mentor text version?