
Mentor Texts: Must-Have Tools for Your Conferring Toolkit
Have you heard the following piece of advice before? “Teach the writer not the writing.” If so, have you ever
Have you heard the following piece of advice before? “Teach the writer not the writing.” If so, have you ever
Building tension or suspense in a narrative is an advanced writing skill but one that can be explicitly taught, even
Writing Trait/Strategy:Adding details; organization Mentor Text Suggestions:Your own modeled writing—see description belowThe Quilt Story by Tony JohnstonLaura Charlotte by Kathryn
Writing Trait/Strategy:Writing conventions Mentor Text Suggestions:Alphie the Apostrophe by Moira Rose DonohueThe Girl’s Like Spaghetti by Lynne TrussGreedy Apostrophe by
Writing Trait/Strategy:Sentence fluency; conventions Mentor Text Suggestions:The Whale’s Song by Dyan SheldonCrab Moon by Ruth HorowitzShortcut by Donald Crews Description:This
Mentor Text Suggestions:Beach by Elisha CooperBig Mama’s by Donald CrewsOutside, Inside by Carolyn CrimiIn the Tall, Tall Grass by Denise
Writing Trait/Strategy:Word Choice; Sentence Fluency Mentor Text Suggestions:Come On, Rain! by Karen HesseThe Storm Book by Charlotte ZolotowTwilight Comes Twice
Writing Trait/Strategy:Ways with words; creating mind pictures for the reader Mentor Text Suggestions:Night Noises by Mem FoxWidget by Lyn Rossiter