6 Tips for Using Mentor Texts
From the desk of Carol C…
For a long time I had no idea what a mentor text was. I would hear the term thrown around but never really got the specifics of it. When I finally did learn what mentor texts were, I realized the power they had to grow student writers. I thought I would share with you the questions I hear the most often and what I’ve learned that may help answer them.
What is a mentor text?
A mentor text is simply any piece of quality writing which you can use to teach, reteach, or reinforce any specific aspect of writers’ craft. Notice the emphasis on the word quality. You want to show your students only the best writing that exemplifies what you are trying to teach. Any text is fine as long as long as it provides an excellent example of what you are trying to teach. You may use a book, newspaper article, brochure…the list continues. Again any text can be used as a mentor text as long as it is high quality and helps you teach a specific concept.
When do I use a mentor text in writing?
The short answer is any time you need one. You may want to use the text during whole group time. This is the most common time to use it, but don’t stop there. Mentor texts can, also, be used effectively during small group work and when you work with individual students.
How do I know what to teach from these texts?
Look at the Common Core standards for your grade level. You’ll find a standard in the literacy section devoted entirely to writing. See what your students are expected to be able to do and start with one of those concepts.
How do I find mentor texts that support the concept I’m teaching?
To begin you might want to Google “mentor texts” or what you are trying to teach followed by “mentor texts”. For instance I might Google “voice mentor texts”. If I wanted to teach my class how to address a counterargument in an argumentative paper, I would look for good op/ed pieces which had excellent examples of addressing the opposition’s points of disagreement. What you have to be careful about is making sure you thoroughly understand how the author developed whatever you are trying to teach. If you don’t understand how an author showed characters’ emotions in a text, then you cannot teach your students how to effectively use emotions in writing.
What’s next?
Let’s say you chose an op/ed piece which contained a counterargument. You would read the piece, taking apart the author’s writing techniques, to your whole class. An important point here is you are not teaching comprehension. Your students should already be able to understand the piece. Preferably you have used this same piece to model strategies to use to comprehend a text. Then you guide your students to apply similar writing techniques in their own writing. This will take time and several mentor texts.
Can mentor texts be used with any grade level and any type of writing?
Yes! What’s more picture books are great to use in high school, middle school, and elementary school. Picture books are not just for young children. Good picture books are complex and can be understood on all different levels. Take the book Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems. Very simple to read and very funny. This book could be used at any grade level to teach ways to insert authentic humor in writing. Willems uses several different techniques to amuse the reader. This book for older students (middle or high school) would be easy to understand as you read it to them. Looking at the different ways humor is created would make for a good discussion, yet all of this lesson would be fairly quick. Then your students could try using one of Willems techniques their writing. This is so much easier and faster than reading David Sedaris. The level of humor Sedaris uses is on a higher level and is not one I would use to first teach humor in writing. I would scaffold up to a much higher level than shown in Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus. Some students will need to start with a basic mentor text in order to fully grasp how to begin to add humor in their writing.
This is a brief introduction to or reminder of using mentor texts. Mentor texts are vital to any writing program. They are used to enhance writing at any age level. Regardless of your skill level as a writer and whether you are a paid author or not, your writing can always be enhanced.