Amanda Write Now

By: Amanda Werner

Mentor Texts

Mentor Texts for Writing and Discussions About Race

Our classrooms are microcosms of the society we live in.

The sad reality (that many have a hard time admitting) is race matters in our society and it matters in our classrooms. 

The majority of teachers in America are white and female. 

Schools and neighborhoods are segregated by race. 

Students socially group themselves by race (and so do adults).

Everyone who walks onto a school campus (or in neighborhoods) sees these realities and yet very few people (especially white people) talk about it.  

A person’s race impacts so many aspects of their day to day experiences. When we ignore this fact or pretend to be colorblind, we are perpetuating the problems of stereotyping, prejudice and systemic racism.

Start by Reading...

I highly recommend Why Are all the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? by Beverly Daniel Tatum (*Amazon Affiliate Link). In this book, Tatum helped me realize that students of the same race need each other for support. It’s a rough world we live in. She helps educators realize racial grouping is a natural reaction to find comfort in people who have similar experiences as you. 

The most surprise thing I learned from this book is that racial grouping within schools can actually be helpful and empowering for students when schools organize and support these groups.

Social groups or clubs created based on race within a school can promote discussion, reflection, support and community. When students are part of a supportive community, students begin developing more positive feelings about their own race and feel a sense of pride for being a member of this group.

If this grouping is frowned upon however, it can cause increased tension between different racial groups and between teachers and groups as well. 

I believe there is a big problem with never talking about how race impacts our students’ lives and experiences.

Teachers everywhere are realizing the importance of approaching topics of race with students. Most quality teachers realize there is so much more to teaching than just content.

Educators are waking up, reading voraciously and reflecting a lot. I know that if you are reading this, you are one of those educators, dedicated to making a change. 

How Do We Begin with Our Students?

We as teachers have the responsibility not only to teach content but to also help students develop positive feelings about who they are and where they come from. 

But, many are wondering…how in the world do we do that?!? 

How do we approach issues of race with our students? 

How do we help students develop their racial identities and consider how race impacts our lives? 

I don’t pretend to have all the answers. I’m still reading and learning and incorporating what I learn in small, incremental ways. For now, I’m leaning a lot on mentor texts. If you are new to mentor texts click here for an overview of what they are: How to Use Mentor Texts, Top Ten Places to Find Mentor Texts.

About the Mentor Texts

Below you will find six mentor texts that have themes surrounding issues of race and identity. For each mentor text I include a summary of the text, questions to write about and then discuss, lines from the text that students can “borrow” for their own writing and “mentor text moves” used within the text.

How to Use the Mentor Texts

In general I recommend just reading these mentor texts with students and allowing students to write their responses to the issues brought up.

I wouldn’t force students to discuss if they aren’t comfortable.

Be open and honest with students about how uncomfortable it can be to express your thoughts and opinions to a group of people.

This is why, before initiating any kind of discussion that you make time for students to get to know you and each other. I have many community building activities you can try listed in this post: Distance Learning Community Building Activities.

1. American Like Me by America Ferrera

Summary
In this short story America describes the many negative experiences she has had throughout school because of her name. The first day of school and every day after that is terrible for America because many of her teachers (particularly history teachers) and classmates always have something to say about her name. They think they are being positive and uplifting and what they don’t realize is they are just being insensitive and ignorant. 

Discuss/Write About

What do you wish your teacher and classmates knew about you?

Has a teacher or an adult ever embarrassed you before? What happened? 

What does being patriotic mean to you? 

Borrow a Line

“My name is__________________and I’m_____________years old.

I_______________________my name”. 

“I know just how lucky I am to be an________________________.”

“I learn to go along with_________________________.”

Mentor Moves

  • Inner thinking vs. dialogue 
  • Commas
  • Purposeful Run-ons

2. Fish Cheeks by Amy Tan

Summary
Amy’s parents are getting ready for Christmas Eve dinner and decide to invite the minister’s family. Amy is mortified. She’s in love with the minister’s son and doesn’t want him to see the different traditions her family follows including eating raw foods, licking chopsticks and belching to show satisfaction in the meal. Amy’s mom teaches her an important lesson about shame when the minister’s family leaves.

Discuss/Write About
Have you ever been in love? Write about that experience. 

Have you ever been embarrassed by your family? Why? 

What traditions does your family practice? Do you ever share those traditions with your friends or significant others?

Borrow a Line

“I fell in love with__________________________________.”

“When I found out my parents had___________________.”

“___________________ threw me into deeper despair.”

Mentor Moves

  • Similes 
  • Imagery 
  • Flash back and flash forward

3. Hello My Name is...by Jason Kim

Summary
Jason describes his experiences immigrating from Korea to America and changing his name. He describes how difficult it was to find his identity for his entire school and young adult life, being torn between two worlds. He spends much of his first few months at his new school in America isolated from other children feeling desperate to be white so that he could fit in. His main goal throughout school was to fit in. It’s only later in life that he finally realizes that children should not have to change themselves or their names to fit in. 

Discuss/Write About

Has anyone ever mispronounced your name? What did you do?

Why do you think people feel the need to “Americanize” their names?

Do you have a nickname? How did you get it?

Would you ever consider changing your name? If so what would you change it to? Why?

Borrow a Line 

“I will never forget the day I___________________.”

“I’ve always been terrified of speaking up on behalf of___________________.”

“My dream now as a___________________is for our country to be___________________.”

Mentor Moves

  • Dashes 
  • One-word paragraphs 
  • Dialogue

4. Indian Education by Sherman Alexie

Note: includes racial slurs and mature scenes.

Summary
Sherman Alexie grew up on a reservation in Spokane, WA and attends the tribal school there. In 7th grade he transfers to an all white school. He describes in vivid detail many negative experiences throughout his young life. But, he also describes bright and beautiful moments too. 

Discuss/Write About

Alexie writes about many negative experiences living and going to school on a reservation, then he transfers to a mostly white school for a “better education”. Why do you think schools are so different in America? Do you think there is anything that can be done about this? If so, what do you think could be done? 

Start from kindergarten and list vivid memories from each grade. Write just a sentence or two. Do you notice more positive or negative memories dominate? 

Borrow a Line:

Page 2: “In third grade_____________________.”

Page 3: “I picked up a_____________________ for the first time and_____________________.”

Page 9: “When we look in the mirror, see_________________________ in our eyes, taste___________________, and shake with ___________________, we understand completely. 

 Mentor Moves:

  • Chronological Organization Structure
  • Headings 
  • Hyperbole 
  • Italics

5. My Name by Sandra Cisneros

Summary
In this short vignette from The House on Mango Street Esperanza contemplates the mixed feelings she has about her name. She describes the meaning and history behind it. She was named after her great-grandmother who was a strong woman until she was stolen away and forced to marry. Esperanza wants a new name that represents her true self, that no one truly knows, except her. 

Discuss/Write About

Do you know what your name means? If so, what? Are you proud of your name? Why or why not?

Would you change your name if you could? Why or why not?

What do you think of the quote, “the Chinese like the Mexicans don’t like their women strong?” Do you think this is true of other races too? Why or why not? 

 Borrow a Line: 

“In English my name means_____________________. In _____________________ in means _____________________.”

 “At school they say my name _________________________________________________.”

 “My name is like the number _____________________. A _____________________color. It is _____________________________________________.

 Mentor Moves:

  • Metaphors 
  • Similes 
  • Dashes

6. Mrs. Flowers by Maya Angelou

Summary
A shy young girl, Marguerite, feels special, seen and important in Mrs. Flowers’ presence. Mrs. Bertha Flowers is a distinguished black woman in Black Stamps, Arkansas. She holds her head high and shares her intelligence, opinions and books with Marguerite. 

Discuss/Write About

Why is Mrs. Flowers so special to Marguerite?

Have you ever felt respected by an adult? Describe this experience. What did the adult do to show you respect? If you have never experienced this, why do you think that is? 

What do you think Mrs. Flowers meant when she said, “That some people, unable to go to school, were more educated and even more intelligent than college professors.”?

Borrow a Line

“One summer afternoon________________________________.”

“The teachers report that they have trouble getting me to _________________________________________.”

“My imagination boggled at______________________________________________.”

“My lessons in living: _______________________________________________.”

Mentor Moves

  • Hook-Detailed Character Description
  • Imagery
  • Detailed Setting Descriptions
  • Allusion

Wrap Up

It is vital that teachers begin talking about race with their students. We can’t ignore the facts that are glaringly obvious within the microcosms of our classrooms. Please share in the comments, ideas you have for beginning to bring these topics into our classrooms!

Places to Find Mentor Texts That You May Not Have Thought Of!

One of the biggest challenges many writing teachers face is finding quality mentor texts. But is it really all that big of a challenge when we look closely at what mentor texts really are?

The phrase “mentor text” is pretty new. Ralph Fletcher, a guru in the writing instruction world defines mentor texts as, “Any writing that you can learn from…”, this definition is so satisfying. It’s satisfying because often, one of the biggest challenges about being a writing workshop teacher is finding mentor texts. But, this definition opens a plethora of texts up to us.

It is also important to note that the phrase “writing sample” has been around a lot longer than the phrase, “mentor text”. I’ve been teaching for 12 years and in that time “writing sample” was the term used most frequently until those who started the workshop model popularized “mentor texts”.

So there is no difference between the mentor texts and writing samples. They are the same thing.

Why is this important?

This is an important realization because it solves the problem many writing teachers face: where can I find quality mentor texts?

The answer is everywhere!

It might take a little digging, but you can find mentor texts/writing samples everywhere. Below you’ll find a list of nine pretty obvious places to look for mentor texts/writing samples.

Check out this video about the article too! Don’t mind my funny monster face, lol.

https://youtu.be/zVItIkGz2io

Places to Find Mentor Texts…

Student Writing

One of the best places to find mentor texts/writing samples is from your own students. If you choose to do this, make sure you are choosing writing that is strong and exemplifies the skills you want your class to exhibit in their own writing.

Never use student writing to critique or point out errors in front of the class.

There are multiple ways you can go about using excellent student writing as your mentor texts/writing samples. 1. If you teach multiple classes you can use a student’s writing from 1st period as your sample for 2nd period and so on. Just take the name off. 2. If you taught the same unit the previous unit, save writing from students who did a wonderful job to use as mentors for the next year. 3. If you are an elementary school teacher or have only one class, ask students for permission to use their writing as a sample for the rest of the class.

Your Own Writing

This is probably the most challenging option. It is also the most powerful option to get a peek into the obstacles students face when writing. Another important thing to consider is when you write what you expect your students to write you’ll have those pieces for years and years to come, you only have to do it once! Here are a few of my own pieces based on genre:

Fiction Books

If you are an English teacher, most likely, you are also an avid reader. If you aren’t that’s okay, you can still try this too. While reading your favorite books, mark places that exemplify the skills you want students to produce in their narratives, memoirs, fictional short stories or poetry. Mark places that describe settings and characters. Mark places that use dialogue and places that use interesting punctation, transitions and vocabulary. Mark anything and everything you could use to show students how the pros make creative writing effective and engaging.

Nonfiction Books

If your students are writing informationally then any nonfiction book can be a mentor text. Even if they aren’t writing entire books, parts of nonfiction books can be used to show students how to write informationally. Students can learn about organizational structures such as compare and contrast, bulleted lists, heading and subheadings from nonfiction books. They can learn how to interest readers while also providing facts. There are so many writing skills that can be taught through nonfiction books. Check out this vocabulary list of informational skills you can teach.

Curriculum Books

There are many mentor texts/writing samples included in curriculum books. All the books mentioned here are affiliate links. This means that if you purchase any of them I will receive a commission. All The Units of Study books come with a CD and included on that CD is a goldmine of writing samples you can use with the units. The best part is that Lucy and her crew tell you exactly how to use the mentor texts throughout the unit!

I recently boughtThe Quickwrite Handbook and love it! It includes over 100 mentor texts for teachers to jumpstart their students’ writing. It has excellent ideas for how you can use quick writing and mentor texts to engage even the most resistant writers.

Magazines

Magazines are another source for learning about informational writing. Magazines have all the things that nonfiction books have, they are just much more visual and contain advertisements of course. These advertisements could be used to teach the persuasive appeals of ethos, logos and pathos!

Newspapers

Newspapers are a wonderful place to find informational and argumentative writing samples. Editorials and letters to the editor are always included in a newspaper. In order to use newspapers and mentor texts you need to start collecting! Some newspapers are free, whereas others require a payment. I only pay $4 a month for a New York Times online subscription and I can get reimbursed from my school because I use my subscription to gather argumentative mentor texts for students. Once you get a subscription to your local newspaper or start grabbing free community newsletters bring them into your classroom for your students to peruse. Students will not only gain inspiration for their own writing, they will also become informed about their own community and world around them.

Websites

I love finding websites that provide mentor texts. It’s a hobby of mine. Below you’ll find two articles that provide links to my favorite places to find mentor texts:

Podcasts

Podcasts are full of stories, information and opinions! They are a wonderful and engaging place to find mentor texts in the form of audio and text (most podcasts are transcribed too). Here are some awesome links to articles with podcasts you might consider sharing with your students.

But, how would you use a podcast as a mentor text, you may be wondering? First, listen to an episode of a show that sounds intriguing to you and that you think your students might enjoy. Listen, with pen and paper close by. Write down some writing skills you think students could learn from the podcast such as building tension, description, humor, transitions or organization. The key is to listen like a writing teacher. You’ll find all sorts of writing skill gems if your looking, I mean listening for them.

TED Talks

Just like podcasts, TED Talks are also transcribed. If your students are giving speeches then you should definitely consider checking out these short TED Talks that kids will love and learn from at the same time…

Again, just like podcasts, TED Talks are an unconventional place to locate mentor texts.

So, how do you use videos as mentor texts?

Well, you might know this already, but if you look below every TED video on TED.com you’ll see three links: details, transcript and comments. If you click “transcript” you will be directed to a full clickable transcript! All you have to do is highlight the text in the transcript and copy and paste it into your favorite word processor to print and analyze with students.

Before you start analyzing though, you should allow students to watch the talk in its entirety. You don’t want to suck the enjoyment out of watching the talk by analyzing it during students’ first encounter.

Actually, this goes for any mentor text that you introduce to your class. Always, allow students to experience the text in its entirety before analyzing it for writing skills.

Wrap Up

We’ve have two very important epiphanies in this article…

  1. Mentor texts and writing samples are one in the same
  2. There are many obvious places you can find mentor texts/writing samples

If you’ve found this article beneficial to your teaching, share it with your colleagues or on social media. Also, please leave a comment below with your thoughts, questions or opinions about the topic of mentor texts. I’d love to hear from you!

More Resources…

How to Use Mentor Texts

Best Places Online to Find Mentor Texts

Middle School Mentor Texts by Genre

Mentor Texts for Middle School by Genre+Summaries and Skills to Teach

Every writing unit should start with mentor texts. Students need many examples of the type of writing we expect them to do. In this article, I’ve compiled my favorite middle school mentor texts. Each mentor text includes grade levels, a summary of the text and skills you could teach.

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.

Personal Narrative

Personal narratives are short stories about one important event in a person’s life. When I teach personal narrative, students often complain that their lives are boring, that nothing substantial or worth writing about has ever happened to them. I remind these students that narrative is just another word for story and give them permission to embellish and make parts up. Students breathe a sigh of relief when I tell them this. Mentor texts can also help students get ideas.

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
  • Repetition

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
  • Theme

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:

  • Conflict
  • Dialogue
  • Inner Thinking
  • Past and Present Transitions

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:

  • Character Development
  • Dialogue
  • Flashback
  • Inner Thinking

Memoir

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:

  • Hook/Lead
  • Character Development
  • 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.

  • Character Development
  • Figurative Language
  • Inner Thinking
  • Symbolism

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.

  • Character Development
  • Figurative Language
  • Repetition
  • Setting Description

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.

  • Character Development
  • Dialogue
  • Theme
  • Transitions

Fiction

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:

  • Figurative Language
  • Imagery
  • Symbolism
  • Theme

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:

  • Character Development
  • Dialogue
  • Inner Thinking
  • Theme

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
  • Transitions

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:

  • Action
  • Dialogue
  • Imagery
  • 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:

  • Dialect
  • Foreshadowing
  • Setting Description
  • Symbolism

Information

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!

  • Captions
  • Citing Studies
  • Quoting Sources
  • Statistics

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!

  • Captions
  • Citing Data
  • Organization
  • Quoting Sources

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:

  • Bar Graphs
  • 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:

  • Dashes
  • Quoting Individuals
  • Summarizing
  • Transitions

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:

  • Footnotes
  • Hooking Reader with Questions about Their Life
  • Organization
  • 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:

  • Summarizing
  • Using Dashes to Add Extra Detail
  • Quoting Individuals
  • Word Choice

Argument

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.

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.

  • Citing Studies
  • 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:

  • Anecdotes
  • Citing Studies
  • 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:

  • Anecdotes
  • Counterarguments
  • Setting Sentences off to Emphasize
  • Transitions

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

Speech

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!

  • Narrative Hook
  • Repetition
  • Transitions
  • 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
  • Narrative Hook
  • 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

Your Turn!

Type your favorite mentor texts in the comments below…

Related Articles:

How I Teach Reading and Writing Workshop in 54 Minutes

10 Best YouTube Channels for Writing Teachers

Teach Students HOW to Use Mentor Texts

 

Most writing workshop teachers know what a mentor text is (examples of writing in books, short stories, articles, poems etc.). But, what about how to use a mentor text? When I scoured the internet for the answer to this pressing question I found very little. Thus…this post. I came up with a five step process for using any mentor text. I hope it inspires you to try the process yourself!

1. Choose Mentor Texts

Before each writing unit I seek as many, age and grade appropriate, mentor texts as I can find. Here are two resources that can aide you in locating quality mentor texts: Ten Places to Find Mentor Texts and Middle School Mentor Texts.

Once you’ve found as many texts as you can, then you will want to pick one that you’ll refer to most in your mini lessons. Let’s call this mentor text the capstone. The other texts should be made available for students to read and for the teacher to refer to during conferences. The texts you choose need to be within the same genre your students will be writing, it needs to be engaging and full of skills you want your students to retain and produce in their own writing.

2. Read Aloud

Before your writing unit make sure to read your capstone mentor text aloud. This guarantees that all students hear and read the whole text. Don’t make students do anything except follow along. Read with expression and don’t stop until you’ve finished the whole thing. I know this can be difficult for teachers. We want to stop and explain, teach or question comprehension. Don’t do it. Don’t ruin the experience of the first read through. If it’s hard for you to do this, just remember you are going to be rereading and talking about this text a lot after this first read, so just read, don’t talk.

3. Choose a Writing Skill

After you’ve done one cold read through of the capstone text and launched your unit it’s time to teach your first writing mini lesson. What will this lesson be about? There are many, many skills to teach when it comes to writing. Let’s say you’ve chosen to teach how to develop characters. You’ll want to pick parts from your mentor text that describe characters or include inner thinking, action or dialogue. All of this reveals character. Read parts of the mentor text out loud and analyze the techniques of the author when it comes to character development. Then, try to emulate in your own writing…

4. Emulate

During each writing unit you need to have your own piece of writing in progress. This piece of writing does not have to be complete and it definitely doesn’t need to be perfect. Writing in front of your students is a powerful way to reveal that writing is a struggle for all of us. This can relieve so much tension some students have about their writing.

Emulating mentor texts may seem hard but it is actually quite simple. All you have to do when you emulate a mentor text is use words/phrases from the mentor text in your own writing and change it up to make it your own.

For example here is a sentence from The Jacket by Gary Soto:

“I remember the green coat that I wore in 5th and 6th grades when you either danced like a champ or pressed yourself against the greasy wall, bitter as a penny toward the happy couples.”

Here is my emulation sentence about some shoes:

“I remember those black Airwalk shoes that I wore in 7th and 8th grades when you either skated like a pro or quit after a week because you were too scared of breaking your face.”

See how similar but different these two sentences are? This is emulation.

5. Repeat

As you can see, using mentor texts is a pretty simple process. All you have to do is choose a skill, read a part of the mentor text that exhibits that skill and try it in your own writing. That’s it. It’s that simple. Once you’ve finished a unit repeat the process with another genre of writing.

Your Turn!

Do you use mentor texts? If so, in what ways do you use them? Tell us in the comments below!

Favorite Books

These are Amazon Affiliate links. This means that if you buy these books by clicking the link I will get a commission.

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Ten Places to Find Mentor Texts 

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Ten Places to Find Mentor Texts

What is a mentor text anyway?

A mentor text is any text used to model the type of writing your students are learning. Mentor texts are the backbone of writing workshop because students need to see what the pros do, to get inspired in their own writing. Mentor texts can also be called writing samples, or examples. 

One of the most challenging parts of being a writing teacher is finding mentor texts. So I’ve curated a list of my go to places for mentor texts online below.

Before you dive in, I think it is important to remember mentor texts can be found in many, many places. Sometimes I’ll roam the class library for my favorite books or use writing from previous years done by students. I also write my own writing samples. You might think about using these strategies too.

But teachers are busy, so having a go to list can help! 

Another thing you should definitely do is check out this post about How to Use Mentor Texts. 

You can also check out this quick video reviewing ten of my favorite places to find mentor texts…

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