Saturday, November 12, 2011

Mentor Text in Writing Workshop - Essay Writing

While teaching students to write their BIG IDEA essays, I shared lots of essays written in the Washington Post newspaper. Every Thursday in the KidsPost, Fred Bowen writes a sports essay.  Link to Fred Bowen sports-related essays.

The December UVA Alumni Magazine pringted some of the Class of 2015's college essays. They also list at the end of the article, tips for writing a strong college essay. This is another good mentor essay resource!
http://uvamagazine.org/features/article/voices_of_a_class/

Mentor Text in Writing Workshop - Small Moments

Here are MENTOR TEXTS that I have shared with students when teaching them how to write SMALL MOMENT PERSONAL NARRATIVES:
 
   

    


When guiding students to write a personal narrative, also called small moment stories, teachers can share a published picture book that is a small moment personal narrative. Students can listen to these Mentor Texts, noticing what the author is doing, noticing their craft. Maybe they pay attention to the lead, the way a moment is described, specific vocabulary words, the ending. Then they can choose to incorporate the craft they notice into their writing.