Mentor Text Buffet

Mentor text- love it, but how to best use it to teach writing? Donald Graves mentions that you should surround your writers with mentor text (he doesn't call it that, but that's what it is) of all different kinds and levels. I've always been reluctant to share mentor text if I don't think it's at exactly the right level for my kids. Huge DUUUUHHH moment. One of those things where you smack your own forehead and think "I know better than that! What's wrong with me?"  No matter what level it is, each student will find something they can use from it and will self-level when given a variety of materials to choose from. Think of it as a mentor text buffet- all you can eat and someone else is picking up the tab. 

Add this to my to-do list every week: find and use more mentor text with my students. I've got to do better about knowing what to do instructionally, and merging that with the reality of time to teach and plan. Darn national boards- they've made me look at my teaching harder, longer, deeper and made me want to fix it. It was the best thing I've ever done!

Now it's off to look for mentor text for our current project "American Dreamers". 

Beg, Borrow, or Steal

This was the point: to post, save, share my ideas as I am trying to become a better writing teacher. So enough frustration with uncooperative blog design cuteness. Time to get down to business...


1. Have my class do something together (play a game, team building activity, watch a video, go outside) and then write about it.


2. To practice peer editing/feedback: print out a writing piece in current format. Put that onto a larger piece of paper with room on each side. One side is titled : Great! the other Try this... Pass around to classmates and have them add comments. 


3. Pass around a paper with a topic sentence or idea for a story. Classmates could give ideas for details to add to story.


4. I really want to find a voice-to-text option for my writers and try that.


5. Story boxes: get a shoe box, cereal box, etc. Have them craft a story on that. Top = title & topic sentence.
The edge of the top would be topic sentences for paragraphs to follow. Each side could be the paragraphs that go with the topic sentences. Another side or the bottom would be for the conclusion. Students could but related items inside the box. Notes, webs, objects, photos.


6. After they get far enough along on a writing piece, have them make a crossword puzzle about it. I love Armored Penguin for this. 


I do not claim original brain jolts for any of these. Most likely I've seen them somewhere else before, but I just thought specifically how they might work for my writing class as it is right now. I'm all about tweaking when it comes to ideas. Remember the unspoken motto of all teachers- beg, borrow, steal whenever possible and don't forget to share!


By the way, thanks to my friend, Tricia, whose whole blog started as a list. Does that count as borrowing or stealing?

AAARRRGGGHHH!!!

The whole point was to help me help my writing class.


I talk to some teacher friends. I borrow some books. I start reading. A list of ideas starts to grow on a pad of paper I know I'll lose.


Oh, by the way I've become a pinterest addict.


So I get to thinking- if all those other teachers can share all their stuff on cute blogs (this is where Pinterest is to blame) surely I can too. Instead of the notebook or a computer file (which I won't lose, but I will forget), I'll make a cute teacher blog and put all my writing ideas there.


Genius! Or copycat depending on your point of view.


I find cuteness (thank you Shabby Blogs). I download cuteness (sorry hon, I used all our Internet data limit  for the month downloading cuteness). And now I can't get said cuteness to  cooperate. Thus, the blank spaces on the oh so cute and shabby header.


AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!


As a writing teacher I better learn to spell that.