Ideas by Jivey - Ideas by Jivey

Mentor Sentences Routine: Break It Down (Assessment)

The mentor sentences routine revolves so much around discussion on Day One and Day Two, and practicing on Day Three and Day Four, but there still needs to be some time to check in on what students are retaining through a short formative assessment. Let’s wrap up how to implement the mentor sentence routine in 2nd-5th […]

Mentor Sentences Routine: Break It Down (Time to Imitate)

As you’ve progressed through each day of the mentor sentences routine, you’ve seen how this transforms the way students learn grammar and language standards. Students notice the RIGHT things to do in writing, rather than the wrong on Day One. Then on Day Two, students discuss the function of words in a sentence in order […]

Mentor Sentences Routine: Break It Down (Time to Revise)

The mentor sentences routine is a research-based, game-changing practice for you and your students. As you saw in the Day One post, students will notice the RIGHT things to do in writing, rather than the wrong. Then on Day Two, students will discuss the function of words in a sentence in order to learn how […]

Ideas By Jivey

1 day ago

Once I started implementing mentor sentences in my classroom over ten years ago, there was no turning back to the “old” way of grammar PowerPoints and boring worksheets.1️⃣ I already used children’s literature to teach my mini-lessons in reading and writing. Why not use those books for grammar, too?2️⃣ My students were having these super deep conversations and even DEBATES about grammar and language. I’d never heard students be able to explain the functions of words so well before, or analyzing craft like actual authors! 3️⃣ It only takes 10-15 minutes per day! In a world where there just isn’t “extra” time, this was easy to manage – plus it took the place of grammar lessons that weren’t effective.Come read more about the why and how to implement mentor sentences in your own class on my blog: www.ideasbyjivey.com/taking-it-back-to-archives-mentor/ ... See MoreSee Less

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Ideas By Jivey

2 days ago

I once heard there was some controversy around my including this step in the mentor sentence routine.👀When I first implemented the routine in my classroom over ten years ago, my students desperately needed revision practice. I thought this would be the perfect way to make sure they dig in weekly!Students (and even adults!) often think revision means the writing is bad and needs to be fixed… but revision really is about making adjustments to the writing, or improvements to the language……which is what led to the controversy. 🤔 In no way was I implying that the published author wasn’t “good enough” or that the sentence NEEDS to be better.By showing students that even the mentor sentence could be revised, you are helping them understand that there are always things that can be done to revise their own writing, too. (That’s right; no more “I’m done!” in writing workshop 😆)Check out the tips for this day in the mentor sentence routine: www.ideasbyjivey.com/mentor-sentences-routine-day-three-revise ... See MoreSee Less

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Ideas By Jivey

3 days ago

A few times a year, I climb on a soapbox because I think it’s really important: DAY TWO OF MENTOR SENTENCES SHOULD NOT JUST BE ABOUT LABELING! The purpose of Day Two is to understand the function of words in a sentence in order to communicate clearly in their own writing. On the surface, it might look just like diagramming, but it’s much deeper than that.In the last few years, it’s become popular to use cute magnets with the parts of speech on them to label all of the words in the mentor sentence. Without context, teachers see these pretty photos on Instagram and believe students should focus on “knowing” how to name the parts of speech, but the focus of day two should remain rooted in discussion. It’s so crucial that you’re not just labeling words for the sake of labeling (i.e.; diagramming) because research has shown that it can actually be detrimental to a student’s learning. Plus, diagramming is just not necessary for the improvement of writing, which is the whole purpose of the mentor sentences routine!Check out this post where I lay out all the steps and tips for Day Two: www.ideasbyjivey.com/mentor-sentences-routine-day-two-parts-of-speech ... See MoreSee Less

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