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Ideas by Jivey

Jivey shares ideas and lessons to make literacy accessible for all.

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3-5, K-2, Mastering Mentor Sentences

Higher Order Thinking Questions for Grammar and Writing

October 30, 2018

Higher order thinking questions should also be used in grammar instruction. Download a free higher order thinking questions poster to guide you in transforming your classroom conversations!

We don’t often think of using higher order thinking questions, or Bloom’s Taxonomy above level 1 and 2, within grammar and writing instruction. In fact, when looking at sample higher order thinking question stems to use within your classroom, many of them specifically relate to reading and math!

For students to reach their highest potential, we have to teach them to do more than just recall and recite facts. Higher order thinking questions help students learn to understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, and CREATE information rather than simply recalling it. We’ve seen the ineffectiveness of memorizing grammar rules. We know it is important for students to actually understand and apply their grammar understanding to their writing.

Isn’t it our goal for students to create new information using “old” understanding? So that means we want students to formulate more complex, quality sentences using what they have observed and learned.

I’d love to help you tackle this in your classroom!

Sign up below to receive a free download that will help you transform surface level questions into high-value discussions:

Can students really think critically about grammar?!

Higher order thinking questions should also be used in grammar instruction. Download this free higher order thinking questions poster to guide you in transforming your classroom conversations!

Enter your email in the form above to receive this free download to help you transform your discussions!

Yes! Let’s think about teaching adjectives with higher order thinking questions… we need students to do more than remember a list of adjectives, or memorize the definition, “adjectives describe nouns.”

We want students to produce writing, using adjectives EFFECTIVELY. Students should understand the purpose of using many forms of adjectives in order to choose which adjectives to use in their writing. To get there, students should be categorizing and classifying adjectives. This also means students need to see many models of adjectives being used in order to identify and judge the words.

Asking the right questions, providing the appropriate models, and holding those high-value discussions will lead students to transfer this grammar skill to their writing.

Let’s stop asking students to recite and start helping students apply and model!

If you’ve never had discussions with your students about grammar and language, it might be hard for you to imagine that this could even happen. These discussions I’m talking about don’t include lectures. They are not, “read this and put it in your own words” types of assignments. They are actual conversations with students where they are transferring understanding!

Higher order thinking questions should also be used in grammar instruction. Download this free higher order thinking questions poster to guide you in transforming your classroom conversations!

It also might not be something you’ve ever considered planning. Since we don’t have many examples of higher order thinking question stems for grammar and writing, it doesn’t come as naturally to us as recall questions do for these subject areas.

Thinking about the topic of adjectives from above, here are some examples of questions that can be asked to achieve those critical thinking and high-value discussions needed for TRUE transfer!

  • What do you notice about the way the author described [name noun] in the sentence?
  • How can you sort these different words/adjectives?
  • Why do you think the author used [name adjective] instead of another adjective?
  • How would you describe [name noun]?
  • How could you change [name adjective] to be a stronger descriptor?
  • What would happen if we changed [name adjective] to another adjective?

Of course, you wouldn’t ask all of these questions in one discussion! Notice the level of each question and how they progress in the list. We want to move students through the levels of critical thinking naturally for learning to be reflected.

Don’t forget those free sample grammar and writing higher order thinking questions delivered to your inbox!

Have you heard about mentor sentences?

All of this high-value discussion and critical thinking comes very naturally through the use of mentor sentences!

Through discussions and seeing skills in context, students are able to understand the author’s purpose for using specific words and phrases. They are able to compare words and phrases within the lesson as well as from other weeks of learning. Students will learn how to analyze what the author is trying to communicate, as well as have a better grasp of the nuances of language. They will examine a writer’s style and mechanics, and learn to apply those skills to their own writing.

Get more information about mentor sentences for your grade level here, including directions, videos, and resources!

 

PIN FOR LATER:

Higher order thinking questions should also be used in grammar instruction. Download this free higher order thinking questions poster to guide you in transforming your classroom conversations!

by Jessica Ivey 
K-2, Mastering Mentor Sentences

Mentor Sentences for Emergent Readers

September 9, 2015

Upper grades had them first, then second and first grade teachers got them… I couldn’t leave out my kinder friends, now could I?? Mentor sentences for emergent readers look VERY different than the other grades, so I’d like to take some time to talk about them in this post. These are perfect to use whole group or small group (if you have only some students who need it)- and are ideal for any student who is still in the emergent reader phase… not just kindergarten!

In this post, I had two fabulous teachers share how they are using these mentor sentences in their classroom through pictures. They are using two different books/lessons, but you’ll still get the idea of each activity. 🙂

There is also a video of me teaching mentor sentences to Kindergarten ELL students at the end of this post, as well as a freebie for you to try! I hope you enjoy learning how to implement these in your own classroom!

Mentor Sentences for Kindergarten take more of a balanced literacy approach than the other grades. There is still a time to notice and a time to imitate, but students are also practicing reading along with writing. To begin, students will listen to you read a book- fun books like Don’t Let The Pigeon Drive the Bus and Very Hungry Caterpillar are included in the first set. Then you will display a sentence from the book and practice reading it together.

Mentor sentences for emergent readers with Ideas by Jivey

Students should tell you what they notice in the sentence- they might see specific letters or words they recognize… they might tell you which words are the shortest or longest… maybe even what punctuation they see. You can ask questions to prompt them if needed. As the year progresses, of course, they will notice more. Reading the sentence every day, multiple times, will help in their word recognition! Several sentences in the first set repeat some of those important sight words they need to learn.

To further help them with word recognition, students will complete a cut and paste activity where they will read the words mixed up and put them back in the correct order of the sentence. You may want to cut apart the words to ensure they stay in one piece, or to speed things along.

Mentor sentences for emergent readers with Ideas by Jivey

Again- lots of reading and re-reading of the sentence!

Mentor sentences for emergent readers with Ideas by Jivey
Once they have better recognition of the words, they should connect with the topic of the sentence. In this case, they would connect with vehicles or “things that take you places.” I have provided picture cards with words that help students connect with the sentence. Then it’s time for shared writing! They get to practice imitating the sentence with you!
Mentor sentences for emergent readers with Ideas by Jivey
After practice with you, they can imitate on the activity I provided, which has a blank in the sentence. You might want them to use one of the picture cards to help them spell their word, or you may need to write the word for them.
Mentor sentences for emergent readers with Ideas by Jivey

Students will cut out the words of their own sentence (or again, you may want to do it for them). Then, they should practice putting the sentence back in order! You might want to keep them in a baggy so they can practice reading and ordering the words without losing pieces.

Mentor sentences for emergent readers with Ideas by Jivey

Then of course, the best part of all- students get to illustrate their sentence!

Mentor sentences for emergent readers with Ideas by Jivey

 

Mentor sentences for emergent readers with Ideas by Jivey

How cute are these?!

If your students have moved out of the “EARLY” emergent reader phase, you can check out Mentor Sentences for Emergent Readers (K-1)! To see a side-by-side comparison of the Kindergarten and Kinder-First sets, check this post out!

If you’d like to see Mentor Sentences for Kindergarten in action, watch this video:

And if you’d like to try them out in your own classroom, grab this freebie from my TPT store!

Mentor sentences for emergent readers Freebie with Ideas by Jivey
There is also a SEASONAL mini-unit available!
Mini Unit Mentor sentences for emergent readers with Ideas by Jivey

If you want even more IN-DEPTH step-by-step help with implementing mentor sentences, check out my courses!

For more ideas about mentor sentences, follow my Pinterest board!
Follow Ideas By Jivey’s board Mentor Sentences on Pinterest.

 

by Jessica Ivey 
K-2, Mastering Mentor Sentences

Mentor Sentences for Kindergarten and First Grade

October 31, 2015

I am so excited to announce that there are OFFICIALLY mentor sentences for every elementary grade! Grades 3-5 had them first– and they now have two complete volumes to choose from… then second grade got them, and these can be implemented into first grade with some scaffolding… but when I released mentor sentences for EARLY emergent readers (kindergarten, ELL, and maybe first grade if you’ve got some low babies), I had people asking for lessons that come between the K and 2 lessons for their emergent readers. I was happy to oblige! 🙂

Kindergarten and First Grade Mentor Sentences with Ideas by Jivey.

Just like always, I used some of my favorite books that I loved reading to my kiddos when I taught first grade!

Let’s take a peek inside the two units- the Kindergarten Unit and the Kinder-First Unit- so you can see the differences in skill levels! (Both of the lessons you’ll see are freebies in my store!)

Kindergarten Mentor Sentences with Ideas by Jivey.    Kindergarten and First Grade Mentor Sentences with Ideas by Jivey.
Kindergarten and First Grade Mentor Sentences with Ideas by Jivey.
Kindergarten and First Grade Mentor Sentences with Ideas by Jivey.
Kindergarten and First Grade Mentor Sentences with Ideas by Jivey.
Kindergarten and First Grade Mentor Sentences with Ideas by Jivey.
Kindergarten and First Grade Mentor Sentences with Ideas by Jivey.
Kindergarten and First Grade Mentor Sentences with Ideas by Jivey.

I hope this post helps you see how valuable mentor sentences can be for kindergartners and first graders, too! It provides balanced literacy opportunities where students will be reading and writing every day, and your students will have fun at the same time.

You can get ten weeks of lessons for either set:

Kindergarten Mentor Sentences with Ideas by Jivey.     Kindergarten and First Grade Mentor Sentences with Ideas by Jivey.

I’d love to hear how these are going in your classrooms!

 

by Jessica Ivey 
K-2, Mentor Texts

Strategies at Work: The Bear Ate Your Sandwich (K-2)

October 7, 2016

Ideas by Jivey presents a mentor text lesson on vocabulary for K-2 students with the book, The Bear Ate Your Sandwich. Free vocabulary cards and activities are provided so you can teach this in your classroom tomorrow!

I am teaming up with The Reading Crew to bring you all you need to teach some amazing mentor text lessons this fall!

Ideas by Jivey presents a mentor text lesson on vocabulary for K-2 students with the book, The Bear Ate Your Sandwich. Free vocabulary cards and activities are provided so you can teach this in your classroom tomorrow!

Does your school participate in Read For The Record? It’s on October 27, 2016, and this year’s book is such a fun one! Even if you don’t join in with Jumpstart, you will still love to use this book with you K-2 kiddos.

The Bear Ate Your Sandwich is the story of a bear, lost in a city. He comes across many things in this “strange new forest,” and one of them is YOUR SANDWICH! But wait… was it really a bear that ate it? You’ll have to read to find out! 🙂

Click if you’d like to purchase the book using my Amazon affiliate link!

 

This book is full of wonderful vocabulary words that your young kiddos should learn. I have created a lesson to help you teach some of the words in the story.

Before reading the book, help students understand the words they are going to hear in the story. Display the sandwich cards with the sentence and picture clue. Talk to students about what they think the word might mean based on the context and the picture.

Ideas by Jivey presents a mentor text lesson on vocabulary for K-2 students with the book, The Bear Ate Your Sandwich. Free vocabulary cards and activities are provided so you can teach this in your classroom tomorrow!

 

While reading the book, students should listen for the vocabulary words. They can snap when they hear it. Talk again about the meaning to make sure they understand the word and how it is used.

Ideas by Jivey presents a mentor text lesson on vocabulary for K-2 students with the book, The Bear Ate Your Sandwich. Free vocabulary cards and activities are provided so you can teach this in your classroom tomorrow!

 

After reading the book, give students the vocabulary activity. They should shade the sandwiches with the word and definition that match the same color.

Ideas by Jivey presents a mentor text lesson on vocabulary for K-2 students with the book, The Bear Ate Your Sandwich. Free vocabulary cards and activities are provided so you can teach this in your classroom tomorrow!

 

Grab the cards and activity here!

Ideas by Jivey presents a mentor text lesson on vocabulary for K-2 students with the book, The Bear Ate Your Sandwich. Free vocabulary cards and activities are provided so you can teach this in your classroom tomorrow!

 

And, of course, you have to get the mentor sentence for this book, too! (Not familiar with mentor sentences? Check them out here!) It will be a great way to extend the vocabulary word, “interesting” as they use it in their own sentences.

Ideas by Jivey presents a mentor text lesson on vocabulary for K-2 students with the book, The Bear Ate Your Sandwich. Free vocabulary cards and activities are provided so you can teach this in your classroom tomorrow!

Make sure to check out the rest of the mentor text lessons from this year below! This is The Reading Crew’s Second Annual Fall Mentor Text Hop! (Did you miss last year? Click here to see all the great fall texts from last year!)

 

An InLinkz Link-up

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Ideas by Jivey presents a mentor text lesson on vocabulary for K-2 students with the book, The Bear Ate Your Sandwich. Free vocabulary cards and activities are provided so you can teach this in your classroom tomorrow!

 

by Jessica Ivey 
3-5, K-2, Mastering Mentor Sentences

Stop Teaching Grammar in Isolation!

May 24, 2016

Ideas by Jivey reviews research-based reasons why grammar in isolation doesn't work. Teach grammar in context using mentor sentences and students will become better writers!

One of the questions I get asked the most about using mentor sentences is, “Don’t you review all the grammar concepts before starting mentor sentences?”

And my answer is always, “Nope!”

Now, I am not “one of those” telling you to stop teaching grammar. Understanding grammar is beneficial to proper communication. Instead, grammar should be taught in context- not in isolation.

Ideas by Jivey reviews research-based reasons why grammar in isolation doesn't work. Teach grammar in context using mentor sentences and students will become better writers!
  • Expecting students to “find” errors in a sentence that they’ve never seen before isn’t going to help students learn grammar or become better writers.
  • Simply telling students what an adverb, adjective, or preposition is and having them “find” those parts of speech in random lists doesn’t help them utilize it in their own writing.
  • Diagramming or labeling a sentence just for the sake of labeling doesn’t help students write more effectively.
Ideas by Jivey reviews research-based reasons why grammar in isolation doesn't work. Teach grammar in context using mentor sentences and students will become better writers!
  • Showing students well-written sentences and discussing why these sentences are excellent will help them know what to do in their own writing. Using the same sentence the students have studied and discussed to later practice editing skills (alter a few things about the sentence for students to identify) will help them apply those skills in their own writing.
  • Explaining parts of speech when seeing/identifying them in context will help students understand them. Practicing with those parts of speech in writing and speaking will help the skill “stick” and usage is more likely in writing later.
  • Labeling the sentence to discuss how parts of speech are used in context will help students see how the words work together to form an awesome sentence that they can imitate in their own writing.

**note the difference from the isolated labeling: students are discussing why and how they know the parts of speech they are labeling vs. just diagramming and moving on.**

I know what you’re thinking… “At the beginning of the year, how can we expect students to find everything we want them to find about the weekly mentor sentence?”

Simple answer: You don’t!

Students will begin to “soak up” the language and the skills as you consistently use mentor sentences. I promise! It will take some time and a few weeks of modeling the expectations.

And as for “finding everything” – not in the beginning! When you start, take baby steps and work up to “everything.” Will they all understand all the skills at the same time? Of course not- just like everything else you teach, students are going to be all over the map when it comes to understanding… but the GREAT thing about using mentor sentences is the spiral of the basic skills every week!

Their mentor sentence notebook also becomes a resource and reference tool for their writing!

Do you own any of my mentor sentence products? You can check them out in my store!

They are perfect for all levels of learners- from ELL and students with disabilities all the way to gifted students! Mariane R. says about using the mentor sentences products in my store: This has to be my absolute favorite. The lessons are easy to follow and use and my students have been getting a lot out of each week’s lessons. I teach in a special education classroom for students with hearing loss. A lot of resources and products they cannot understand or access but they have really gotten in to these lessons and I have seen improvement in both their comprehension and their writing.

Have you used mentor sentences in your classroom to replace your isolated grammar instruction? Tell us about how it went in the comments! I love to hear from you!

If you want even more IN-DEPTH step-by-step help with implementing mentor sentences, check out my courses!

 

If you are looking for guidance to pick the “just-right” bundle for your needs, click below!

Ideas by Jivey reviews research-based reasons why grammar in isolation doesn't work. Teach grammar in context using mentor sentences and students will become better writers!

 

by Jessica Ivey 
K-2, Mastering Mentor Sentences

Bear Stays Up For Christmas: Prepositions {K-1 Mentor Sentence Lesson}

December 6, 2015

This time of year is my FAVORITE when it comes to a lot of things… but especially mentor texts! There are so many fun, seasonal books to read to students.

One of my favorites is Bear Stays Up For Christmas by Karma Wilson. I included this book in Seasonal Mentor Sentences for K-1 Emergent Readers.

Seasonal Mentor Sentences With Ideas by Jivey.

One way to liven up a sentence, yes even in kindergarten and first grade, is to add some prepositional phrases. Whether you want to call them by their “real name” or just call them “position words,” students should be able to use them even at this age.

Watch the video about the lesson below, or scroll further to read details about it!

Download the Bear Stays Up For Christmas Lesson Here!

 

THE MENTOR SENTENCE LESSON

After reading the book, show your students the mentor sentence from the book:

Seasonal Mentor Sentences With Ideas by Jivey.

The idea of mentor sentences across all grades is for students to notice what makes this a great sentence, and then carry those great things over into their writing. Read the sentence together several times, and then begin asking questions. First, you might ask questions to ensure understanding. “What is the sentence about? Who is ‘he?’ Where did he pile presents?” Then start asking questions to guide them to see what makes this a good sentence: “What is the verb in the sentence? What are the nouns? What is the position word? What does the sentence start/end with?” After several weeks, once students realize what questions you might be asking, they will start looking for these things in sentences on their own.

Many teachers have said they LOVE my sets of mentor sentences because it doesn’t just cater to their writing needs, but it also helps students with word recognition and reading! This is an activity students would do after comprehending and noticing the important parts of the sentence.

Seasonal Mentor Sentences With Ideas by Jivey.

The next day, revisit that position word, “under.” Talk about why it was important in the sentence and why we would want to use position words in our sentences. Create an anchor chart with a Christmas tree. Place some gifts in different places around the tree and ask students to name the preposition that tells where the gift is, labeling as they tell you.

Seasonal Mentor Sentences With Ideas by Jivey.

(If you have Seasonal Mentor Sentences for K-1 Emergent Readers, these pictures of gifts are included for you to use on your chart.)

Students will also have the opportunity to complete an activity on their own (or with your guidance) with some prepositions.

Seasonal Mentor Sentences With Ideas by Jivey.

On the third day, you will revisit the sentence again. Read the complete sentence together, and then use the sentence frame to discuss what other prepositions we could use in the sentence.

Seasonal Mentor Sentences With Ideas by Jivey.

At this point, students will be eager to try this out on their own! Depending on the writing level of your students, you might provide them with the sentence ready for them to trace, or you might give them the page that enables them to copy the sentence independently.

Seasonal Mentor Sentences With Ideas by Jivey.Seasonal Mentor Sentences With Ideas by Jivey.

Either way, students will be excited to put their own preposition in the sentence, and then illustrate the sentence, too! This might take two days to complete, depending on how much time you have for writing. The best part will be when you turn all of these pages into a class book that they can read during reading time (book cover included in the pack)!

Seasonal Mentor Sentences With Ideas by Jivey.

On the last day, students will have the opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of prepositions with a fun drawing activity.

Seasonal Mentor Sentences With Ideas by Jivey.

Students LOVE doing mentor sentences, and so will you! Students will make connections and remember the sentences from week to week- and you will be amazed at the growth you see!

Want to try out this lesson for free? CLICK HERE for an exclusive blog freebie!

Check out other Kindergarten and First Grade Mentor Sentences in my store!

If you want even more IN-DEPTH step-by-step help with implementing mentor sentences, check out my courses!

For more Mentor Sentences Resources and ideas, follow my Pinterest board!

Follow Ideas By Jivey’s board Mentor Sentences on Pinterest.

 

by Jessica Ivey 
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Ideas By Jivey

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Ideas By Jivey

*Discounted!*
This leveled set of paired texts (with two levels of each passage) has a fun set about Valentine's Day, about George Washington, and a pair for some St. Patrick's Day fun! And since Valentine's Day has passed, I've marked the set on sale!

PDF, Print-And-Go: www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Paired-Texts-Paired-Passages-February-and-March-Leveled-for-G...

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Paired Texts / Paired Passages: February and March Leveled for Grades 4-6

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Paired passages, or paired texts, meet the demand for more rigorous, complex texts with Common Core- especially these passages that students can use to compare and build knowledge to integrate information and draw conclusions. The passages in this set are differentiated. Two levels are provided: on....
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I totally almost forgot about Groundhog Day coming up! Check out this post for some fun ideas!! ... See MoreSee Less

Integrate Content on Groundhog Day!

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It's SO much fun to incorporate the holidays into the classroom whenever possible, but of course, it's also important to ensure you are t...
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Still have questions, or just want to see a peek inside the course and curriculum? I'm live, ready to answer and reveal! 😉

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