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  • Ideas by Jivey

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

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    Mentor Texts

    The Importance of Diverse Mentor Texts

    September 8, 2019

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    It’s not just a hashtag. It’s not just the latest buzzword. Incorporating diverse books into your lessons is important for so many reasons.

    And it’s important for ALL classrooms… making sure to share books with black and brown characters, various family dynamics, and cultural differences aren’t JUST for the classrooms that have all of these unique qualities included in them.

    Rudine Sims Bishop shared this about using diverse books:

    Books are sometimes windows, offering views of worlds that may be real or imagined, familiar or strange. These windows are also sliding glass doors, and readers have only to walk through in imagination to become part of whatever world has been created or recreated by the author. When lighting conditions are just right, however, a window can also be a mirror. Literature transforms human experience and reflects it back to us, and in that reflection we can see our own lives and experiences as part of a larger human experience. Reading, then, becomes a means of self-affirmation, and readers often seek their mirrors in books.

    Yes, we want students to have mirrors in books, where they can find themselves and be affirmed… but let’s not forget about the windows and doors- exposing students to new views of the world is important for students to learn acceptance and to be culturally aware.

    The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson is an excellent book to use to introduce the AWESOMENESS of the diversity in the classroom to your students! You can purchase the unit you see in this picture here.

    Get a free mentor text unit!

    I would love to share some ideas and ready-to-implement activities with you that can be done with mentor texts! Let me know what grade you teach below and I will send a mentor text unit right to your inbox for free!

    Choosing Mentor Texts

    As you are choosing those quality books that help students read like writers and write like readers, keep in mind the students in your own class for those mirrors, but also look for texts that will provide windows and doors for ALL students. Choose books that reflect the diversity of your community, but also other communities, too.

    I am sharing some of my favorite books in this post using Amazon affiliate links. Using these links doesn’t cost you anything extra but I get a few cents for sending you their way, helping me fund book giveaways for teachers!

    Are you choosing books that include people of different races and cultures? Do students know that some women wear hijabs, even if no one in their class or family does? Do students realize that some families live in apartments in the city, even if they live in a house in a neighborhood? Use a book like, Come On, Rain! by Karen Hesse to teach writer’s craft, figurative language, new vocabulary, and small moment stories, all while sharing about a little Black girl named Tessie and her mama waiting for the rain to begin in the hot city.

    Or, here’s another mentor text with fantastic figurative language about a little girl who is determined to catch a chicken on her grandmother’s farm. For a kid growing up in the city or suburbs, The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County by Janice Harrington might be the first exposure they have to present-day life on a farm!

    Are characters in the books participating in modern activities, or are they all based on historical events? Shaking Things Up is a collection of poems about past and present women who have made a difference in our world, like Angela Zhang – a modern-day Asian-American teenager who is working toward the cure for cancer!

    Make sure that the only “diverse texts” you are sharing aren’t just about past events, or only shared during Black History Month or Women’s History Month. Of course, there is NOTHING wrong with reading books that share about times of segregation (for example) because students need to learn about this time and reflect on the similarities of discrimination that still occur today… but how are students seeing children of color TODAY in the texts you are choosing?

    Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts is a great example of a mentor text that ALL students can learn a lesson from while also featuring black and brown characters. The main character, Jeremy, lives with his grandmother in this story, revealing a family dynamic that some students may relate to or some may now understand exists. It’s a fabulous mentor text that can be used to model dialogue, teach point of view and perspective, and contains great vocabulary!

    These book examples don’t even scratch the surface of all of the fabulous mentor texts that can be used to teach ELA and also provide mirrors, windows, and doors for your students. I have been more conscious of using books in my resources that will provide more inclusivity. Making sure students feel represented in culture, gender, race, religion, and family structures is so important. You can check out some of my units where I focused solely on celebrating diversity here.

    I also use a variety of mentor texts in all of my resources, if you want to just shop around.

    I’m always open to add more mentor texts to my list, so let me know if you have a favorite you’d like to see in a future unit!

     

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    by Jessica Ivey 

    About Jessica Ivey

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    Welcome!

    Welcome!

    Hi, I'm Jessica, also affectionately known as Jivey! I am passionate about making literacy accessible for all students using research-based strategies. Students learn best through content integration and in-context skills, and my goal is to help you deliver your instruction with these best practices!

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    🎯 Teaching grammar doesn't have to be boring for you or your students! Discover a fun, engaging routine that actually STICKS! 😍 Join the FREE crash course to master mentor sentences and bring life back into your ELA lessons. ⏳ Don't miss out! Register today: members.ideasbyjivey.com/crash-course-registration-page ... See MoreSee Less

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    😍How can you not love reading comprehension activities that keep the students' interest piqued while practicing close reading to compare and build knowledge to integrate information and draw conclusions!?💻All of my paired text sets are ready to be used in printable or digital format!💾 Check out this economics set: www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Paired-Texts-Print-Digital-Economics-Grades-3-5-2776506 ... See MoreSee Less

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    💡 It's time for a fresh, integrated approach to teaching grammar! 🚀 This free webinar will show you how to transform your ELA lessons using mentor sentences - a proven best practice. Say goodbye to ineffective teaching methods and hello to practical application that really works. Register now: members.ideasbyjivey.com/crash-course-registration-page ... See MoreSee Less

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    🎯 Teaching grammar doesn't have to be boring fo 🎯 Teaching grammar doesn't have to be boring for you or your students! Discover a fun, engaging routine that actually STICKS! 

😍 Join the FREE crash course to master mentor sentences and bring life back into your ELA lessons. 

⏳ Don't miss out! Register at the link in my profile today! 

#ideasbyjivey #mentorsentences #teachinggrammar #grammarPD #grammartraining #freeteachertraining 

https://members.ideasbyjivey.com/crash-course-registration-page
    😍How can you not love reading comprehension act 😍How can you not love reading comprehension activities that keep the students' interest piqued while practicing close reading to compare and build knowledge to integrate information and draw conclusions!?

💻All of my paired text sets are ready to be used in printable or digital format!

💾 Check out this economics set at the link in my profile.

#ideasbyjivey #iteach345 #teachersfollowteachers #teacherspayteachers #upperelementary #pairedtexts #pairedpassages #teachingreading

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Paired-Texts-Print-Digital-Economics-Grades-3-5-2776506
    💡 It's time for a fresh, integrated approach to 💡 It's time for a fresh, integrated approach to teaching grammar! 

🚀 This free webinar will show you how to transform your ELA lessons using mentor sentences - a proven best practice. Say goodbye to ineffective teaching methods and hello to practical application that really works. 

Register at the link in my profile!

#ideasbyjivey #mentorsentences #freetrainings #teachertraining #teacherPD #teachinggrammar #grammarteachers
https://members.ideasbyjivey.com/crash-course-registration-page
    🐟Are you a first- or second-grade teacher who t 🐟Are you a first- or second-grade teacher who teaches about ecosystems and/or animals? 🐸 Over and Under the Pond by Kate Messner is SUCH a great book to use for a true ELA-Science integration!! 

🐢The unit I created for this one aligns life science (ecosystems, and classifying and describing animals) with shared research, using text and pictures to learn, as well as writing with vivid verbs and prepositions!

👉Check it out at the link in my profile! 

#ideasbyjivey #iteach1st #iteach2nd #mentortext #scienceteacher #2ndgradescience #1stgradescience  https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Over-and-Under-the-Pond-Life-Science-Integration-Mentor-Text-Unit-Grades-1-2-9078283
    📚 I'm excited to be back for another #MentorTex 📚 I'm excited to be back for another #MentorTextMonday! Today, I'm highlighting The Kindest Red- the sequel to The Proudest Blue by Olympic medalist Ibtihaj Muhammad.

❤️ This heartwarming book provides excellent lessons on themes and acts of kindness. ❤️ 

✍️ Thinking about integrating this #picturebook into your curriculum? Head to my TPT store for the last club unit I created (link in bio) that will help teach students about theme, crafting 5-paragraph essays, spreading kindness, and properly using commas in a series. 

#mentortexts #KindnessMatters #ideasbyjivey #iteach345 #iteach3rd #iteach4th #iteach5th 

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    📝 Bored of traditional grammar teaching? Your s 📝 Bored of traditional grammar teaching? Your students are too! 

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🔮 No workbooks, no PowerPoints, no fancy anchor charts! Intrigued? Sign up at the link in my profile! 

#ideasbyjivey #mentorsentences #freetraining #freewebinar #grammarteacher #professionaldevelopment 

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    😬 Stop the cringe. Start using the fun, resea 😬 Stop the cringe. 

Start using the fun, research-based routine THAT WORKS in K-5 classrooms!

🤓Check out the free webinar to get started!! 
Link in profile @ideasbyjivey 

#ideasbyjivey #teachersfollowteachers #mentorsentences #teachersofinstagram #grammarteacher #teachinggrammar #freePD #teachertraining #freeprofessionaldevelopment

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    🤓Using high-quality sentences from literature t 🤓Using high-quality sentences from literature to illustrate grammar and writing conventions and to serve as examples of effective writing is PROVEN to provide a more engaging and effective learning experience! 

📚 Head to the link in my profile to read about this practical, meaningful approach to teaching writing and grammar to move away from traditional, isolated grammar instruction and toward understanding how grammar works within the context of actual writing!

#ELATeaching #MentorSentences #ideasbyjivey #teachinggrammar #grammarteacher #teachertips #teachersfollowteachers 

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    🌟Teachers everywhere are seeing just how powerf 🌟Teachers everywhere are seeing just how powerful it is to use mentor sentences for teaching grammar and author's craft!

🖊️Watch your students' writing skills and grammar comprehension bloom as they learn directly from the talented authors of all your favorite books.

🔎Explore #mentorsentences for your grade level by clicking on the categories along the left side of my TPT store (link in profile)!

#fabulousfeedback #ideasbyjivey #teacherspayteachers #mentorsentence #GamechangingGrammar #picturebooks #iteachtoo #teachingrevolution #childrensliterature #educationaltools 

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