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  • Ideas by Jivey

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

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    Mentor Texts

    Do You Make This Frustrating Test Prep Mistake?

    February 1, 2018

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    When I first started teaching, I would sit down at the beginning of every school year with a blank calendar, and I’d map out what unit I’d be working on each week in every subject for the entire year… except it never failed… I would get to March, the month before testing season, and realize I still had more content than weeks left to teach it.

    EVERY. YEAR.

    I did this pre-planning ritual as if something was going to magically change from the previous year. And guess what? It never did…

    …until I realized how much I could integrate my content during reading, writing, grammar, science, and social studies.

    Then everything changed.

    Now, I won’t sit here and tell you I ever mastered teaching 180 days of material in 140 (or less). That would be a lie.

    But content integration made everything move more fluidly throughout the day, it saved me valuable time, and the students were actually soaking up more of the content than when I was teaching everything in isolation!

    I’m going to share some strategies below to help you avoid making the same mistake I did! Don’t write this off just because it isn’t August and over half of the year has gone by… start now and it will still help get you through the rest of this year!

    Watch me speak about my ideas in this video, or continue reading below!

    Use Mentor Texts

    If you have followed me for even five minutes, you know I am a huge advocate for using mentor texts. A mentor text is a short piece of text (in other words, one that can be “digested” in a reasonable amount of time) that will serve as a model for at least one or two skills, but your goal is to cover MANY skills. Read even more about maximizing time (and enroll in a free course)! As a fellow teacher, Abbie Taylor, said, “The kids get to know the book so well, everything else makes so much more sense!” That is truly the work of a good mentor text!

    If your schedule looks anything like most teachers, you have MAYBE 45 minutes to teach science or social studies. Some of you have 45 minutes to teach science AND social studies. So how in the world are you going to teach all of your content in those few minutes each day AND ACTUALLY MAKE IT STICK?

    The simple answer is, you don’t! You’ve got to maximize the time you have with your students to get results. Stop reading one book or article for a reading lesson, a different book or article for a writing lesson, and then ANOTHER book or article for a social studies lesson! Use that ONE mentor text for as many things as you can- and tie in your science or social studies content to truly get the most bang for your buck.

    Let’s look at a couple of examples:

    Do you teach about the effects humans have on shaping the landscape?

    A River Ran Wild by Lynne Cherry tells the story of the Nashua River and how it changed over time with settlers, industry, and pollution. It helps give the students an idea of how, even though we don’t see the damage we are causing now, future generations are affected. I would read this book during my reading workshop and tie it to my science lessons on pollution. This is a great book to use when exploring illustrations as well as talking about cause and effect.

    Skills to cover with just this one mentor text: identifying humans’ effect on environment, demonstrating change over time (timelines), identifying cause and effect, using complex sentences to write about cause and effect, and writing a persuasive piece about environmental issues.

    Do you teach about Westward Expansion?

    Apples To Oregon by Deborah Hopkinson is NOT nonfiction, but it is still a fantastic book to use when teaching about Westward Expansion. It’s a humorous tall tale about a family moving to Oregon, and Papa doesn’t want to leave behind his apple trees. Although it is fiction, it still represents the hardships the families faced along the trail, and does so in a little bit of a lighter way than a book like Dandelions by Eve Bunting does (which is another fantastic mentor text that I highly recommend). Apples to Oregon is full of fantastic figurative language which makes for great mentor sentence and writing lessons.

    Skills to cover with just this one mentor text: hardships of pioneer life, identifying figurative language, discovering character motives, identifying theme, distinguishing traits of tall tales, and writing narratives from a pioneer’s perspective

    These books are featured in my mentor text and mentor sentence lessons! Find A River Ran Wild activities in Volume 2 Unit 4, and find Apples to Oregon in the Westward Expansion mini-unit.

    Check out other mini-units for more content-aligned mentor texts!

    Are you interested in getting ready-made mentor text lessons for the week?

    Join the club!

    No really… there’s a club!

    Join the mentor text club to get detailed explicit lesson plans using one book all week in reading, writing, grammar, and more!

    Use High-Interest Passages

    The keyword above is high-interest. We teach about things that the kids have no connection to, no experience with, and sometimes, let’s admit, are downright boring. I don’t know about you, but reading the textbook was not one of my fond memories from grade school.

    But let me tell you what does make an impact… when teaching about the American Revolution, read about all the insane Acts that crazy King George passed and thinking about how that would have felt as a colonist. Instead of just reading about the Declaration of Independence, teach them about this document actually being treasonous at that time! Get them hooked in and excited about things, and all the learning will happen without them even realizing they are doing hard, rigorous work! (Check out this American Revolution set of paired texts for the topics I mentioned above, and more!)

    Not only will getting the kids excited and interested about what they’re learning help it stick, but you’ll also be able to double dip with these articles in reading and writing.

    Just as reading mentor texts during ELA time helps cover other content skills, using content-aligned articles and passages during ELA is going to give you back some of that time you need to do some hands-on learning during that allotted science or social studies time.

    I will be sharing more in an upcoming article about how I used these high-interest paired texts to teach close reading, finding and citing evidence with text dependent questions, and writing constructed responses!

    In the meantime, check out more high-interest passages in my store!

    LOOKING FOR COMPLETE ELA MENTOR TEXT LESSONS?

    Complete Mentor Text Lessons for all of ELA

    If you have trouble using one book across ALL content, I have you covered with my Everything But The Books ELA Units! These units use a mentor text for reading, writing, grammar, and also touch on science or social studies PLUS I have included high-interest passages for each mentor text to pair up with text-based writing prompts and TDQs!

    Complete Mentor Text Lessons for all of ELA

     

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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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    Recent Posts

    • Integrating Primary Sources into Language Arts Lessons
    • Teaching Grammar that Supports the Science of Reading
    • Teaching Text Structure With Picture Books
    • Planning a Language Arts Schedule (How To Fit It All In!)
    • Mentor Sentences Routine: Break It Down (Assessment)

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    Ideas By Jivey

    1 day ago

    Ideas By Jivey
    🎯 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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    Ideas By Jivey

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    Ideas By Jivey
    😍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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    Ideas By Jivey

    4 days ago

    Ideas By Jivey
    💡 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 

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Kindest-Red-Mentor-Text-Unit-for-Grades-3-5-Teaching-Theme-Kindness-9560190
    📝 Bored of traditional grammar teaching? Your s 📝 Bored of traditional grammar teaching? Your students are too! 

🌟 Come see how to implement a game-changing method that will engage your students and make your grammar lessons stick in this FREE crash course. 

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

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

https://members.ideasbyjivey.com/crash-course-registration-page
    😬 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

https://members.ideasbyjivey.com/crash-course-registration-page
    🤓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 

https://www.ideasbyjivey.com/routine
    🌟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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