Mentor Sentence Curriculum AND Course

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If you enjoyed seeing the way grammar can be taught in a FUN way, and actually have that transfer to writing, go even deeper in the process with this course and MASTER mentor sentences in your classroom! PLUS you'll get the curriculum to implement mentor sentences AND MORE! With 40 mentor texts used, you'll have your choice of what to implement each week. The BEST part? All the work is done for you!

Purchase 2nd Grade Curriculum AND Course

Ten years ago, these statements would come out of my mouth on the regular: 

"Teaching grammar is boring. The students hate it and, honestly, so do I." 

"My students don't make the reading-writing connection."

"My students make little progress in style and conventions over the course of the year."  

I imagine you took the challenge and want to dive deeper into the mentor sentence theory and routine because you share some (or all) of those sentiments. You are ready to make a change, just like I was several years ago. 

It made sense to me that students needed to learn from amazing, well-written sentences... giving them a sentence filled with mistakes and telling them to "fix it" wasn't working since they didn't even know what it was supposed to look like to begin with!  

After I implemented the mentor sentence routine with my students, not only was I enjoying teaching grammar through these skill-spiraling, discussion-filled lessons, but my students were also having fun, treating this time as a scavenger hunt, or a game, or a challenge. And best of all... my students' grammar knowledge AND WRITING improved. I found my students actually trying to imitate the mentor sentences in their own writing. That's a teacher's dream, right?! I couldn't keep this secret to myself. I wanted teachers to be able to implement these best practices in their classrooms and see the same results!

What's included in the 5-hour course?

✏️ 8 video lessons that walk you step-by-step through the routine of using mentor texts in your classroom, with a workbook AND cheat sheets if you don't want to take notes ✏️ Resources that will help you plan your lessons and promote authentic discussion with your students, and tons of models, plus extension ideas to the routine ✏️ Exclusive supplemental materials and video examples ONLY found in the course ✏️ LIFETIME access to this course, so you can complete it in your own time and rewatch if you wish - plus a certificate of completion for those that can use this toward PD credits 

What's included in the curriculum?

✏️ Mentor Sentences and Interactive Activities You don’t need to do all of the lessons in the order they come in the units, although you can do 1-3 in order if you'd like. When I created units 1, 2, and 3, I put them in the order I used them in my classroom, so these lessons are in an order that spirals and gets progressively more difficult, but it is not necessary to stay in that order. Unit 4 was created as “extra” lessons with more of my favorite books that I used throughout the year.  

There is a 9-page introduction with pictures included of how I use mentor sentences in my room (VERY detailed, day-by-day). In each unit, I walk you through each day's lesson for 40 weeks- all the work is done! I've even done all the thinking for you when it comes to revising and imitating! :)  

✏️ Modifications This will help your students who need extra support. These students might include those with disabilities, English as a Second Language, or just slow writers. Some of your students may struggle to complete the lesson on revision and imitation days for several reasons. They might be slow writers and struggle to get the sentence rewritten. They may have a hard time “seeing” the structure to imitate. Or, they may get overly descriptive and lose focus on the sentence. These modified sentence frames provide a way to help scaffold for your students. After showing the class your example of the revised or imitated sentence and discussing it, provide the sentence frames to the students who need extra support. These modified sentences are not meant for all students – you want students who can think more creatively to be allowed to do so! 

✏️ Vocabulary Vocabulary must be taught in context for students to truly understand the words and build relationships with them, and then in turn use them in writing and speaking. Move away from lists of vocabulary words and looking up definitions, and teach students how to comprehend with this best practice bundle! I have provided activities designed on researched best practices for use with popular mentor texts to help you maximize your teaching time. There are open-ended activities and ideas provided that can be used with any words, and I encourage you to incorporate past words in with the current words using these formats for frequent repetition.

✏️ Better Than Basal This product is JAM-PACKED with Common Core aligned lesson ideas, activities, graphic organizers, and writing prompts for 40 of your favorite mentor texts! With over 100 graphic organizers WITH answer keys, you'll be set for the year (and years after that, too)! It also includes the generic versions of the graphic organizers so you can use them with any book. There is also a writing prompt for every book that ties to the theme, idea, or topic of the book.  

Purchase 2nd Grade Curriculum AND Course For Over 45% Savings

FAQ ABOUT THE COURSE:

  • What if I teach grades 2-3 combined, or if I teach above grade 5? I suggest getting the 3-5 course for either of these situations! As you saw in the challenge, you can easily differentiate for lower AND higher level students. 
  • Do I have to begin or complete the course by a certain time? No, you don't. You will have lifetime access to this course so you can start when is best for you, watch as much as you want when you want, and even go back and rewatch when you need a refresher! 
  • Can I get PLUs or other credits toward renewal of my teaching certificate with this course? I am not accredited, so I can't give you any official renewal units, but there is a Certificate of Completion offered with the course which many schools and districts accept as proof of 5 hours of continuing education. You'd want to check with your school or district for confirmation. 


FAQ ABOUT THE CURRICULUM:

  • Why are there three volumes for Grades 3-5? There is not a specific set for each grade (3rd, 4th, and 5th) because third grade lays the foundation, and then fourth and fifth grade take those same standards and skills, and they go deeper into them. The same sentence in a third grade classroom will have a much different conversation outcome than in fourth and fifth. With that said, we don’t want students in the same school to see the same sentences over and over for three years in a row, either! I created three volumes so that a school could use different lessons across the grade levels. There is a bit of variance in skills between the volumes because of the books I used. My recommendation if you are trying to choose between the three volumes is to look at the booklists and see which ones you are more familiar and/or already use for other lessons!  
  • Do I have to go in order of the units you've laid out? You do not have do the packs in order. In fact, you shouldn’t! The fourth unit in all of the full-year sets are designed to be “filler” lessons to insert in so the seasonal lessons come at the “right” times. Although I did try to order the lessons so that they get progressively harder, you can absolutely jump around within the units if you need.