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    Mastering Mentor Sentences

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

    September 11, 2021

    mentor sentences day one
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    Mentor sentences help students learn the RIGHT way to write, rather than the WRONG. It’s a total gamechanger in the classroom and a proven best practice that will transform your teaching. The purpose of Day One is to help students recognize (or NOTICE) all of the good things about the mentor sentence. This has been proven to help students write more effectively, as they soak in the examples we show them… imagine all of the TERRIBLE examples they’ve soaked in when presented with “fix-it” sentences. YIKES!

    mentor sentences day one

    Let’s get started with how to implement the mentor sentence routine in 2nd-5th grade – day one, time to notice!

    BUT FIRST:

    You can get the lesson I’m using as an example in this series delivered right to your inbox!

    free week mentor sentences

     

    DIRECTIVE: Students will glue the mentor sentence into their notebook, and then make a list of all the things they notice about this sentence that makes it a super sentence. The class will participate in a discussion around what they noticed, creating a larger list compiled from everything students share.

    mentor sentence day one directive

    Let’s break it down! What do you notice?

    First, have the students read the mentor sentence with you. They can either read straight from the sentence strip you gave them that’s glued down in their notebook, or they can follow along with your display. This helps you get in some fluency practice. In fact, you’ll want to read the sentence together every single day of the entire week to practice that fluent reading.

    **If this is the very first time that you’re ever doing mentor sentences as a class, you may even want to completely skip the notebook for this week. Working together as a class, and modeling your thinking, will be an important step in establishing expectations. Also, keep in mind, mentor sentences should only take 10 to 15 minutes each day, but at first, it’s going to take a little longer because they’re not familiar with the routine. But once you get the routine going, they’re going to know exactly what to do every single day. You won’t have to repeat directions, you won’t even have to do a lot of prompting after a few weeks.**

    Once you have read the mentor sentence, ask them, “What do you notice about this sentence that makes it such a good sentence? What is so special about this sentence, or what stands out to you about this sentence?”

    At first, this might be a bit difficult for your students. If they’ve never been exposed to the mentor sentences routine, they probably aren’t sure why you’re asking them to talk about all the good things. If they’ve only ever looked for bad things, they may not be aware of how to notice the good things in a sentence, or even what makes a good sentence.

    They might only notice some very simple things at first like, it starts with a capital letter. This is when you may need to model some thinking so they can get their brain on the right track… but don’t rush to it right away! Give them a little time to really look at the mentor sentence; they just might surprise you! Sometimes it takes just one student offering something about the sentence to get others thinking.

    mentor sentence the bad seed time to notice

    Discussion, not a lecture!

    notice mentor sentences prompt poster

    This poster is included in your free lesson download for The Bad Seed.

    Remember, all of the learning is going to be happening through discussion. It’s important to pose questions to help lead these discussions. So even for something as simple as the capital letter, ask, “Why is it capitalized?” If they notice the mentor sentence has a period at the end, lead them into a discussion about sentence types. If they don’t know the types of sentences yet at this point in the year, depending on where you are in your skills, then introduce it. “There is a period at the end, which means this is a sentence that tells us something. This is a statement, or a declarative sentence.”

    You might present to them as a think-aloud how you notice the commas to help them understand what they should be doing on this day. “The commas in this sentence are creating pauses.” So read again to show how they create pauses: “I was born a humble seed (pause), on a simple sunflower (pause), in an unremarkable field.”

    Something else your students may notice if they’ve learned about prepositional phrases is that there are two prepositional phrases: on a simple sunflower, in an unremarkable field. If they do notice that there are prepositional phrases in the mentor sentence, remember to lead them in a discussion- have them identify what they are and then what are they doing in the sentence. They’re telling us where he was born. He was born on a sunflower and in a field.

    Maybe they will even notice there are different types of articles being used in the mentor sentence, because “an” comes before that vowel sound and “a” before the consonant sound. Another great discussion starter: ask, “Could we say ‘an simple sunflower’ or ‘a unremarkable field?’ Why not?”

    Notice Focus Skills

    Of course, in this step of the mentor sentence routine, the most important part of the discussion is going to be about that focus skill, the amazing adjectives. You definitely want to make sure the students are aware that this is a descriptive sentence that is using adjectives to help describe the seed, the sunflower, and the field.

    mentor sentence notice teacher display

    If they do not bring up adjectives (or “describing words”) during this time to notice, then you definitely want to guide them to see that. Give them hints that the sentence has describing words by asking, “What kind of seed?” or “How did the author describe the seed?” for example. Discuss how the author told us more information and more detail about what kind of seed he was, and the kind of sunflower that he was born on, and the kind of field that he was born in.

    Remember, all of the lessons in the mentor sentences routine should only be 10-15 minutes each day, so you won’t launch into a whole elaborate lesson on adjectives, even if they don’t know about them. You just want to remind them that these are describing words; they give more detail, telling us more information about those nouns.

    If they don’t notice it on their own, you’ll also want to point out that they’re amazing adjectives. They aren’t plain, boring adjectives like “bad” and in fact, they are all actually synonyms of each other. They’re better ways of saying the same word. Humble, simple and unremarkable all mean the same thing. The author didn’t say, “I was born a plain seed, on a plain sunflower, in a plain field,” because that would be boring. Instead, the author used these amazing adjectives to describe those nouns and really spice up the sentence.

    You’re going to continue touching on the skill over the course of the week… I know this is a paradigm shift for you as a teacher, too right?! You’re probably used to spending a lot of time explaining a skill, then maybe doing a worksheet or two… but not with the mentor sentences routine! Studies have proven that presenting information in short spurts SEVERAL times is much more effective, so that’s what you’ll be doing all week long.

    A Few More Notes:

    Keep an eye out for the focus skill of the week throughout the day in other subjects. These are great little teachable moments, and it helps students learn to become more observant, too. It also provides more “short spurts” to get in that frequent reminder of the skill without droning on and on in a lecture or just regurgitating information on a worksheet. So for this lesson, tell students to be on the lookout for other adjectives and celebrate those moments. “Oh, you’re right. That is an adjective. Good for you. And what’s it describing? What do you see that it’s describing?”

    mentor sentences notice in reading books

    When students begin to work in their notebook with you after a week or two of modeling, I do suggest having them write down anything in their notebook that they are missing from the class chart you make. This way, as you progress through the year, they will have the complete lesson to refer to when analyzing future mentor sentences. (Comparing past mentor sentences to a current one is a great way to get some higher-order thinking in as well as help students truly understand skills that continue to spiral through the year!)

    mentor sentences student notebooks

    Ready to move on in the routine? Head to the next post!

    Break Down Day Two

     

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    by Jessica Ivey 

    About Jessica Ivey

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    • 3 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Use Mentor Sentences…
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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

    • Planning a Language Arts Schedule (How To Fit It All In!)
    • Mentor Sentences Routine: Break It Down (Assessment)
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    • Mentor Sentences Routine: Break It Down (Time to Revise)
    • Mentor Sentences Routine: Break It Down (Parts of Speech)

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    Right?! Picture books are for every👏🏼one!👏🏼 ... See MoreSee Less

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    Ideas By Jivey

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    Ideas By Jivey
    I shared my TPT story with you back in April... (if you missed it, you can check it out here: ckarchive.com/b/4zuvheh5z24kp)As promised, the next big celebration update has happened!! FIVE brand new units have been added to the Yearlong Mentor Text Curriculum Bundle: Volume 2 for Grades 3-5! www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Yearlong-Mentor-Text-Curriculum-Bundle-Volume-2-for-Grades-3-... (This is the large $99 bundle that covers the entire year with mentor sentences, interactive activities, reading and writing, and vocabulary.)If you own the large bundle, whether it's through TPT, my website shop, or through a course purchase, you will get these FIVE NEW UNITS (valued at $18.75) FOR FREE!! Just re-download your purchase!📔School's First Day of School by Adam Rex📘Our Table by Peter H. Reynolds📗The Widow's Broom by Chris Van Allsburg📙Sofia Valdez, Future Prez by Andrea Beaty📕Vulture Verses by Diane LangI am creating these units to strategically align with the large bundles- you'll find the books chosen in volume 2 cover language skills that didn't have lessons previously, and can also be paired nicely with books included in the original bundle. For example, use Vulture Verses with Animals Nobody Loves!Just as a reminder, YES! I plan on doing the same thing for all of the other yearlong volumes, so don't be upset if you own another volume, or another grade! (And remember, Volume 1 already has its bonuses added!!) I am going in order of when I released them, and as you can imagine, it takes some time to create so many brand new units. 😉If you DON'T OWN the Volume 2 Yearlong Bundle and still want these five amazing book units, you can get them now ON SALE for just $3 each for the next 48 hours! www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Ideas-By-Jivey/Order:Most-Recent#seller_details_tabsThank you again for all your support and feedback over the last decade! Here's to at least ten more!! ... See MoreSee Less

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    Every Tuesday in June and July, you'll be able to purchase one of the MANY individual mentor text units that I've created from my website shop!This is a great way to stock up on some new lessons for next school year. 🎉The first $2 Tuesday is TODAY, and is the unit I created for the WONDERFUL mentor text, Trombone Shorty!Don't own the book? Don't worry! It's on Storyline Online! In this pack, you will receive:★a mentor sentence lesson for the book★an interactive notebook activity to review/teach comparatives and superlatives★seven reading ideas suggested with three activities provided: identifying theme, describing illustrations, and analyzing author's language★one writing idea suggested with a writing prompt given★contextual vocabulary activities★ Activities are also provided as links to Google Slides for Digital Learning! ★ www.ideasbyjivey.com/coupon/TROMBONE2/ ... See MoreSee Less

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    Right?!! Don’t take away my #mentortexts! #pictu Right?!! Don’t take away my #mentortexts! #picturebooksaremyjam #picturebooksareforeveryone 

#ideasbyjivey #teachersfollowteachers #teachersofinstagram #teachersofig #teachertribe #iteach345
    Every Tuesday in June and July, you'll be able to Every Tuesday in June and July, you'll be able to purchase one of the MANY individual #mentortext units that I've created from my website shop!

This is a great way to stock up on some new lessons for next school year. 🎉

The first $2 Tuesday is TODAY, and is the unit I created for the WONDERFUL mentor text, Trombone Shorty!

Don't own the book? Don't worry! It's on Storyline Online! 

In this pack, you will receive:

★a mentor sentence lesson for the book

★an interactive notebook activity to review/teach comparatives and superlatives

★seven reading ideas suggested with three activities provided: identifying theme, describing illustrations, and analyzing author's language

★one writing idea suggested with a writing prompt given

★contextual vocabulary activities

★ Activities are also provided as links to Google Slides for Digital Learning! ★ 

Link in profile! https://www.ideasbyjivey.com/coupon/TROMBONE2/ 

#ideasbyjivey #2dollartuesday #mentortext #mentorsentences #iteach345 #iteach3rd #iteach4th #iteach5th #teachersfollowteachers #teachertribe #teacherdeals
    Enough is enough. I’m sick over this. I’m sick Enough is enough. I’m sick over this. I’m sick OF this. I’m tired of children’s and teachers’ lives being lower on the list than the right to bear arms. Sending love to all my Texas teachers and families. Comments are turned off and yes, removed, because this is NOT an argument. Go to someone else’s post to do that. This is the 30th school shooting this year. This doesn’t happen in other countries, yet there is still plenty of evil there. I’m done.
📸: @theteachingtexan
    When I began creating #mentorsentence resources to When I began creating #mentorsentence resources to list in my TpT store over ten years ago, it was because of the huge shift I’d seen in my own students implementing the game-changing routine. I LOVE to hear other teachers have the same results! 🥰 #fabulousfeedback #ideasbyjivey #teachersfollowteachers #teachersofinstagram #teachersofig #teachertribe #iteach345 #mentorsentences
    Can students think critically about grammar!? YES Can students think critically about grammar!?

YES THEY CAN!

I know higher order thinking skills (HOTS) are generally not associated with grammar, but give it a chance… you’re going to see a HUGE shift in writing abilities and language understanding if you do!

Check out the blog post in my profile for a run-down and a free download to help you get started! https://www.ideasbyjivey.com/higher-order-thinking-questions-for-grammar-and-writing/ #ideasbyjivey #grammar #language #mentorsentences #effective #teachersfollowteachers #teachersofinstagram #teachersofig #iteachupperelementary #iteach345
    My club units have been some of my favorite resour My club units have been some of my favorite resources to create because the planning and creation were guided by the teachers using them!

Because of the input from your fellow teacher community, I know these units will be such a benefit to you, too! Every unit in the bundle has: 

📕a week of plans that integrate multiple skills and subjects
📙detailed explicit lessons, including teacher samples
📒a week-at-a-glance plan
📗digitally converted activities in Google Slides and Forms, when applicable
📘mentor sentence lesson
📕reading and writing lessons
📙integration of other subjects (science, social studies, or social/emotional skills)
📒printables for skill practice
📗at least one other text (poem, article, paired passages)* to integrate with your lessons *this will vary each unit depending on skills covered!
📘short assessments

Check out the latest bundle at the link in my profile! https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/MENTOR-TEXT-CLUB-by-Jivey-2ND-EDITION-for-Grades-3-5-7058941 
#ideasbyjivey #mentortext #mentortexts #teachersfollowteachers #mentorsentences #effective #teachersofinstagram #teachersofig
    Did you know I have a total breakdown of how mento Did you know I have a total breakdown of how mentor sentences can look day by day in your classroom?
Head over to my blog! www.ideasbyjivey.com #ideasbyjivey #mentorsentences #teachersfollowteachers #iteach345 #teachersofinstagram #teachersofig
    Elizabeth Started All the Trouble by Doreen Rappap Elizabeth Started All the Trouble by Doreen Rappaport is the perfect #mentortext to incorporate in your studies of women's suffrage. With this unit, you'll be able to work with students on analyzing primary sources (specifically political cartoons, but also some written documents), identifying supporting reasons and details, writing opinion pieces, and using relative pronouns. This unit is the perfect way to integrate social studies with language arts! Grab it from the link in my profile! https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Elizabeth-Started-All-the-Trouble-Womens-Suffrage-Mentor-Text-Unit-8036259 #ideasbyjivey #teachersfollowteachers #teachersofinstagram #teachersofig #socialstudiesintegration #iteach345 #teacherspayteachers
    This feedback means so much to me because as I’v This feedback means so much to me because as I’ve made my mentor sentence lessons over the last ten years, I’ve put so much thought into the way I craft my units and bundles! Thank you for trusting me! ❤️ #mentorsentences #ideasbyjivey #teachersfollowteachers #teachersofinstagram #teachersofig #iteach345 #iteach3rd #iteach4th #iteach5th #iteachfourth #iteachfifth #iteachthird
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