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  • Ideas by Jivey

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

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    Mentor Texts

    How to Model Descriptive Writing With a Mentor Text

    October 24, 2019

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    Descriptive writing, or what many teachers like to call “show, don’t tell writing,” is a skill that needs to be practiced and modeled A LOT for students to truly master it. Check out one of my favorite lessons for modeling writing with a mentor text to help students be as descriptive as possible! This lesson is one of 18 in a blog hop, where we are sharing some great ideas and free downloads with you… plus giveaways, too!

    Descriptive writing is a tricky skill for students to master, but with mentor text modeling and practice, they can! Check out this free lesson download for the mentor text, I Need My Monster to help with "show, don't tell" writing. #mentortext #2ndgrade #3rdgrade #4thgrade #5thgrade

    Model Descriptive Writing With a Mentor Text

    Sharing a mentor text full of descriptive language is going to help students understand how to truly “show” and not “just tell” when writing. Writers want readers to visualize. Yes, picture books provide illustrations, but most text requires our imagination!

    This post contains Amazon affiliate links. It does not cost you anything extra to use these links, and Amazon pays me a few cents for your purchase which I put toward my mentor text giveaways.

    One of my favorite books that models descriptive writing is I Need My Monster by Amanda Noll. It’s about a little boy who absolutely cannot sleep without his monster under his bed. When his monster decides to take a vacation, he interviews substitutes that, of course, don’t compare to HIS monster. It’s such a cute book to read around Halloween time, but you can read it ANY time of the year. It’s definitely not “Halloween-themed.” Not only is it an absolutely adorable book, it’s the perfect mentor text for SO MANY lessons, including show, don’t tell writing. If you don’t own the book, you can also check it out on Storyline Online, read aloud by Rita Moreno!

    As you read the book to your students, stop and analyze the descriptive writing that the author uses. From his monster’s ragged breathing and uncut claws to his spooky green ooze, you will be able to discuss the descriptive language that helps the reader visualize on every page!

    Descriptive writing is a tricky skill for students to master, but with mentor text modeling and practice, they can! Check out this free lesson download for the mentor text, I Need My Monster to help with "show, don't tell" writing. #mentortext #2ndgrade #3rdgrade #4thgrade #5thgrade

    You could make a list on an anchor chart of all of the descriptions, or have students keep notes of what they hear. Having these examples is going to help them with their writing activity later. Having models handy doesn’t mean they’ll copy, it means they will have some good examples to help with their own thinking! 

    Modeling Writing In a Mini-Lesson

    You can get a free copy of the lesson I am going to describe in this post by entering your information below. It will be sent straight to your inbox!

    Descriptive writing is a tricky skill for students to master, but with mentor text modeling and practice, they can! Check out this free lesson download for the mentor text, I Need My Monster to help with "show, don't tell" writing. #mentortext #2ndgrade #3rdgrade #4thgrade #5thgrade

    Use the paragraph provided in the free download, or write your own descriptive paragraph to read to students about a monster. If you are writing your own, I suggest drawing a monster (don’t show it to them yet though!) and then writing your paragraph. Make sure to describe your monster MOSTLY well if you write your own, while also leaving out some very small details. (You’ll see why in the lesson.)

    Read the paragraph about your monster a few times to the students, and have them draw what they hear and what they visualize based on your description.

    Once students have had a few minutes to get their sketch as accurate as they can based on what you read to them, show them YOUR monster. Have a discussion about what is different in their picture than yours, but especially what is the same. Ask questions like, “What descriptions did I provide that helped you accurately draw your monster?” and “What could I have added to my writing to be more descriptive and specific so that your drawing would have looked more like mine?” (This is why you needed to leave out some very small details that would affect them being exactly the same.)

    Below is a student’s drawing of my monster you see pictured for this lesson from my class a few years ago- pretty good, right? Notice the teeth are different- even though I was detailed, I didn’t specify that my teeth were “flat” so she drew them as sharp. I also didn’t mention that my monster’s tail was also green and warty.

    Descriptive writing is a tricky skill for students to master, but with mentor text modeling and practice, they can! Check out this free lesson download for the mentor text, I Need My Monster to help with "show, don't tell" writing. #mentortext #2ndgrade #3rdgrade #4thgrade #5thgrade

    Put It Into Practice

    **This lesson can be done over the course of two or three days if needed for time constraints!**

    Give students the opportunity to do exactly what you just modeled! Provide students paper to draw their own monster. If you have “privacy folders” or some other form of hiding work, use them! Students are going to write about their monsters and then read their paragraphs to a partner. Just as your students drew YOUR monster blindly, so will their partner, so you won’t want the students to see each other’s monsters.

    Once students have drawn their monsters, direct students to label the parts of their monster that they believe to be important to include in their descriptive writing. Remind them that they will be reading their paragraph aloud to a partner for their partner to draw, so it should include as many specific details as possible.

    Allow time for students to write a paragraph about their monsters using their labeled drawings. As you saw in my example, I wrote in first-person as if I was the monster because this is a great way to get students away from every sentence starting: “My monster has…” When I did this lesson with my students, I even left my paragraph projected up on the screen to give them ideas for their writing (because modeling is key!) – after all, it isn’t like they could copy mine since their monster was completely different.

    Descriptive writing is a tricky skill for students to master, but with mentor text modeling and practice, they can! Check out this free lesson download for the mentor text, I Need My Monster to help with "show, don't tell" writing. #mentortext #2ndgrade #3rdgrade #4thgrade #5thgrade

    Now for the fun! Have students pair up (or even get into small groups if you have more time) to read their paragraphs to each other. Once their partner has drawn the monster based on the descriptive paragraph, the student can reveal their real monster picture to see how well they match up!

    Take It Further

    As you can probably already imagine, this activity lends itself well to the revision process. Once both partners have read their paragraphs and drawn each other’s monsters, encourage them to have a discussion about what is different about the two monsters, just as you did with your own example. What details were missing that could have made the pictures more identical? Students could revise their writing to add those details in to make their paragraph even more descriptive!

    Your students will really love the challenge of trying to get their partner to draw a monster exactly like theirs. This was a lesson that my students talked about for weeks after- so much so that I ended up doing it again with a turkey theme!

    If you loved this lesson, you might be interested in getting the entire I Need My Monster Mentor Text Unit which also includes mentor sentences, practice with amazing adjectives and vivid verbs, quotations, drawing conclusions, vocabulary lessons and activities, as well as more writing prompts to be done from the point of view of the monsters in the book!

    PURCHASE HERE!

    Descriptive writing is a tricky skill for students to master, but with mentor text modeling and practice, they can! Check out this free lesson download for the mentor text, I Need My Monster to help with "show, don't tell" writing. #mentortext #2ndgrade #3rdgrade #4thgrade #5thgrade

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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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    Ideas By Jivey

    10 hours ago

    Ideas By Jivey
    The TPT sale is ON and now is just as good a time as any to start mentor sentences in your classroom!What are you waiting for?? Select your grade in the custom categories on the lefthand side of my store to get just what you need! www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Ideas-By-Jivey ... See MoreSee Less

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    Ideas By Jivey

    2 days ago

    Ideas By Jivey
    The International Day of Women and Girls in Science is on February 11! I've made some units for a few great books that would be perfect to share in celebration while also teaching your ELA skills.The Leaf Detective is the biography of Meg Lowman, a groundbreaking female scientist called a "real life Lorax" by National Geographic, who was determined to investigate the marvelous, undiscovered world of the rainforest treetops.Grab the unit that aligns with this amazing mentor text: www.ideasbyjivey.com/product/the-leaf-detective-mentor-text-digital-print-unit/ ... See MoreSee Less

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    Ideas By Jivey

    3 days ago

    Ideas By Jivey
    The International Day of Women and Girls in Science is on February 11! I've made some units for a few great books that would be perfect to share in celebration while also teaching your ELA skills.Dinosaur Lady is a beautifully illustrated picture book biography of Mary Anning that will enlighten children about the discovery of the dinosaurs and the importance of female scientists.Grab the unit that aligns with this amazing mentor text: www.ideasbyjivey.com/product/dinosaur-lady-mentor-text-unit-for-grades-3-5/ ... See MoreSee Less

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    The TPT sale is ON and now is just as good a time The TPT sale is ON and now is just as good a time as any to start #mentorsentences in your classroom!

What are you waiting for?? Select your grade in the custom categories on the lefthand side of my store to get just what you need! 

Link in profile: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Ideas-By-Jivey

#ideasbyjivey #mentortexts #iteachtoo #fabulousfeedback #teacherspayteachers #teacherspayteacherssale #tptsale2023
    The International Day of Women and Girls in Scienc The International Day of Women and Girls in Science is on February 11! I've made some units for a few great books that would be perfect to share in celebration while also teaching your ELA skills.

The Leaf Detective is the biography of Meg Lowman, a groundbreaking female scientist called a "real life Lorax" by National Geographic, who was determined to investigate the marvelous, undiscovered world of the rainforest treetops.

Grab the unit that aligns with this amazing #mentortext at the link in my profile!

https://www.ideasbyjivey.com/product/the-leaf-detective-mentor-text-digital-print-unit/

#picturebooks #internationaldayofwomeninscience #internationaldayofgirlsinscience #mentorsentences #teachersfollowteachers #ideasbyjivey #iteach345 #upperelementaryteacher #iteach3rd #iteach4th #iteach5th
    The International Day of Women and Girls in Scienc The International Day of Women and Girls in Science is on February 11! I've made some units for a few great books that would be perfect to share in celebration while also teaching your ELA skills.

Dinosaur Lady is a beautifully illustrated picture book biography of Mary Anning that will enlighten children about the discovery of the dinosaurs and the importance of female scientists.

Grab the unit that aligns with this amazing #mentortext at the link in my profile!

https://www.ideasbyjivey.com/product/the-leaf-detective-mentor-text-digital-print-unit/

#picturebooks #internationaldayofwomeninscience #internationaldayofgirlsinscience #mentorsentences #teachersfollowteachers #ideasbyjivey #iteach345 #upperelementaryteacher #iteach3rd #iteach4th #iteach5th
    The latest Primary Mentor Text Club book (voted fo The latest Primary Mentor Text Club book (voted for by the #teachers who own this growing bundle) is Over and Under the Pond by Kate Messner, and WOW what 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! https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Over-and-Under-the-Pond-Life-Science-Integration-Mentor-Text-Unit-Grades-1-2-9078283

#mentortext #mentorsentence #ideasbyjivey #iteach1 #iteach2 #iteach1st #iteach2nd #2ndgradescience #1stgradescience #teacherspayteachers #teachersofig  #teachersfollowteachers
    Are you reading a fun book for Groundhog Day? 🌞 Are you reading a fun book for Groundhog Day? 🌞 ❄️ 

Check out my February book idea list! Link in profile! Need a unit to go along with one of these? DM me the title for a link! 

#groundhogday #groundhogdayintheclassroom #ideasbyjivey #iteachtoo #mentortexts #mentorsentences 

 https://www.amazon.com/shop/ideasbyjivey/list/30LEKEOLP7026?ref_=cm_sw_r_apin_aipsflist_aipsfideasbyjivey_NSV9QRK52KNNAPCEJ5B7
    🌞 Groundhog Gets A Say is a fun book for kids o 🌞 Groundhog Gets A Say is a fun book for kids of any age, but I especially liked to use this #mentortext to tie in some research skills and #opinionwriting!

The book is written as a narrative, but is filled with facts about groundhogs as the main character tries to convince everyone that he deserves more than just ONE day of recognition.

The unit I made for this book includes printables for text features, note-taking from text, fact and opinion, main idea and details, context clues, a writing brainstorm organizer, plus a #mentorsentence lesson for relative pronouns and contextual vocabulary activities! 

I'd love you to check it out on my website at the link in my profile: https://www.ideasbyjivey.com/product/groundhog-gets-a-say-unit/

You can also find it in my TPT store, too! 

#ideasbyjivey #teachersfollowteachers #groundhogdayintheclassroom #upperelementary #mentortextmonday
    😍 The latest seasonal club unit for #uppergrade 😍 The latest seasonal club unit for #uppergrades is completed, and you'll definitely want to grab it before next week! 

Groundhog Weather School by Joan Holub is an informative #mentortext about groundhogs, Groundhog Day, and weather, but it's presented in an entertaining way that will keep your students laughing while they learn. πŸ˜‚

βœ… With this unit I created, you'll receive a week of explicit lesson plans to go along with the book. 

πŸ€“ You'll get everything you need to teach about organized notetaking, tier 3 vocabulary, word parts, and types of sentences, plus you'll be able integrate it all with science: weather, seasons, and groundhogs! 

Grab it at the link in my profile: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Groundhog-Weather-School-Mentor-Text-Unit-Grades-3-5-Groundhog-Day-Seasons-9006611 #ideasbyjivey #mentorsentence #teacherspayteachers #teachersfollowteachers #groundhogdayintheclassroom #upperelementary #iteach345
    ❄️ There are so many fantastic #picturebooks t ❄️ There are so many fantastic #picturebooks to use in January with a snowy winter theme. 

πŸ“– If you work with early emergent readers, this #mentorsentences mini-unit is perfect for you! 

There are lessons for five snowy winter-themed books to help students grasp language through a balanced literacy approach. 

Check it out at the link in my profile! #ideasbyjivey #iteachk #mentortexts #teacherspayteachers #teachersfollowteachers https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Mentor-Sentences-Mini-Unit-Snowy-Winter-Books-for-Early-Emergent-Readers-2293853
    Can students actually think critically about... GR Can students actually think critically about... GRAMMAR?!? πŸ€”

You bet they can! πŸ₯³

Check out how at the link in my profile! https://www.ideasbyjivey.com/higher-order-thinking-questions-for-grammar-and-writing/ 

#ideasbyjivey #mentorsentences #mentorsentence #iteachtoo #teachersfollowteachers #teachgrammar #iteach2nd #iteach3rd #iteach4th #iteach5th
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