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This yearlong mentor sentences curriculum gives 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade teachers 45 weeks of integrated grammar, vocabulary, and reading comprehension instruction, built around 45 read-aloud picture books your students already love. Volume 2 is the second of four volumes I’ve written, so you can choose the book list that fits your classroom best.
Every subject connects back to the same book each week instead of pulling grammar, vocabulary, reading, and writing from four unrelated sources. Grammar comes from a sentence in that week’s mentor text. Vocabulary comes from Tier 2 and Tier 3 words in that same book. Reading comprehension activities are built around that text’s content. And even the writing prompt ties back to the book’s theme. Students spend the week going deep with one book instead of switching between disconnected worksheets.
★ Mentor Sentence Lessons | Grammar and author’s craft in context
Mentor sentences are an evidence-based approach to grammar instruction that teaches students to notice, discuss, revise, and imitate sentences drawn directly from your read-alouds. This is not grammar in isolation… it is grammar in context, connected to real writing! Each lesson includes a teacher sentence page, a student sentence page, a four-day lesson plan, and a CCSS-aligned quiz with an answer key.
If you need more proof that the numerous volumes of mentor sentence curricula created by Ideas by Jivey are a best practice in the classroom, download the case study! The download presents the data collected over the 2016-2017 school year in the form of a case study.
★ Scaffolded Modifications | Support for students who need it
Sentence frames for revision and imitation days give extra support to students with disabilities, English language learners, and/or slow writers without removing the thinking from students who are ready to work independently.
★ Interactive Language Arts Activities | Skill reinforcement for the mentor sentence focus
Companion activities give students additional practice with the grammar skill from each mentor sentence lesson.
★Reading Comprehension Activities | 100+ reading comprehension activities
Every activity includes an answer key. Generic versions of all graphic organizers are also included so you can use them with any text. Reading activities cover skills such as:
Using evidence to describe, infer, and draw conclusions
Summarizing
Identifying and supporting theme
Identifying and supporting character traits
Explaining figurative language
Identifying vivid language
Visualizing
Supporting opinions
Comparing characters
Comparing texts to media and other texts
Defining words using context clues
…and more!
★ Writing Prompts | One per week, tied to each book’s theme or topic
Every book has a corresponding writing prompt that connects to the theme, idea, or content of that specific text. Prompts give students a purposeful reason to write in response to what they just read.
★ Contextual Vocabulary Activities | Tier 2 and Tier 3 words from each book
Vocabulary is taught directly from the mentor texts, not from isolated word lists. Activities are grounded in research on vocabulary acquisition and designed for repeated exposure across multiple formats.
★ ALL activities are also provided as links to Google Slides for Digital Learning! ★
You will want to make sure you have access to the books listed below to complete the lessons properly. They are not included, but most can likely be found in your library, or even as online read-alouds!
-The Golden Rule By Ilene Cooper
-The Name Jar By Yangsook Choi
-Spaghetti in a Hot Dog Bun By Maria Dismondy
-When Lightning Comes in a Jar By Patricia Polacco
-Firefly Mountain By Patricia Thomas
-14 Cows For America By Carmen Agra Deedy
-Those Shoes By Maribeth Boelts
-The Memory String By Eve Bunting
-The Adventures of Spider:How Spider Got a Thin Waist By Joyce Cooper Arkhurst
-The Spider and the Fly By Mary Howitt
-Cloud Dance By Thomas Locker
-In November By Cynthia Rylant
-Tikki Tikki Tembo By Arlene Mosel
-The Great Turkey Race By Steve Metzger
-The Honest-to-Goodness Truth By Patricia C. McKissack
-The Snow Globe Family By Jane O’Connor
-Snowmen at Christmas By Caralyn Buehner
-Martin’s Big Words By Doreen Rappaport
-Snow Day! By Lester Laminack
-The Day the Crayons Quit By Drew Daywalt
-Grace For President By Kelly DiPucchio
-George Washington’s Teeth By Deborah Chandra & Madeleine Comora
-Night Rabbits By Lee Posey
-Crickwing By Janell Cannon
-Pinduli By Janell Cannon
-Twilight Comes Twice By Ralph Fletcher
-My School’s a Zoo! By Stu Smith
-Chicken Sunday By Patricia Polacco
-Titanicat By Marty Crisp
-Voices in the Park By Anthony Browne
-Can It Rain Cats and Dogs? Questions and Answers About Weather By Melvin and Gilda Berger
-Water Dance By Thomas Locker
-You Wouldn’t Want to Sail With Christopher Columbus! By Fiona Macdonald
-Postcards from Pluto By Loreen Leedy
-Animals Nobody Loves By Seymour Simon
-OWLS By Gail Gibbons
-If You Traveled on the Underground Railroad By Ellen Levine
-Snowflake Bentley By Jacqueline Briggs Martin
-My Brother Martin By Christine King Farris
-A River Ran Wild by Lynne Cherry
BONUS UNITS:
-School’s First Day of School by Adam Rex
-The Widow’s Broom by Chris Van Allsburg
-Our Table by Peter H. Reynolds
-Sofia Valdez, Future Prez by Andrea Beaty
-Vulture Verses by Diane Lang
What grade levels is this mentor sentences curriculum for?
Volume 2 is written for 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade classrooms, using picture books and read-alouds appropriate for that age range.
How is Volume 1 different from Volumes 2, 3, and 4?
Each volume uses a different set of mentor texts, so the lesson structure and components are the same across all four. Choose your volume based on which books you already have access to or want to read aloud this year.
Check out what’s in Volume 1!
Check out what’s in Volume 3!
Check out what’s in Volume 4!
Do I need to own every book on the list?
Most of the books are commonly available in school and public libraries, and many can be found as online read-alouds if you don’t have a physical copy.
Is this enough for a full year of ELA instruction on its own?
It covers 45 weeks of grammar, vocabulary, and reading comprehension instruction anchored to mentor texts. Most teachers pair it with their existing writing curriculum, since the writing prompts are meant to complement, not replace, a full writing program.
Mentor Sentences can be done in ALL grades! Please tell your teacher friends about mentor sentences for their grade:
Kindergarten & ELL (Early Emergent Readers)
First Grade
Second Grade
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Please remember, this purchase is for the use of one teacher. It is not intended to be shared. Please use the ‘additional license’ purchase if more than one teacher will be using it. Thank you!
*The mentor sentence lessons I have created are adapted from the ideas of Jeff Anderson. These lessons were born from the routine that worked well in my classroom, and the demos and examples I present are variations of Jeff Anderson’s methods. This is not the only way to “do” mentor sentences in your classroom.*
Copyright © Ideas By Jivey, LLC
All rights reserved by author, Jessica Ivey.
Permission to copy for single classroom use only.
Electronic distribution limited to single classroom use only.
Not for public display.
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Exactly What I was looking For.
I was looking for a well-rounded ELA curriculum for my 4th grader and this is perfect
Love, love, love! I love teaching reading and writing with mentor texts and Ideas By Jivey never disappoints! My students are very engaged and I am thrilled with the progress they are making.
Mentor sentences are a big part of my classroom! It's an effective way to integrate all parts of ELA.
This resource is very well thought out and quite comprehensive. I teach in a grade 3-5 multi-grade classroom and it is very helpful to have materials that allow me to teach across the grade levels. I appreciate that the books I have used so far have been thoughtful in terms of social-emotional skills. I teach in a Christian school and so far the books have been consistent with our values, though not overtly Christian in nature. Thanks!
I had to get both bundles because I just couldn't decide which books I wanted to read and wanted to have as many options as I could. I am very excited to use this resource more throughout the year. I loved the other one.
Love this resource!!!! I think the grammar activities are great and I love how if you don't like one of the skills that is with the book, you can pull one of the blank activity pages and do it instead! Will be using every year!
This bundle has everything organized by book and makes planning and establishing routines a breeze.
Excellent resource. If you have not bought her stuff before check out her phenomenal YouTube videos.
Love these. Great way to explore literature and love that it incorporates elements of The Writing Revolution in their lessons.
