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  • Ideas by Jivey

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

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    Mentor Texts

    Take Back Your Time With Mentor Texts

    March 12, 2017

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    Time is precious. There is NEVER enough of it!!

    But, what if there was a way you could take back some of that time? Would you take it?

    I have your answer!

    Before we dive in, let’s talk about what a mentor text IS and what it IS NOT.

    A mentor text is a picture book (fiction or nonfiction), a chapter from a novel, an article, a song, or a poem. This text serves as a model to inspire students to practice a skill. In reading, students will watch and listen to you model a comprehension skill in order to understand how to do it on their own. In writing, students will be inspired to write similarly to the mentor text. In grammar, students will notice all of the “good” in a sentence from the text (called a mentor sentence), and then learn how to incorporate it into their own writing. There is a lot of imitation that occurs with a mentor text; students will impersonate techniques from the texts you present across the subjects.

    A mentor text is not simply a read-aloud. Although mentor texts should be read for enjoyment FIRST, that is not its only purpose. It is not an entire novel either. You can absolutely model skills from a chapter book, but a mentor text should be shorter in length so that it can be referred to throughout a week (or two or three!) for different skills.

    Sign up for the free one week mentor text course by Ideas by Jivey for grades 3-5Sign up for the free one week mentor text course by Ideas by Jivey for grades 1-2

    A MAGNIFICENT MENTOR TEXT can be used for several weeks for MANY skills. In reading, a magnificent mentor text will provide opportunities for a few (if not all) of the following: monitoring, summarizing, questioning, inferring, determining importance, questioning, visualizing, and synthesizing… to name a few. In writing and grammar, a magnificent mentor text will provide opportunities for students to imitate the ideas, structure, AND craft that the author presents in the text. And to top it off, a magnificent mentor text will be enjoyable to read, and one you will want to return to over and over!

    And, if you REALLY want to get the most bang for your buck: grab a nonfiction, historical fiction, or science fiction book to integrate your social studies and science content! (OR even math literature!)

    We know, as teachers, that using literature is an excellent way to introduce a lesson, but starting EVERY lesson with a new text makes it awfully difficult to keep those mini-lessons MINI! One of the best parts of using a mentor text is that it gives you more time to TEACH. Once you’ve read the book one time, you only need to re-read or refer to parts of it for your whole group mini-lessons. (Small group/guided reading should use books on their level!)

     

    In reading, one way to lead your lesson is to use a graphic organizer. It will help guide their thinking, and it allows for an “I Do, We Do, You Do” lesson- start the graphic organizer with them, then they can help suggest something to add to it, and finally they can finish it on their own. Of course, then they’ll also be able to use that graphic organizer with their own book, or in guided reading, to show their thinking!

    Use mentor texts for grammar through the use of mentor sentences. For 10-15 minutes each day at the start of writing time, look at a mentor sentence that was taken from the mentor text you are reading that week. Students notice all the wonderful things about it, figure out patterns in parts of speech, revise the sentence, and imitate the author in our writing- all over the course of the week. And of course, in writing, students will impersonate the ideas, structure and/or craft of a mentor text through your modeling and lessons.

    Does this sound like an amazing solution, but you’re thinking, well, Jivey, you just told me WHAT to do, but you haven’t told me HOW to do it! I’ve got you covered!! Sign up below for a FREE one-week course and get all you’ll need to integrate reading, writing, and grammar! In this FREE course, you’ll receive a week of activities and lessons each day for reading, grammar, and writing; and encouragement, suggestions, tips, and reminders. I want to help you take back your time!

    Select your grade level below to get comprehensive lessons just for you and your class!

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    You will get an outline for the week right away, with more information about the importance of using mentor texts. Then, over the course of the next week, you will receive explicit lessons, student activities, explanations, reminders, and suggestions for the next day’s ELA activities. If you’d like to complete the activities with your students over the course of that week, you can! Or, you can “save” all of the lessons and implement them another week if it doesn’t work right away for your schedule.

    Lessons, activities, explanations, and support… did I mention FREE? What are you waiting for? Click on your grade level!

     

    Or maybe you’d like to have it all done for you… looking for ready-made mentor text lessons for the week?

    Join the club!

    No really… there’s a club! Click below to see the options!

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    Mentor Sentence Mentor Text
    by Jessica Ivey 

    About Jessica Ivey

    View all posts by 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

    • 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)
    • Mentor Sentences Routine: Break It Down (Time to Imitate)

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    Ideas By Jivey

    1 day ago

    Ideas By Jivey
    When do YOU teach grammar? 🤓📓If you're using the mentor sentence routine, I suggest beginning your writing time with it! You want grammar and language to be directly connected to their writing.This also helps get students into a writing frame of mind, and often gives them a purpose for writing that day! ✏️Read more about the mentor sentences routine here: www.ideasbyjivey.com/routine ... See MoreSee Less

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    Ideas By Jivey

    2 days ago

    Ideas By Jivey
    📚 Boost your students' reading and writing skills by integrating mentor texts all year long! Check out this post for tips on how to use mentor texts to enhance your lesson plans and engage your students, plus grab a freebie for one of my favorite books! ... See MoreSee Less

    Why I Love Using Mentor Texts All Year (And You Should, Too!)

    www.ideasbyjivey.com

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

    4 days ago

    Ideas By Jivey
    🔍Research has proven that vocabulary words must be presented in context for proper comprehension.📖That means... throw out the word lists for kids to look up in a dictionary and memorize the definition!!!📚Picture books are vital – yes, even in the upper grades – to allow students to use the images to help with context and infer the meaning of words. One way to present vocabulary words effectively is to teach through texts you are already using for other lessons!😍You can find over 150 weeks' worth of contextual vocabulary activities just like these in the All-Access Mentor Text Membership: members.ideasbyjivey.com/all-access ... See MoreSee Less

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    When do YOU teach grammar? 🤓 📓If you're usi When do YOU teach grammar? 🤓

📓If you're using the #mentorsentences routine, I suggest beginning your writing time with it! You want grammar and language to be directly connected to their writing.

This also helps get students into a writing frame of mind, and often gives them a purpose for writing that day! ✏️

Read more about the mentor sentences routine at the link in my profile!

#ideasbyjivey #mentortexts #teacherspayteachers #upperelementary #grammarteacher

https://www.ideasbyjivey.com/routine
    🔍Research has proven that #vocabulary words mus 🔍Research has proven that #vocabulary words must be presented in context for proper comprehension.

📖That means... throw out the word lists for kids to look up in a dictionary and memorize the definition!!!

📚Picture books are vital – yes, even in the upper grades – to allow students to use the images to help with context and infer the meaning of words. One way to present vocabulary words effectively is to teach through texts you are already using for other lessons!

😍You can find over 150 weeks' worth of contextual vocabulary activities just like these in the All-Access Mentor Text Membership- link in profile!!

#ideasbyjivey #upperelementary #mentortexts #teachingvocabulary #teachersfollowteachers #iteach345 

https://members.ideasbyjivey.com/all-access
    🍀What book are you reading this week for St. Pa 🍀What book are you reading this week for St. Patrick's Day?

Fiona's Luck by Teresa Bateman is a fun one!

Need some last-minute activities?

You can find an entire unit for this #mentortext in Ideas by Jivey's All-Access Mentor Text Membership, as well as on TPT (link in profile)!

#stpatricksdayintheclassroom #ideasbyjivey
#mentorsentences #upperelementary
#teachersfollowteachers #teacherspayteachers
#iteach345

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Fionas-Luck-St-Patricks-Day-Mentor-Text-Digital-Print-Leprechaun-Book-Unit-7821146
    I LOVE reading #fabulousfeedback from you all! 🤩 This one makes me especially happy because I know committing to a new routine like mentor sentences is a mindset shift, but I always hear such positive results once teachers do! ❤

Check out #mentorsentences on my website or my TPT store! www.ideasbyjivey.com

#ideasbyjivey #iteach #iteachtoo #mentortexts #grammarteacher #elementaryela #teacherspayteachers #teachersfollowteachers
    🍀🌈💰For today's #mentortextmonday, let's g 🍀🌈💰For today's #mentortextmonday, let's get excited for St. Patrick's Day this week! 

I have the perfect #picturebook: 🍀Fiona's Luck by Teresa Bateman. It's an original folktale with a little girl power mixed in!

Get the resource I've created for it and you'll have: 
🍀a mentor sentence lesson for the book

🍀an interactive notebook activity to review/teach figurative and literal language

🍀six reading ideas suggested with three activities provided: citing evidence, character analysis, and defining using context clues

🍀one writing idea suggested with a writing prompt given

🍀contextual vocabulary activities

🍀science integration - design a leprechaun trap with simple machines

You can find this unit in Ideas by Jivey's All-Access Mentor Text Membership, as well as on TPT (link in profile)! 

#stpatricksdayintheclassroom #ideasbyjivey #mentortext #mentorsentences #upperelementary #teachersfollowteachers #teacherspayteachers #iteach345

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Fionas-Luck-St-Patricks-Day-Mentor-Text-Digital-Print-Leprechaun-Book-Unit-7821146
    🤔 So what's so special about using #mentorsente 🤔 So what's so special about using #mentorsentences instead of lectures and worksheets?

💡Engagement in the daily class discussions around language is what will give many students a “lightbulb moment” and help those skills transfer to writing. 

Holding these high-level conversations are when the students are going to learn the MOST. 🥳

Read more at the link in my profile! 

#ideasbyjivey #teachersfollowteachers #iteach345 #mentortexts #upperelementaryteacher #grammarteacher 

https://www.ideasbyjivey.com/routine
    🍀Looking for the perfect book to use for St. Pa 🍀Looking for the perfect book to use for St. Patrick's Day?

I have the one! 🍀Fiona's Luck by Teresa Bateman is an original folktale with some girl power mixed in, too!

With the resource I've created, you'll get contextual vocabulary activities PLUS a mentor sentence lesson, reading activities, a writing prompt, and a stem tie-in!

You can find this unit in Ideas by Jivey's All-Access
Mentor Text Membership, as well as on TPT (link in
profile)!

#stpatricksdayintheclassroom #ideasbyjivey
#mentortext #mentorsentences #upperelementary
#teachersfollowteachers #teacherspayteachers
#iteach345

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Fionas-
Luck-St-Patricks-Day-Mentor-Text-Digital-Print-Leprech
aun-Book-Unit-7821146
    🌈What book are you using for St. Patrick's Day? 🌈What book are you using for St. Patrick's Day?

🍀Fiona's Luck by Teresa Bateman is a great one full of figurative language!

Get this mentor sentence, plus reading, writing, vocabulary, and STEM tie-in at the link in my profile! 

You can also find this unit in Ideas by Jivey's All-Access Mentor Text Membership! 

#stpatricksdayintheclassroom #ideasbyjivey #mentortext #mentorsentences #upperelementary #teachersfollowteachers #teacherspayteachers #iteach345 

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Fionas-Luck-St-Patricks-Day-Mentor-Text-Digital-Print-Leprechaun-Book-Unit-7821146
    ✨ Come take the free #mentorsentences training! ✨ Come take the free #mentorsentences training! ✨ 
For K-2 and 3-5! Link in profile! 

members.ideasbyjivey.com/crash-course-registration-page
#ideasbyjivey #iteachtoo #teachersofinstagram #teachersfollowteachers
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