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

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    Using Mentor Texts in the Classroom: Maximize Your Time!

    August 10, 2014

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    I LOVE a good piece of literature, don’t you?? And I REALLY wish that I could just read all day long, but I can’t… because there just isn’t enough time! (Can I get an AMEN?) So instead, I maximize my time with my favorite texts by using them several times for several subjects!

    I’ll start with reading since that’s usually where we think of using a good book. We do not use a basal reader at my school. I know there are many of you out there that love your basal, but for me, it doesn’t fit in with how I like to teach. There are definitely some good stories in the basal, and I see some benefits in all of the students having the same text in front of them… but I want my students diving into texts that are on their level to become better readers. This is why I use guided reading – to teach my students skills on their level. I have small sets of different leveled books in my classroom, and my school also has a fabulous book room of sets for small groups!

    Of course, that does NOT mean I don’t ever teach whole group. This is where mentor texts come in. I use a Reading Workshop Model in my classroom (read more about that here). I start with a mini-lesson that teaches them how to demonstrate one of our common core standards; during my mini-lesson, I get to use those fabulous books that I love. At some point in my day (usually on Monday because I like to use a book for an entire week), I read the mentor text to my students. Since this is the first time they are hearing the book, I generally read it just for the purpose of entertainment. Then, when it’s time for my reading mini-lesson, I refer back to the book- sometimes just reading a few pages of it to focus on a skill. This helps to keep my mini-lesson “mini.” I often use a graphic organizer to help guide their thinking. It also allows for an “I Do, We Do, You Do” lesson- I can 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 to show their thinking!

    Now, reading is over…but I’m not done using that text! That author got published for a reason, you know… usually because they show awesome craft and skill in their writing! Don’t you want students to notice that as they read? I know I do! I use my mentor texts for grammar and writing through the use of mentor sentences. Haven’t heard of mentor sentences? Read more about them here! I want my students to recognize what good writers do, and then incorporate those skills into their own writing. For 10-15 minutes each day at the start of writing time, we look at a mentor sentence that was taken from the mentor text we are reading that week. We notice all the wonderful things about it, we figure out patterns in parts of speech, we revise the sentence, and we imitate the author in our writing- all over the course of the week. I also like to use the theme of the mentor text for an on-demand writing prompt. (If we read Enemy Pie, for example, which is all about being a good friend and making friends, I might give them a writing prompt that week that asks them to describe ways they are a good friend.)

    Writing is over……… but I’m usually STILL not done with the text! I love finding books that I can also incorporate in with science and social studies! There are so many great historical and science fiction texts out there. Now I can use that SAME mentor text to pull out information that the students need to know during science and social studies time, too! You can find a great example of this in a freebie I have listed on TPT:

    Better than Basal Free Unit with Ideas by Jivey

    This freebie uses the mentor text, The Wretched Stone by Chris Van Allsburg. There are so many fabulous skills that can be taught with this book in reading and writing, and it also lends itself well to exploration in social studies! (This freebie does not include the mentor sentence lessons for the book- it does include the reading lessons and the writing prompt.)

    If you like the freebie and want more, I have also created a pack of FORTY of my favorite mentor texts to use in the classroom with over 100 graphic organizers WITH answer keys!

    Favorite Mentor Texts with Answer Keys Freebie with Ideas by Jivey

    There is ALSO a nonfiction companion mini-set!

    Freebie Complete No Prep Mini Unit Lessons Using Mentor Texts with Ideas by Jivey

    These forty texts are all of the same texts for which I have created mentor sentence units, too!

    Mentor Sentence Units for Froty Texts with Ideas by Jivey

    And…if you’re like me and want more bang for your buck, you can pick up ALL of the mentor sentence units, interactive language arts notebook activities, and the Better Than Basal 40 book unit in the BIGGEST & BEST Mentor Sentence Unit Bundle, which will save you $20!

    I hope this helps you “see” how to incorporate mentor texts into your classroom! For more ideas on using great books across the curriculum, check out my friends’ blog, Amanda and Stacia at Collaboration Cuties!

    They have a Must Read Mentor Text Linky and a tab of all the past link-ups so you can get even more ideas of how to use the same book in many areas!

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    Mentor Sentence Mentor Text Reading Writing
    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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    Recent Posts

    • Teaching Grammar that Supports the Science of Reading
    • Teaching Text Structure With Picture Books
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    • Mentor Sentences Routine: Break It Down (Assessment)
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    Ideas By Jivey

    18 hours ago

    Ideas By Jivey
    💩I've got a brand new mentor sentence mini-unit coming your way, and it's a gas! Whether your students love dinosaurs, or you've been looking for the perfect book to use for Easter, there's something here for everyone!Your students will have a rootin'-tootin' time, and I can guarantee they won't forget these grammar skills!💨💨💨💨Oh, alright... APRIL FOOLS! 🤣🤩But if you really ARE looking for some engaging mentor sentence lessons, definitely check out the All-Access Membership! (No fart books included, but still just as fun!) members.ideasbyjivey.com/all-access ... See MoreSee Less

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    Ideas By Jivey

    1 day ago

    Ideas By Jivey
    🦑🐙🦕🐟🦈Whether you want to assign them as digital assignments or print, these paired texts are sure to keep students excited to practice rigorous reading standards!This set contains two pairs of informational passages and one fiction/nonfiction pair (six total passages) about mysteries of the deep.⭐️ Loch Ness and Megalodon⭐️ giant squid, and lion's mane jellyfish and anglerfish⭐️ mermaids: informational passage and also an excerpt from The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian AndersenGet them for grades 2/3 or grades 4-6 here: www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Ideas-By-Jivey/Search:mysteries+of+the+deep ... See MoreSee Less

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    Ideas By Jivey

    2 days ago

    Ideas By Jivey
    🤓Using mentor texts as part of vocabulary instruction is a proven best-practice!🤩Multiple exposures to the words in context and their meanings, indirectly as well as intentionally, will help students truly understand how to use the new vocabulary.👂Hearing the word in a mentor text and then talking about it isn’t enough for students to truly “learn” the word. Students must see, hear, and use the new words in many ways in order to really understand it. 🥰All of the 150+ vocabulary units provided in the All-Access Membership do just that! Each week, there is a variety of ways students can apply and analyze the words from the mentor text, so they don't get bored doing the same activities either. 😎Check out the membership here: members.ideasbyjivey.com/all-access ... See MoreSee Less

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    💩I've got a brand new mentor sentence mini-unit 💩I've got a brand new mentor sentence mini-unit coming your way, and it's a gas! Whether your students love dinosaurs, or you've been looking for the perfect book to use for Easter, there's something here for everyone!

Your students will have a rootin'-tootin' time, and I can guarantee they won't forget these grammar skills!

💨
💨
💨
💨

Oh, alright... 
APRIL FOOLS! 🤣

🤩But if you really ARE looking for some engaging mentor sentence lessons, definitely check out the All-Access Membership at the link in my profile! (No fart books included, but still just as fun!) https://members.ideasbyjivey.com/all-access

#ideasbyjivey #mentorsentences #aprilfoolsday #teachersfollowteachers #teacherspayteachers #iteach345 #upperelementary
    🦑🐙🦕🐟🦈Whether you want to assign the 🦑🐙🦕🐟🦈Whether you want to assign them as digital assignments or print, these paired texts are sure to keep students excited to practice rigorous reading standards!

This set contains two pairs of informational passages and one fiction/nonfiction pair (six total passages) about mysteries of the deep.

⭐️ Loch Ness and Megalodon

⭐️ giant squid, and lion's mane jellyfish and anglerfish

⭐️ mermaids: informational passage and also an excerpt from The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen

There are seven multiple-choice questions (each question assessing a different standard) and one constructed response/essay question PER PAIR.

Get them for grades 2/3 or grades 4-6 at the link in my profile! 

#ideasbyjivey #teacherspayteachers #pairedtexts #pairedpassages #upperelementary #iteach2nd #iteach3rd #iteach4th #iteach5th #iteach6th 

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Ideas-By-Jivey/Search:mysteries+of+the+deep
    🤓Using #mentortexts as part of vocabulary instr 🤓Using #mentortexts as part of vocabulary instruction is a proven best-practice!

🤩Multiple exposures to the words in context and their meanings, indirectly as well as intentionally, will help students truly understand how to use the new #vocabulary.

👂Hearing the word in a mentor text and then talking about it isn’t enough for students to truly “learn” the word. Students must see, hear, and use the new words in many ways in order to really understand it. 

🥰All of the 150+ vocabulary units provided in the All-Access Membership do just that! Each week, there is a variety of ways students can apply and analyze the words from the mentor text, so they don't get bored doing the same activities either. 

😎Check out the membership at the link in my profile!

#ideasbyjivey #teachersfollowteachers #vocabularyteacher #teachingvocabulary #iteachtoo #upperelementary #teachermemberships https://members.ideasbyjivey.com/all-access
    😍More and more teachers are discovering each da 😍More and more teachers are discovering each day that teaching with mentor sentences is the perfect way to teach grammar and author’s craft! 

📚Students will improve their writing and grammar understanding as they learn from the amazing authors of your favorite books.

👉Check out #mentorsentences for your grade level by clicking on the categories along the left side of my TPT store (link in profile)!

#fabulousfeedback #ideasbyjivey #teacherspayteachers #mentorsentence #iteachtoo #picturebooks #iteachtoo https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Ideas-By-Jivey
    Surprise! 🥳 TPT is having an early spring sale Surprise! 🥳

TPT is having an early spring sale! 🌷🌸

If you've been saving a big bundle on your wishlist, now is the time to add it to your cart! 🛒

👩‍🏫Everything in my store is 20% off, even already-deep-discounted bundles, then use code FORYOU23 to get the extra 5% off at checkout!

Happy shopping! 😍 https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Ideas-By-Jivey

#teacherspayteachers #ideasbyjivey #teacherspayteacherssale #iteach #iteachtoo #mentortexts #mentorsentences #ELAteacher
    😍 For today's #mentortextmonday, let's look at 😍 For today's #mentortextmonday, let's look at a book you should use this week to celebrate #nationalcrayonday on Friday! 

🖍 The Crayon Man: The True Story of the Invention of Crayola Crayons by Natascha Biebow is a fabulous picture book to read when teaching text structure. 

🔎 It is not only a fantastic example of a narrative biography, but contains the elusive problem/solution text structure! (This one is always hard to find good examples of in picture books.) 

Get a weeklong #mentortext unit to use with the book in my TPT store, or at the link in my profile! https://www.ideasbyjivey.com/product/the-crayon-man-mentor-text-unit-for-grades-3-5/

#ideasbyjivey #upperelementary #picturebooks #iteachtoo #teacherspayteachers #teachersfollowteachers #iteach345 #iteach3rd #iteach4th #iteach5th
    🤷‍♀️Why do I recommend students complete 🤷‍♀️Why do I recommend students complete their #mentorsentences work in a notebook?🤷‍♂️

📓It becomes a perfect “living resource” to use during writing time! It will contain a collection of amazing sentences, skill practice, and sentence structure practice that they can apply to their own writing.

Read more about the way my students set up notebooks at the link in my profile!

#ideasbyjivey #teacherspayteachers #iteach345 #iteachtoo #mentortexts 

https://www.ideasbyjivey.com/mentor-sentence-notebooks/
    🤓Teachers are aware that understanding vocabula 🤓Teachers are aware that understanding vocabulary is crucial to reading comprehension, but we want students to do more than just “know it when they read it.” 

💬✍️We hope our students can adopt these words into their repertoire and improve their writing and speaking vocabulary as well.

🥰With over 150 mentor text units with contextual vocabulary lessons included in the All-Access Membership, you'll have everything you need to help students do just that! (Link in profile.)

#ideasbyjivey #mentortexts #teachermemberships #upperelementary #iteach345 #vocabularyteaching #teachvocabulary 

https://members.ideasbyjivey.com/all-access
    🤩Just ONE reason that I never looked back once 🤩Just ONE reason that I never looked back once I started the mentor sentence routine in my classroom:

My students were having these super deep conversations and even DEBATES about grammar and language. I’d never heard students be able to explain the functions of words so well before, or analyzing craft like actual authors! 🤯

👀Read more in the post at the link in my profile!

#ideasbyjivey #teachersfollowteachers #mentorsentences #iteach345
https://www.ideasbyjivey.com/5-reasons-mentor-sentences
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