Do students look at you with blank stares when you ask them to complete a task in your ELA class? Mentor texts are not just a read aloud in class anymore. Both teacher and students can return to mentor text and reread them for many different purposes. A mentor text is a published piece of writing whose idea, whose structure, or whose written craft can be used to inspire students to write. They help students take risks and become better writers. These quality books can become the basis of your ELA, reading, grammar, and writing mini-lessons that help to erase the glaze and bring on the praise. This session will help teachers develop effective strategies for teaching literacy skills using modeling and text-based evidence from mentor texts.
