Today’s Mentor Text Wednesday post comes from Amy Estersohn, a middle school English teacher in New York. She blogs over at teachingtransition.wordpress.com and tweets @HMX_MSE.
Mentor Text: “We don’t make princesses in those colours” by Nicola Yoon in The Guardian
Writing Techniques:
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Structure
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Craft
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Genre mixing
Background:
The Guardian is one of my favorite online magazines for its English take on the world and, of all things, for its sports analysis pieces. Nicola Yoon is a well-known author in my classroom, and I enjoy collecting stories of race-based microaggressions, like the story here, to share with students for reflection.
I haven’t used this one in a classroom yet, but if I do tie it into a unit on fairness, I want to make sure I let the piece breathe before I dive into a mini lesson.
How We Might Use This Text:
Structure – Nicola Yoon sets her piece by establishing her character as a protective mother first. It’s an unusual choice, as most writers might want to start off by describing the birthday party or even with the announcement that she’s the first black female to hit #1 on the New York Times Young Adult list. Why does she make that choice? Why does the “story” only start halfway through the piece? What would your piece look like if you established and described the characters first?
Craft – I used Yoon’s last sentence and did some sentence mimicking in my own notebook:
Here’s another thing I know: It’s 2017 and teens shouldn’t cyberbully each other. It’s time everybody knew that. It’s past time.
Here’s another thing I know: It’s 2017 and racism is wrong. It’s time everybody knew that. It’s past time.
Here’s another thing I know: It’s 2017 and global warming is a major issue. It’s time everybody knew that. It’s past time.
Here’s another thing I know: It’s 2017 and there are no such things as girl books or guy books. It’s time everybody knew that. It’s past time.
By using Yoon’s words I was able to think about the how she uses repetition to make her voice stronger, and her tone balances between a gently admonishing “c’mon you guys” and an outraged “I can’t believe this still happens.” The “it’s 2017” gives the call to action a sense of urgency because we’re all writing in the here and now.
Genre mixing – Is this piece memoir? A call to action? Both? Neither? I’d say it uses the techniques of a memoir to serve as a persuasive piece to agitate and inform a mostly white readership about the realities of living as a Person of Color. Another writer might say it’s a memoir with flecks of a call for justice, because there’s a focus on Yoon’s personal growth. Whatever we decide to call it or not call it, it’s a good example of how pieces in the real world don’t always neatly conform to elements of a single genre.
moving writers 