Loose parts are easier to examine, replicate, and experiment with. How do we break a mentor text down?
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The Syntax of Things: Lesson Ideas for Syntax Study
Mentor Texts: First few paragraphs of “The Tell Tale Heart” by Edgar Allen Poe Various photographs of your choice “After I Was Thrown Into the River and Before I Drown” by Dave Eggers Big Idea: Writers use syntax purposefully to create meaning and a desired effect. What’s ahead in this post: A 3-day lesson series […]
Mentor Text Wednesday: Can You Tell Me How To Write About A Show?
Mentor Text: ‘Sesame Street’ Isn’t Just The Best Kids’ Show Ever, it’s Also Genuinely Funny and Clever by Nathan Rabin (pdf / via SplitSider) Writing Techniques: Writing pop culture criticism Structuring a critical piece Utilizing tone and voice Incorporating media into a digital text Background: This will mark Nathan Rabin’s second appearance in this column […]
Reader Mail: How do you balance writing and reading instruction?
“Would you rather teach only writing or only reading?” The question my husband asked me during a marathon session of Would You Rather (we were driving from Virginia to Maine). “Writing. Hands down.” From the time I was a little girl, I’ve kept diaries, written letters to friends near and far, submitted poems to contests. […]
Scores – A Sounding Board for Inspiration
In the madness of prepping to present at our provincial PD day, I almost forgot to write something this week. Luckily, one of my presentations is about using the things you really like in the classroom, specifically pop culture. Reading my contributions to Moving Writers, that’s not a surprise at all. This summer, like many […]
Mentor Text Wednesday: Rewriting the Word Wall
Today’s guest post comes from Amy Heusterberg-Richards, a tenth-year ELA teacher at Bay Port High School in the Howard-Suamico School District, located just north of Green Bay, Wisconsin. Amy currently teaches Writing 10 and IB English Literature HL Year Two. Connect with her on Twitter at @LAwithMrsHR. Mentor Texts: “Toolbox” pages 111-118 from On Writing by Stephen […]
Mentor Text Wednesday: The First Line
Mentor Texts: Collections of great first lines from literature from Gawker , The American Book Review, A YA list from The Huffington Post, funny ones via ShortList, and can one list lists with out including a BuzzFeed list these days? Writing Techniques Writing Exposition Establishing Tone Reflecting Upon Writing Background My Grade 11 class and […]
Vulture’s “Close Reads” and Key Passage Analysis: Perfecting On-Demand Literary Analysis with Mentor Text Study
“I just don’t have enough time to say what I want to say!” “If I had more time, I would be better.” “I had all of these ideas planned, but I could only write about one of them.” “I just don’t think I work well under timed conditions.” Eleventh-graders’ laments fill my IB English classroom […]
Infusing Writing Lessons with Mentor Texts
We spend a lot of time touting the benefits of mentor texts for students for obvious reasons! Mentor texts — professional pieces of writing that are current and relevant to this year’s students — can guide and inspire their writing in ways that we alone can’t. Additionally mentor texts: connect our writers to their passions […]
Title Talk
In June, I had an epiphany of sorts. I started really thinking about titles. Some background first. In the province I teach in, Manitoba, our Grade 12s write a provincial assessment. It’s the closest thing we have to high stakes testing, and although I do have some concerns about it, I actually quite like the […]
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