The Power of Mentor Texts
North Carolina Department of Public Instruction
ELA Section
Nobody but a reader ever
became a writer.
- Richard Peck
What are Mentor Texts?
 A mentor text is any piece of writing that can
be used to teach a writer about some aspect
of writer’s craft.
 The best mentor texts are those that can be
used numerous times throughout the school
year to demonstrate many different
characteristics of a text. (ideas, structure,
written craft)
“The simple rhythm of copying
someone else’s words gets us into
the rhythm of writing, then
you begin to feel your own
words.”
-William Forrester, Finding Forrester
Ways to use mentor texts:
Idea: the text inspires the writer to create an original idea
based on one from the text.
Structure: the text presents on organizational structure
that the writer tries to emulate using original ideas.
Written Craft: the author’s writing style, ways with
words, or sentence structure inspires the writer to try out these
techniques.
Steal Like an Artist
“Nobody is born with a style or a voice. We don’t
come out of the womb knowing who we are. In the
beginning, we learn by pretending to be our heroes.
We learn by copying.
We’re talking about practice here, not plagiarism –
plagiarism is trying to pass someone else’s work
off as your own. Copying is about reverseengineering. It’s like a mechanic taking apart a car
to see how it works.”
-Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon
Steps to Using Mentor Texts
Select a text to emulate and reread – one that
inspires an idea, models a structure, or
demonstrates an author’s craft worth trying.
 Read it (Read like a reader)
 Analyze it (Read like a writer)
 Emulate it (Write like the writer)
- adapted from Kelly Gallagher
Read Like a Writer
What does it mean?
• Read to identify the
choices the author
made so you can better
understand how these
choices might arise in
your own writing.
• Reading to learn about
writing
When you read like a writer you
notice:
 Word choice
 Sentence structure
 Organization
 And……
What questions would you ask as a
writer?
When you read like a writer:
When
you
read
like
aawriter:
When
you
read
like
writer:
Annotate and Read Closely
Annotate
Annotateand
andRead
ReadClosely
Closely
• • Read
Readwith
withaapen
penororhighlighter
highlighterinin
hand
hand with a pen or highlighter in
• Read
hand comments in the margins
• • Make
Make comments in the margins
Makeyourself
comments
in the
margins
• •• Write
notes
and
Write yourself notes andsummaries
summaries
Writefor
yourself
notes and summaries
• •• Look
patterns
Look for patterns
• Look for patterns
Underline and
highlight the passage
in the text itself and
ask yourself:
 What is the
technique the
author is using
here?
 Is this technique
effective?
 What would be the
advantages and
disadvantages if I
tried this same
technique in my
own writing?
Structure Example using
a mentor text:
Walk Around in the Author’s Syntax
From The Whales’ Song by Dyan Sheldon:
There, enormous in the ocean, were the whales.
They leapt and jumped and spun across the moon.
Example:
There, tiny in the nest, were the baby robins. They
screeched and squirmed and opened their beaks
wide for their dinner.
Try it out:
Choosing a Mentor Text
• Quality vs. Quantity
• No longer a mile wide and an inch deep
• Having the end in mind
• You have to love it
• Worthy of rereading!
Questions to Consider…
1. Does the book provide examples of the
kind of writing you want from your
students?
2. Can it be revisited multiple times for a
number of purposes?
3. Do you have a variety of genres do they
address diversity?
What Now?
• Look through your favorite texts.
• Separate them out as idea, craft or structure
mentor texts.
• Make sure you have mentor texts that cover all
three categories.
• Begin creating and exploring lessons using
mentor texts.
Mentor Text Resources
•
Creating Successful Writers with Mentor Texts
http://www.reading.org/downloads/53rd_conv_handouts/mentor_texts_cappelli_dorfman.p
df
•
Mentor Text for the Traits of Writing http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/mentortexts-traits-writing
•
Teacher 2 Teacher – What are mentor texts?
http://www.teacher2teacherhelp.com/writing-strategies/what-are-mentor-texts/
•
How to Use Mentor Text to Teach Writing http://www.ehow.com/how_8216119_usementor-texts-teach-writing.html
•
Teach Mentor Texts http://www.teachmentortexts.com
•
Corbitt Harrison
http://corbettharrison.com/documents/7Elements/7Elements_Mentor_Texts_WritingFix.pdf
•
Teaching with Mentor Texts http://pinterest.com/nwilli/teaching-with-mentor-text/
Contact Information:
Julie Joslin, Ed.D.
Section Chief
English Language Arts
919-807-3935
Julie.Joslin@dpi.nc.gov
Anna Lea Frost, M.Ed.
6-8 English Language Arts
Consultant
919-807-3952
Anna.Frost@dpi.nc.gov
Lisa McIntosh, MSA
K-5 English Language Arts
Consultant
919-807-3895
Lisa.Llewellyn@dpi.nc.gov
Kristi Day, M.Ed.
K-5 English Language Arts
919-807-3928
Kristi.Day@dpi.nc.gov
Angie Stephenson
9-12 English Language Arts
919-807-3833
Angela.Stephenson@dpi.nc.gov