Transcript Tools for Teaching: Selecting Authentic Mentor Texts

Tools for Teaching: Selecting
Authentic Mentor Texts
Tasha A. Thomas
SWP Summer Institute 2010
My Journey, My Experience…
• From Textbooks…
• To Text Sets...
• To Authentic, Real World Mentor Texts!
• My most recent AHA moment:
“I proclaim that governments shall not
proclaim a darn thing” by Lane Filler
June 3, 2010
I read like a teacher of writing
even when I’m reading the
morning paper, and I see rich
text possibilities all around me.
-Katie Wood Ray
Study Driven, 64
Your Experience…
• Which real world publications, genres,
media outlets do you read on a
regular basis?
• Circle the reading that might, in some
way, be used in the classroom.
What is a Mentor Text?
• A mentor text is a published piece of
writing whose idea, whose structure,
or whose written craft can be used to
inspire a student to write something
original.
-Northern Nevada Writing Project
• Turn to a partner and name at least
one mentor text you already use.
The Essential Question…
• Why should we use authentic, realworld, relevant mentor texts?
Have a Little Faith -Mitch Albom, 2009
According to
Lynne Dorfman and Rose Cappelli:
• Mentor texts are pieces of literature that you
can return to and reread for many different
purposes.
• Mentor texts are to be studied and then
imitated.
• Mentor texts help students make powerful
connections to their own lives.
• Mentor texts help students take risks and try out
new strategies.
• Mentor texts should be books that students can
relate to and can read independently or with
some support.
-International Reading Association,
Annual Convention
Atlanta, GA, May 7, 2008
Where do we find Mentor Texts?
• Newspapers: USA Today, Herald Journal, etc.
• Magazines: Ranger Rick, Time, Newsweek, New
Moon
• Picture Books: see Study Driven section 3
• Collections
• Excerpts
• The Internet
-Study Driven, Chapter 5
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Student Writing***
Photos
Music
Television
Advertisements
Selecting Appropriate Texts
• Length: the length you want students to
write
• Genre: to show a variety of approaches
that fit a clear definition of that genre
• Topic: high interest; topics students
might use in their own writing
• Attention to Craft: punctuation, word
choice, phrasing, structure, etc.
- Isoke Nia and Katie Wood Ray, NCTE 2008
Appropriate Texts (cont)
• Reality Check: texts published for
public consumption
• Relevance: what is currently
happening in the world
• Authors: a variety to represent a
range of cultures (except in the case
of author studies)
• Resources: examine book lists closely
and be sure examples fit your
objectives
- Isoke Nia and Katie Wood Ray, NCTE 2008
More Criteria…
• Mentor texts provide the models that will help
students grow as writers.
• They stimulate creativity and create interest.
• They are rich in beautiful illustrations that add
another layer to the text.
• They can be used to connect reading strategies to
author’s craft.
• They contain multiple life lessons.
• They are culturally diverse.
• They demonstrate the importance of choosing
words wisely.
• They are short enough to be shared entirely in one
reading.
- Dorfman and Cappelli, 2008
Organizing the Myriad of Models
• Store electronic versions in folders on your hard
drive for easy, portable access
• Store hard copies in:
– Binders
– Hanging files
– Milk crates or storage bins
• Create author study and Text Set baskets
• Keep a folder of clippings, photos, ads
Questions to ask of Mentor Texts
• What kind of writing is this?
• What work does this kind of writing do in the
real world?
• What do people have to do to get ready to write
this kind of thing?
• What are the different approaches to this kind
of writing?
• How long, generally, is this kind of writing?
Try to Notice…
• Which parts are particularly good? What’s happening with
the writing in these parts?
• How is the piece organized? What are the “chunks” of it?
How does it move from one chunk to the next? Does it
move through time or through a list of ideas?
• Look closely at the lead and the ending—how does the
writing manage these two critical chunks of the piece?
• How has the writer focused the piece? What has been
left out?
• What different modes of writing operate in the piece?
• Is there any interesting punctuation?
• Any insights about how page-breaks or paragraph-break
decisions were made?
• How do graphics, illustrations, layout, font, etc. add to the
meaning and appeal of the piece?
• How does the title of the piece relate to the meaning?
The Challenge
• Each table will “draw” a genre or concept from
the cup.
• You will discuss the following with respect to
gathering texts for teaching:
– What are we planning to teach?
– What kinds of real-world texts might
make up our text set?
– Who are some possible authors whose
work illustrates this
concept/genre/theme/craft?
• Feel free to use the Internet or any other
sources as you brainstorm.
The good news is the world is full
of fabulous writing that is easily
accessible to us as teachers of
writing.
-Katie Wood Ray
Study Driven, 105
Resources
• Cappelli, Rose and Lynne Dorfman. “Creating
Successful Writers with Mentor Texts.” IRA Conference,
Atlanta, GA. May 7, 2008. Web.
http://www.reading.org/downloads/53rd_conv_handouts/
mentor_texts_cappelli_dorfman.pdf. June 3, 2010.
• Northern Nevada Writing Project. “Mentor Texts: Picture
Book-Inspired Writing Lessons...A WritingFix Workshop
for Teachers” Web.
http://www.writingfix.com/picture_book_prompts.htm
June 3, 2010.
• Nia, IsokeTitilayo and Katie Wood Ray. “Selecting Texts
for Study in the Writing Workshop.” NCTE Conference,
San Antonio, TX. November 2008.
• Ray, Katie Wood. Study Driven. Heinemann, 2006.