Louisiana Department of Education
Louisiana Doe: Louisiana Believes: Ela Guidebooks: Modeling (Mentor Texts)
This strategy helps students understand an author's craft, refine their writing about texts, and improve their language skills, including using standard English grammar, usage, conventions, and vocabulary in writing.
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: The Author Study Toolkit
Explains the benefits of doing an author study and how to do one with a class. Includes lists of resources and ideas for culminating projects.
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Writing to Your Favorite Author
In this lesson, the book Dear Mr. Henshaw, written by Beverly Cleary, is used as a mentor text. Each student will generate a list of questions for his/her favorite author. Then each student will write a letter to the favorite author and...
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: The Visiting Relatives Prompt
This review discusses Ralph Fletcher's book entitled Marshfield Dreams and Cynthia Rylant's book called The Relatives Came. The author suggests that these books be used as mentor texts. In the suggested activity, students will engage in...
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Serendipitous Crazy Illustrations
In this lesson, Flotsam, written by David Wiesner, is used as a mentor text. Students will analyze the author's use of crazy illustrations and word choices. Students will then use a game on this web site where they will click to discover...
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Writing a Roundabout Story
In this lesson plan, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, by Laura Numeroff, is used as a mentor text to highlight the trait of organization. The content focus of the instructional activity is to highlight that authors' story structures can be...
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Summarizing Mathematical Learning With the Important Book
In this lesson, The Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown is used as a mentor text. Students will create an illustrated paragraph about a particular math topic. Students will use the mentor text and attempt to adapt the author's style to...
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Some Animals Don't Do That!
In this lesson plan, Dogs Don't Wear Sneakers by Laura Numeroff, is used as a mentor text for to highlight the trait of idea development. The content focus of the lesson plan is to highlight what topics cannot do. Students generate a...