A demonstration lesson presented at the 2014 Write for Texas Summer Institute. It provides a snapshot of a four to five week unit that engages students in the reading and writing workshop model.

In this lesson, Brooke Bessesen's picture book, Look Who Lives in the Desert!: Bouncing and Pouncing, Hiding and Gliding, Sleeping and Creeping, is used as the mentor text for its use of adverbial phrases. After several exposures to the...

In this lesson, Eileen Christelow's picture book, Five Little Monkeys Go Shopping, is used as the mentor text for its use of adverbial phrases. After several exposures to the mentor text, students will use click the buttons with the...

In this lesson, Hooway for Wodney Watby, written by Helen Lester, is used as the mentor text for its use of adverbial phrases. After several exposures to the mentor text, learners will use click the buttons with the words "Who", "What",...

In this lesson, Hoops, written by Robert Burleigh, is used as the mentor text for its use of adverbial phrases. After several exposures to the mentor text, students will use click the buttons with the words "Who", "What", "When", and...

In this instructional activity, Dr. Seuss' book, If I Ran the Zoo, is used as the mentor text for its use of adverbial phrases. After reading the mentor text, students will use click the buttons with the words "Who", "What", "When", and...

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 is to highlight what topics cannot do. Students generate a list of...

In this lesson plan, The Colorful Desert, written by Audrey Wood, is used as a mentor text for sentence fluency. The content focus of the lesson is about how sentences build through a "building on" book. Students will use sentence frames...

In this lesson plan, the book If You Give a Moose a Muffin, written by Laura Numeroff, is used as a mentor text for word choice. The content focus of the lesson is to teach the young scholars to take ownership of scientific and...

In this lesson plan, Spring: An Alphabet Acrostic by Steven Schnur Mentor, Silver Seeds by Paul Paolilli, and Henry & The Kite Dragon by Bruce Edward Hall are used as mentor texts. Students will practice their acrostic skills on the...

In this lesson plan, The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything, by Linda Williams, is used as a mentor text to highlight the trait of word choice. Onamatopoeia is the focus content for this lesson. After the reading of the text,...

In this lesson plan students use the format and structure of a mentor text such as A. Lincoln and Me by Louise Borden to write an interesting biography about a historical figure with an emphasis on idea development, voice, and writing...

In this lesson, the book entitled A Mink, a Fink, a Skating Rink: What Is a Noun? (Words Are Categorical), written by Brian P. Cleary, is used as the mentor text. After learning the basic definition of noun, a person, place, thing, or...

In this lesson, Teaching Grammar in Context by Constance Weaver provides foundational information for this lesson. When I Go Camping with Grandma, a book by Marion Dane Bauer, is used as the mentor text of this lesson. Young scholars...

In this lesson, Teaching Grammar in Context by Constance Weaver provides foundational information for this lesson. Brave Irene, written by William Steig, is used as the mentor text of this lesson. Learners will develop sentences with...

A kindergarten teacher shares how she introduced persuasive writing in her classroom. After a discussion about "problems" that need to be fixed in their school, the class decided they wanted to write the principal a persuasive letter...

In this lesson plan, Potluck by Anne Shelby, is used as a mentor text for word choice. The content focus of the lesson is to highlight alliteration. Each student will use alliteration in a sentence as the student include his/her name, a...

In this lesson plan, 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...

In this lesson, Flotsam, written by David Wiesner, is used as a mentor text. Learners 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...

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...

In this lesson, Pat Brisson's book Benny's Pennies is used as a mentor text. Students will discover ways to spend money that meets specific criteria. Students must explain their process for their spending choices, and then they must...

Inspired by MLK's passionate "I Have a Dream Speech," the mentor text "Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.", by Doreen Rappaport, and U2's Pride (In the Name of Love)", students will write speeches that detail...

A lesson plan made for young scholars to write from various perspectives regarding the same topic. The mentor text entitled The Important Book is used, as students become more familiar with voice, point of view, persuasive techniques and...

In this lesson, The Paper Bag Princess, a book written by Robert Munsch, is used as a mentor text. Young scholars will reflect on how nouns can sometimes be used as interesting adjectives. Students will collect these ideas in their...