1st Edition
Using Mentor Texts to Teach 6 + 1 Writing Traits Mini Lessons for K-8 Teachers
In this book, you’ll find a wealth of mini lessons designed to improve the quality of students’ writing. Each lesson uses a key mentor text and spotlights one of the 6 + 1 Writing Traits to allow students to focus on the essential aspects of good writing – content, organization, word choice, voice, sentence fluency, conventions, and presentation. Inviting and practical, the lessons are concise and follow a consistent model for easy implementation. With seven lessons per chapter, each includes step-by-step guidance, open-ended prompts, and suggestions for additional suitable mentor texts. The chapters are organized by genre – including fiction, informational texts, and poetry – and feature graphic novels and graphic informational mentor texts to inspire and engage students. Aligned with the Common Core State Standards, this resource is essential for any K-8 or pre-service teacher who wants to instill in their students the skills to become independent, confident writers.
Meet the Author
Preface
Chapter 1: Primary Fiction
Trait: Content – Those Shoes
Trait: Organization – Can I Be Your Dog?
Trait: Word Choice – Chrysanthemum
Trait: Voice – Julius: The Baby of the World
Trait: Sentence Fluency – Dear Peter Rabbit
Trait: Conventions – Memory Jars
Trait: Presentation – The Camping Trip
Chapter 2: Elementary Fiction
Trait: Content – Leo Geo and the Cosmic Crisis
Trait: Organization: Flashback – Jangles: A Big Fish Story
Trait: Word Choice – Magnificent Homespun Brown
Trait: Voice – Encounter
Trait: Sentence Fluency – Walk Two Moons
Trait: Conventions – Bud, Not Buddy
Trait: Presentation – New Kid
Chapter 3: Informational Primary Texts
Trait: Content – Dolphins and Sharks: Fact Tracker
Trait: Organization – ABC Insects
Trait: Word Choice – The Cloud Book
Trait: Voice – Sea Turtles
Trait: Sentence Fluency – Amazing Dolphins!
Trait: Conventions – North American Animals: Bald Eagles
Trait: Presentation – Life Cycle of a Butterfly
Chapter 4: Informational Elementary Texts
Trait: Content – Maybe Something Beautiful: How Art Transformed a Neighborhood
Trait: Organization – Cheetahs
Trait: Word Choice – Locomotive
Trait: Voice – Endangered Desert Animals
Trait: Sentence Fluency – Bananas!
Trait: Conventions – Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11
Trait: Presentation - Science Comics: Coral reefs: Cities of the Ocean
Chapter 5: Primary Poetry
Trait: Content – "What Is Yellow?" in Hailstones and Halibut Bones
Trait: Organization – "Picnic" Summer: An Alphabet Acrostic
Trait: Word Choice - "The Whales Off Wales" in Book of Animal Poetry
Trait: Voice – Won Ton and Chopstick: A Cat and Dog Tale Told in Haiku
Trait: Sentence Fluency – "Our Tree" in Sing a Song of Popcorn
Trait: Conventions – "Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me Too" in Where the Sidewalk Ends
Trait: Presentation - "All Wet" in Ode to a Commode: Concrete poems.
Chapter 6: Elementary Poetry
Trait: Content – Bug Off! Creep, Crawly Poems
Trait: Organization – Count Me a Rhyme: Animal Poems by the Numbers
Trait: Word Choice - "The Turkey Shot Out of the Oven" in Something Big Has Been Here
Trait: Voice – "Foul Shot" in Reflections on a gift of a watermelon pickle
Trait: Sentence Fluency – "The Toy Eater" in Falling Up
Trait: Conventions – "Mirror, Mirror" in Falling Up
Trait: Presentation - "Cool, Sweet…But enough about me" in Ode to a Commode: Concrete poems.
Final Takeaways
References
Biography
Beverly A. DeVries is Professor Emerita at Southern Nazarene University, USA and teaches ESL to elementary students and adults. She is the author of the bestselling textbook Literacy Assessment and Intervention for Classroom Teachers, Sixth Edition.
