Welcome to Teach Mentor Texts, a blog that focuses on sharing books that can be used to promote all areas of literacy! I'm Jen and I started this blog in 2010 when I realized I read so many books that I need to devote an entire blog to sharing great books I find.
Teaching with mentor texts has become the center of my teaching philosophy. Since 2009, when I worked on all the requirements for National Boards certification in early and middle childhood literacy, I have been reading voraciously about best practices in reading and writing. I have learned so much from the professional books I have been reading since then.
This blog is devoted to sharing all the mentor texts I have come across and to help teachers easily locate a specific text that will target what their students need. I encourage you to come back and see new books I have added as well as to comment about how a book worked for you with your students!
Teaching with mentor texts has become the center of my teaching philosophy. Since 2009, when I worked on all the requirements for National Boards certification in early and middle childhood literacy, I have been reading voraciously about best practices in reading and writing. I have learned so much from the professional books I have been reading since then.
When I started teaching I relied on worksheets and workbooks to practice reading and writing with my students. Now, I incorporate authentic mentor texts. All the books I have read and all the research shows that the kids who read more are the kids who do better on reading tests. I got to thinking about my life as a reader. I want all my students to grow up and be lifelong readers just like me...well, do I read worksheets? Do I fill out reading logs after I finish a chapter or 20 minutes of reading? Do I read a book that is way to hard for me or that doesn't interest me at all? Of course not. I started thinking about what I do do as a reader now and what I want my students to get from reading.
I always have a book with me and can read anywhere at any time for 3 minutes or 3 hours. I listen to books on CD when I'm in the car. I like to find books I can relate to somehow or that I'm in the mood for. I choose books that are fun to read, not books about advanced calculus or astrophysics or biometrics. I love to talk to my friends and family about books. How could I share this love of reading with my students?
My focus became choosing mentor texts that would be the basis of my lessons. Now, with each book that I read, I am thinking about what reading strategies I would model or think-aloud for students, what vocabulary I would pull out to work on, and what writing elements I could ask my students to emulate. My goal is for students to interact with a text and use it to further their literacy skills.
This blog is devoted to sharing all the mentor texts I have come across and to help teachers easily locate a specific text that will target what their students need. I encourage you to come back and see new books I have added as well as to comment about how a book worked for you with your students!
Parents, I also welcome you to my blog! Reading with your children is absolutely imperative in helping them succeed an all areas of literacy. Please use my blog as a resource based on your child's needs.
You may see me refer to reading a book with Peanut, that's my oldest son. He will be 5 in May and loves Star Wars, Legos, and doing anything that is fun. He currently wants to read all the Star Wars early readers he can find at the library. We learning about Jedis and the powers of the force! We've been reading with the baby, too - although I need to stop calling him the baby! Little Bean will be two in July and chases after his brother, desperate to be a big boy, too. He's crazy for Thomas and all his train friends right now.
* * *
Kellee also blogs here at Teach Mentor Texts. Kellee and I met on Twitter when we found out we both loved to read The Baby-sitter's Club when we were younger. Here's more about Kellee:
I have always been a reader. When I was younger, my mom made the mistake of telling me that she would always buy me any book I asked for- it is a wonder she isn’t broke, because I sure took advantage of that promise! My favorite childhood authors were Dr. Seuss, Carolyn Haywood, Roald Dahl, Beverly Cleary and Ann M. Martin. I also loved to read Peanuts, Garfield, and Archie comics.
Now I read over 300 books a year. I mostly read picture books, juvenile fiction, middle grade books or young adult novels though I throw in some professional books and a few adult books throughout the year. I have a book with me at all times including in the car where I listen to audio books. My favorite YA book is The Giver and my favorite adult book is The Sun Also Rises.
Now I read over 300 books a year. I mostly read picture books, juvenile fiction, middle grade books or young adult novels though I throw in some professional books and a few adult books throughout the year. I have a book with me at all times including in the car where I listen to audio books. My favorite YA book is The Giver and my favorite adult book is The Sun Also Rises.
I went on to get my Bachelors of Arts in Literature. After my undergraduate degree, I had to figure out what to do with my life and I decided that teaching was the perfect occupation (and my mom & sister said “I told you so!” since they’d always said I’d be a teacher). I went on to get my Masters in Elementary Education with an ESOL endorsement and a graduate reading certificate.
I have been fortunate enough to teach middle school for 7 years now. I first taught 6th grade ELA (English Language Arts for 3 years, 7th grade ELA for 2 years and am now teaching 6th-8th grade intensive reading (as well as journalism and ELL developmental language arts). I have built up my classroom library to over 2500 middle grade and young adult titles (thank goodness I have an understanding husband! Love you Jim!). My goal as a teacher is to help each student find the lifelong love of reading that I have been lucky enough to find.
As a teacher, I have refocused how I read each book- not just for fun, but also as a possible addition to my classroom. Now, by Jen inviting me to be part of TMT, I am lucky enough to share with others the great books and resources I find!
I have been fortunate enough to teach middle school for 7 years now. I first taught 6th grade ELA (English Language Arts for 3 years, 7th grade ELA for 2 years and am now teaching 6th-8th grade intensive reading (as well as journalism and ELL developmental language arts). I have built up my classroom library to over 2500 middle grade and young adult titles (thank goodness I have an understanding husband! Love you Jim!). My goal as a teacher is to help each student find the lifelong love of reading that I have been lucky enough to find. As a teacher, I have refocused how I read each book- not just for fun, but also as a possible addition to my classroom. Now, by Jen inviting me to be part of TMT, I am lucky enough to share with others the great books and resources I find!
* * *
Please address any questions or comments to Jen@teachmentortexts.com or kellee.moye@gmail.com
Posts
