Mentor Texts

If you are looking for theme mentor texts or read alouds for teaching theme, this post shares 6 read alouds with summaries and possible themes for each.

Just about any fiction text or poem you select can be used to teach visualizing in reading. But which books have the best descriptive language and are the most effective for practicing this reading comprehension strategy? Check out these 10 picture books for visualizing that will spark elementary students' creativity as they make their own mental images! Plus be sure to download the FREE printable list of mentor texts for your reading instruction!

When I changed grade levels from second grade to 4th/5th, one of the things I really thought I would miss was all of my amazing picture books. I used to love to read and re-read them to the kids, to look at their beautiful illustrations, and to use them to get kids excited about the […]

My top 10 favorite mentor texts to use when modeling writing for kids! A helpful book list for teaching kids to write.

Teaching figurative language is a lot of fun! Check out this post for my go-to read alouds and other tips for teaching figurative language.

Procedural writing or "How-to" is one of my favorite units! Read this post to discover some fantastic mentor texts to use in your classroom!

Using picture books and social emotional topics, teachers can help students analyze character development as it relates to literary themes.

Check out my list of 11 Mentor Texts for Teaching Similes and Metaphors to upper elementary students. Engage students in these great literature pieces while teaching similes and metaphors. Students ca

Discover the best mentor texts, both picture and chapter books, to teach (model) description using sensory images, vivid verbs, and figurative language.

Read on to see my list of the 12 best mentor texts for teaching fictional narratives to 3rd grade students. You'll love these picture books!