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Poetry as Mentor Texts: Raindrops Roll by April Pulley Sayre
April is poetry month. Every Friday in April, I will feature a poetic picture book that can be used as a mentor text for writing. For past Poetry Month resources, check out these resources. Raindrops Roll By April Pulley Sayre Beach Lane, 2015 I can’t say enough good things…
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Mentor Texts in the Classroom: A Second Person Point of View Writing Challenge
I love it when my day job and my writing life merge together–when research and studying in one feeds the other. I was working on a post for ReFoReMo on second person point of view (which you can read here) in my writing life. In my teaching life, I…
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PiBoIdMo Prep 2014: Mining for Ideas
Come November, I’m usually physically and emotionally spent. I’m exhausted from the first few months of school and anticipating the exhaustion of the holidays. But a challenge comes along every November that I just can’t pass up. PiBoIdMo. Picture Book Idea Month, started by the amazing Tara Lazar. I’ve…
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Baseball Books as Mentor Texts: BARBED WIRE BASEBALL by Marissa Moss
Barbed Wire Baseball By Marissa Moss Illustrated by Yuko Shimizu Abrams, 2013 Kenichi Zenimura loved to play baseball. He play baseball for years. Until World War II, when he and other Japanese families lived their lives in internment camps. But inside that bleak camp, Zeni made a baseball field.…
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SHE SANG PROMISE by Jan Godown Annino, Mentor Text Lesson Plan
SHE SANG PROMISE: THE STORY OF BETTY MAE JUMPER by Jan Godown Annino Illustrated by Lisa Desimini A few weeks ago, I featured SHE SANG PROMISE as a mentor text on the Grog site. This week, I’m debuting the full length lesson plan. SHE SANG PROMISE MENTOR TEXT LESSON…
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Ode to Scrivener
Writer friends often hear me talk about my love for Scrivener. In fact, on several Facebook writing groups, I profess my love for Scrivener often. Here’s the thing, I still haven’t mastered Scrivener, but I’m overwhelmed with the sheer possibilities that it offers. What do I use Scrivener for? Blog…
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Hi, Koo! by Jon J. Muth, Poetry Mentor Text
Hi, Koo! A Year of Seasons Written and illustrated by Jon J. Muth Scholastic Press, 2014 I’m a huge fan of haiku books, and I have a huge collection of haiku picture books. For an annotated haiku book list, click here. This particular book follows Koo, a panda, through…
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Water Can Be… and A Leaf Can Be… Poetry Mentor Texts
Water Can Be.. By Laura Purdie Salas Illustrations by Violeta Dabija Millbrook Press, 2014 If you love the sound of words and really love to be surprised by them, then you need to get this book. Water Can Be… is truly a beautiful piece of poetry, but there…
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Monstories: How to Use Monster Books to Write Your Own Monster Story
There are some really great monster books out there. One of my newest favorites is MONSTORE by Tara Lazar, which I featured during Picture Book Month. I use MOSTLY MONSTERLY by Tammi Sauer, illustrated by Scott Magoon, and I NEED MY MONSTER by Amanda Noll, illustrated by Howard McWilliam,…
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Writing Wednesday: Using HERE COME THE HUMPBACKS as a Writing Mentor Text
HERE COME THE HUMPBACKS By April Pulley Sayre Illustrated by Jamie Hogan Charlesbridge, 2013 This nonfiction book about humpback whales combines lyrical first lines on each page, with narrative facts and separate factoids on each page. Beautifully written and chock-full of information that will delight animal lovers, it…
