Teaching Writing Through Mentor Texts

Teaching writing can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re trying to fit it into an already packed elementary schedule. Many students struggle with both reading and writing, making writing instruction even more challenging.

I’ve always believed reading and writing belong together. One of the most powerful ways to teach young writers is through mentor texts, books that model the craft moves, organization, voice, and techniques we want students to use in their own writing.

Over the years, I’ve built a classroom library full of mentor texts that I return to again and again. These books have helped my students write stronger leads, organize their ideas, develop voice, improve sentence fluency, and become more confident writers.

In this post, I’ll share:

• What mentor texts are
• Why they work
• How I use them during Writer’s Workshop
• My favorite mentor texts for elementary students
• Resources that make teaching the Six Traits of Writing easier

What Are Mentor Texts?

A mentor text is any piece of writing that students study to learn a specific writing skill or craft move. While picture books are some of the most popular mentor texts in elementary classrooms, they can also include nonfiction books, poems, magazine articles, essays, and even your own writing.

I regularly share my own writing with my students because I want them to see that writing is a process, even for adults. Some of my favorite teaching moments happen when students give me feedback on my own writing. It reminds them that every writer continues learning and improving.

The goal isn’t to copy an author’s work. Instead, students learn to notice what effective writers do and then apply those same techniques in their own unique way.

Every mentor text has something to teach the writer, whether it be an idea, trait, or skill, that students can learn and apply to their own writing. Students who study the writing from mentor texts, ones that provide strong examples of techniques, transform them into real writers. If you missed my post, Transforming Students Into Writers, you could read it here.

Many, if not all, of my mini-lessons begin with a mentor text that teaches the writer, which is the focus of my mini-lesson. This Mentor Text Clarification & Use by Corbett Harrison at Always Write, definitely helped me to understand better what mentor texts are and how to use them during Writer’s Workshop.

Why Mentor Texts Improve Student Writing

Mentor texts help students:

• understand what good writing looks like
• see writing techniques in authentic books
• develop stronger leads and endings
• expand vocabulary
• improve organization
• strengthen voice
• write with greater confidence

Instead of simply telling students how to write, mentor texts allow them to see expert writers in action.

My Favorite Mentor Texts for Teaching Writing

Mentor texts are an essential part of my classroom library. It would help if you had these books in your classroom for ALL grade levels. These gems are used to teach multiple concepts and skills in a variety of genres, and kids of ALL ages LOVE them!

The Day the Crayons Quit

Teaches: Voice, point of view, persuasive writing

Students quickly understand that every character has a unique perspective. It’s one of my favorite books for teaching voice.

Rocket Writes a Story

Teaches: Writer’s process and generating ideas

Perfect for helping reluctant writers discover where ideas come from.

Each Kindness (Jane Addams Award Book (Awards)

Teaches: Theme, reflection, descriptive language

Excellent for teaching students how small details create emotional impact.

Dragons Love Tacos

Best for teaching: Story structure, sequencing, cause and effect, humor, descriptive details, and writing engaging narratives.

This playful story is perfect for showing students how authors build a sequence of events around a simple idea, use descriptive details to make writing more engaging, and create humor through repetition and an unexpected problem.

Written Anything Good Lately?

Best for teaching: The writing process, writer’s workshop, generating ideas, revision, and developing a writer’s mindset.

This book encourages students to see themselves as writers and emphasizes that strong writing develops through planning, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. It’s an excellent mentor text for launching Writer’s Workshop at the beginning of the school year.

Eats, Shoots & Leaves: Why Commas Really Do Make a Difference!

Best for teaching: Commas, punctuation, conventions, editing, proofreading, and sentence meaning.

This humorous mentor text uses clever illustrations to demonstrate how punctuation can completely change the meaning of a sentence, making grammar instruction memorable and engaging.

Grandpa Green

Best for teaching: Memoir writing, small moments, symbolism, descriptive language, theme, and showing instead of telling.

With beautiful illustrations and sparse but powerful text, this book models how carefully chosen details can tell the story of a person’s life. It’s especially effective for personal narratives, memoirs, and teaching students to “show, not tell.”

 

Best Mentor Texts for Teaching Voice

The Day the Crayons Quit

Dear Mrs. LaRue: Letters from Obedience School (LaRue Books)

Jangles: A Big Fish Story

Best Mentor Texts for Informational Writing

Manfish: A Story of Jacques Cousteau

Locomotive (Caldecott Medal Book)

You Wouldn’t Want to Live Without Writing!

Best Mentor Texts for Teaching Leads & Endings

That Is Not a Good Idea!Creepy Carrots!

How I Use Mentor Texts During Writer’s Workshop

Step 1: I Do

I introduce a mentor text and model the specific writing strategy I want students to notice. We read like writers, paying close attention to how the author crafted the text.

Step 2: We Do

Together, we discuss the author’s techniques and practice using similar strategies with partners or in small groups.

Step 3: You Do

Students immediately apply the strategy during independent writing. This is where mentor texts become powerful because students transfer what they’ve observed into their own work.

A favorite teaching resource of mine is The Writing Thief, by Ruth Culham, a trait-based strategy to assess and teach writing. I taught my students how to become “writing thieves” through the use of mentor texts. We learned as writers that we should learn from expert writers, and it’s okay to “steal” from these mentor texts and apply new techniques and skills to our own writing.

Teaching the Six Traits Through Mentor Texts

After years of teaching writing, I realized teachers needed ready-to-use lessons that paired mentor texts with focused writing instruction. That’s why I created my Teaching the Six Traits of Writing resources.

Each lesson includes:

• mentor text recommendations
• differentiated mini-lessons
• grade-level activities
• quick implementation
• grades K–5

The lessons cover:

• Ideas
• Organization
• Voice
• Sentence Fluency
• Word Choice
• Conventions

Free Resource

If you’d like to see how these lessons work before purchasing, download my free Teaching the Six Traits in Informational Writing- Ideas lesson pack. Inside you’ll receive three differentiated lessons for grades K–5 that demonstrate exactly how I use mentor texts during Writer’s Workshop.

You can check out Teaching the Six Traits in Informational Writing here.

More Writing Resources

Teaching the Six Traits in Narrative Writing (K-5, 18 lessons)

Teaching The Six Traits in Persuasive/Opinion/Argument Writing (K-5, 18 lessons)

Teaching The Six Traits of Writing BUNDLE (K-5, 54 lessons)

OR Grade level bundles: K-1, 2-3, and 4-5

The Six Traits of Writing Sticky Notes, Posters, and Student Reference Checklists are a must-have during Writers Workshop. As we teach and encourage students to become confident writers, we must give them the tools they need to be successful. This resource is especially helpful for teaching and reinforcing the 6 traits of writing. Check this resource out here.

Ready to Make Writing Easier?

If you’re looking for ready-to-use writing lessons that pair perfectly with mentor texts, browse the complete Six Traits collection here.

And don’t forget to join my email community for free writing resources, classroom ideas, and exclusive teacher freebies delivered straight to your inbox.

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