Using Mentor Text to Introduce Genre

Happy Friday, friends! I'm so glad that spring is finally here and the weather is slowly, but surely, improving in our corner of the world. Today I want to share with you a step by step process for introducing your writers to a new genre that is fun and engaging!

I am super excited to be linking up with some amazing teachers from The Reading Crew to bring you this idea and freebie! At the end of this post be sure to click through the links to find tons more great ideas and to enter the unbelievable giveaway.

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I'm not lying when I say that I use this strategy every time it's time to introduce a new genre to my 5th grade writers. I've found it's engaging and effective, which makes for a win in my book.

Step 1: Read and Record
First, I choose 2-3 texts that highlight the elements of the genre we are about to write. Depending on which genre, I either read the text aloud to the whole class or give them their own copies to read and mark up. (Usually, I read aloud narrative and poetry, while giving out copies of articles for informational and opinion.) While they are reading or listening, the students listen and look for techniques the author is using to achieve this writing style. They record their ideas on sticky notes, in their writer's notebook or on this graphic organizer which you can grab for free in my TpT store.

If they are doing sticky notes (link to my favorite size) or notebooks, they make a bulleted list.

Step 2: Share and Create Anchor Chart #1
Once everyone has had the opportunity to read the text and write down their "noticings," we gather on the carpet to share out ideas. Depending on the time we have, I will pull sticks in order for everyone to have a chance to share something they noticed. As each student shares, I record their idea on this anchor chart:

This gives us all a place to gather a ton of ideas, and helps us in the next step, which is to create a list of non-negotiable elements for that particular genre.

Step 3: Anchor Chart #2 (Built in Rubric)
After we have looked at 2-3 examples of the genre we are introducing, we start to use the previous anchor chart to look for similarities between each text. We use those similarities to build our "Elements of _______" anchor chart. This anchor chart serves two purposes: to synthesize our thinking from each mentor text and to create a built in rubric for our new genre. This anchor chart gives us everything we will need to create solid writing pieces - no mystery at all!

This has been the most effective and engaging way to introduce and explore a new genre in my classroom. These anchor charts stay up throughout the whole unit (and beyond) and not just because I hate to climb on a chair to get the staples out! Seriously though, my students refer to these lists throughout the year to remind them what their pieces need to include. They are the most referred-to references in my class!

Don't forget to pick up the graphic organizers for free right {here}.

Keep hopping through all the posts to get some great ideas to keep your readers and writers blooming! Next stop: Sweet Integrations for some thoughts on digital book reviews! Happy reading!

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