Mentor Texts: When and How To Use Them in Your ELA Lessons

I’m a huge fan of using mentor texts in the classroom because I’ve seen what they can do. Traditionally in the classroom, students are given the definition of a concept, and then they jump straight into applying it. This leads to a lot of students feeling lost and teachers feeling frustrated when students can’t work independently. Mentor texts and mentor sentences make learning more tangible and support students’ understanding of a concept, so they can better apply it on their own.

What Are Mentor Texts?

Mentor texts act as a model of a skill you want to teach students. They can be sentences or passages pulled from books and essays, or you can write them yourself. They also provide an example of a skill or strategy, so students can see the concept in action. 

For example, you could write an expository essay and use it as a mentor text when talking about how to write a thesis. Or you could use an excerpt from a book when talking about figurative language. 

Why You Should Use Mentor Texts

Using mentor texts can deepen students’ understanding and make it easier for them to apply their knowledge. These texts model the concept that you’re talking about and show students exactly what that concept looks like, which takes many skills from abstract to tangible. 

But it’s not just my opinion. Research has shown that teachers who used mentor texts saw improved quality of writing, like better word choice, sentence fluency, and grammar.

Always Start with a Mentor Text

Traditionally when planning your unit, you probably start with the skill and think about what students need to understand. But what if you started with the mentor text?

When you start with a mentor text, your instruction is led by modeling. You are forming your instruction around an example that students can analyze and emulate. It’s similar to watching a YouTube video because you commit to a DIY project. Students need to understand where they are going and how it looks before they can fully grasp a concept.

Once you’ve decided on the mentor text you want to use for a lesson, you can scaffold backward. For example, you might give students a mentor text that shows the proper use of commas in a series. First, students analyze the text and notice the commas. Then, they create a set of rules based on what they see. Then, you teach them what commas in a series are. And lastly, they create their own sentence using the mentor text as a model.

4 Examples of Starting with the Mentor Text

You can use mentor texts in so many ways in your classroom. They can be used when introducing a topic as a whole class, in small groups, or even in book clubs. I recommend using them when introducing any new skill and practicing concepts.

Here are a few examples of how I would start with mentor texts when planning. This might feel a little backward at first, but after some practice, it will feel natural.

#1 In a Writing Unit

I think mentor texts are particularly powerful when used before a writing unit. So often, students are taught about writing concepts in a very vague and general way. For example, giving them the definition of a thesis, but not actually showing them what it looks like. It can be hard for students to figure out how to apply the concepts to their own writing. 

When you start by choosing a mentor text, you are really asking yourself, “What do I want my students writing to look like? What am I expecting them to do?” You can then write your own essay or find one that is a good example of what students will write.

Next, look at your unit and decide how you’ll use the mentor text throughout. In the beginning, students will probably explore the essay as a whole. (What do you notice about this essay?) Then, students will look at specific sections depending on what you are teaching. (How do they use evidence in this paragraph?) If I was teaching a literary analysis unit, for example, I’d start by showing the essay I wrote and asking them to note the elements of literary analysis.

#2 When Teaching a Grammar Skill

Grammar skills are another example of when mentor texts can be extremely helpful. Often with grammar, mentor sentences are used to show the skill in action. You can share these mentor sentences when you introduce a new grammar concept and continue practicing with them during your warm-up.

Start by choosing a sentence that best demonstrates the grammar skill. Then, have students explore the sentence and construct their own knowledge. For example, ask students what they notice about the use of dialogue in terms of effectiveness and formatting. Then, have them apply their knowledge to their own writing.

#3 During a Poetry Unit

I also like using mentor texts during my poetry units. One of my favorite ways to do this was to show students a new type of poem, like an ode, without telling them exactly what it is. I have students read and discuss the poem and then draw conclusions about what an ode is. 

The same goes for figurative language. You could simply teach the definitions, or you could find mentor sentences that model the figurative language in action. Then, have students read these mentor texts and analyze the figurative language. (Why did the author use that? What does it mean?)

Of course, one of the most important aspects is having students apply this knowledge. Using the mentor texts and sentences as an example, they can write their own poem using figurative language.

#4 With a Book Tasting

If you haven’t tried a book tasting yet, maybe this will convince you. When teaching a genre-specific unit or elements, set our various examples of mentor texts within that genre and have students note the things these books have in common. This way, students have to do some critical thinking and use their analytical skills to uncover the elements of a genre – as opposed to simply telling them what to expect from the genre.

In short, mentor texts are critical to ELA classrooms. They provide a roadmap to understanding different writing styles, let students see various skills in action, and help students craft their own writing. Mentor texts can be found online, inside novels, or you can create them. We are surrounded by high-quality writing every day, and the more we call our students’ attention to it, the more natural it will be for them to apply ELA skills independently.