Biography mentor texts for persuasive writing

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I recently received an email from a junior high teacher who was looking for some support as she began her unit of study on biographies.  She wrote that she was &#;looking to push this biographical piece to be heartfelt.&#;  She wanted her students to think about &#;why we remember these people&#; and to &#;engage in research that goes beyond the computer.&#;

I immediately thought of an article I had recently read in the Winter edition of the Illinois Reading Council Journal, titled &#;Biographies in Focus: A Framework for Supporting Biographical Writing in the Classroom (written by Donna E. Werderich, Alice B. McGinty, and Barb Rosenstock).  The authors of the article outlined several ways that students might focus their biographical writing:

  • focus on an object or item that was important to the person and illustrates their life in some essential way
  • focus on a special event that had wide reaching implications for that person&#;s life
  • focus on their relationship with another person
  • focus on an interest or important hobby that contributed to that person&#;s accomplishments
  • focus on an essential character trait that defines that person

So, in an eff

One Word from Sophia by Jim Averbeck and Yasmeen Ismail

Are you ready for your students to write persuasive essays with ease? Teaching persuasive writing is such an important skill for elementary students. It can be used in so many different situations, from getting a new toy to convincing your parents to let you stay up late. In order to help your students become better persuasive writers, it is important to expose them to good books that model the techniques of persuasive writing. Let's take a look at 5 must-read books for elementary students who are working on persuasive writing skills. These books will give students the tools they need to master the art of persuasion. Your students will learn how to craft an argument, back up their points with evidence, and appeal to their readers' emotions.

&#;One Word from Sophia&#; is a wonderful text to share with students as you are teaching persuasive writing because Sophia is very convincing. She tries to convince her mother, father, Uncle Conrad, and Grand-mama that she should have a giraffe. Sophia presents convincing arguments that are trying to persuade her family without being argumentative.

This mentor text gives th

Recently, I have been writing a picture book biography. I love the topic, I love the research, but I do not love how it’s structured at this point. I haven’t yet captured the essence of the story through the way I’m telling it. So, I began investigating unique ways to structure a picture book biography. I sifted through biographies I really, really loved and narrowed my focus to the ones that truly embodied what I was trying to learn.

There are so many different structures, and I have just scratched the surface with these examples.

One Person, Many Books

One of the things I love about picture book biographies that are being published is that many new angles are being presented about “old” subjects. For example, Thomas Jefferson is a person that nearly every child studies in school, but I am always fascinated by the ways that authors present him in new ways.



Thomas Jefferson Builds a Library by Barb Rosenstock, illustrated by John O’Brien

Thomas Jefferson: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Everything by Maira Kalman

Those Rebels, John and Tom by Barbara Kerley, illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham

Worst of Friends: Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and the

You&#;re looking for particular mentor texts for writing that you can use during writer&#;s workshop.

It&#;s time-consuming to search in your library plus online to find all the best mentor texts for writing that you need.

That&#;s why we&#;ve done the work for you!

Here you will find a treasure trove of mentor texts for writing that you may use to teach persuasive, narrative, descriptive, informational, and the six traits of writing elements.

No matter the grade you teach, you&#;re sure to find a writing mentor text here to fit your needs.

Mentor Texts for Writing

The following mentor texts show students how authors use particular traits to engage readers.

These mentor text examples fit well in mini-lessons.

Opinion/Persuasive Mentor Texts

  • A Fine, Fine School (Sharon Creech)
  • All the Places to Love (Patricia McLaughlin)
  • Animals Nobody Loves (Seymour Simon)
  • Baseball Saved Us (Ken Mochizuki)
  • Be Glad Your Dad Is Not an Octopus! (Matthew Logelin)
  • The Best Town in the World (Byrd Baylor)
  • The Big Bed (Bunmi Laditan)
  • Can I Be Your Dog? (Troy Cummings)
  • Can I Bring My Pterodactyl to School, Ms. Johnson? (Lois G. Grambling)

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