Weaving Mentor Sentences Into Writing: Nonfiction Writing

We all know the importance of modeling great writing. Just as we use mentor texts for narrative or persuasive writing, we need to use mentor sentences from nonfiction texts to guide students in informational writing. Informational writing doesn’t have to be dry or boring, and with the right tools, we can teach students how to convey interesting facts while keeping their reader engaged. In this blog post, I’ll share ideas that will not only help your students write exciting informational texts but also make the process more enjoyable for you as the reader!

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Bringing Nonfiction To Life

When teaching informational writing, one of the first steps is to model good examples of the genre. Two authors I recommend are Gail Gibbons and Steve Jenkins.

Gibbons’ books are full of vivid verbs and descriptive language, making her a fantastic mentor for modeling how to convey information in an engaging way. Whether your students are writing about animals, plants, or any topic in between, they’ll learn how to make their writing come alive by studying her work.

Steve Jenkins takes it up a notch with unique presentations of facts that stand out from standard nonfiction. He approaches nonfiction with a flair that makes facts fun. His style is perfect for showing students how they can go beyond a simple presentation of facts and share them in a creative way.

Mentor Sentence Modeling

To model good informational writing, select a mentor sentence from your text and break it down with your students. Focus on both the style and content.

For example, Steve Jenkins teaches about animals while also consistently varying the verbs to keep the reader engaged. If your students aren’t quite ready for that kind of rigor, then simply focus on how verbs show action! Allow students to apply what they learn about animals from Steve Jenkins by identifying things that the animals do (verbs).

In Gibbons’ books, adjectives are used to help the reader visualize facts. In the book Spiders, Gibbons writes, “A mother spider lays her eggs and encloses them in a strong silk egg sack.” Here, upper grades students can focus on the use of adjectives like “strong” and “silk” and even the vivid verb, “encloses.” This one simple sentence can be a model for students to be more descriptive in their own writing.

In the lower grades, you might focus on even simpler sentences, such as “Some spiders spin triangle webs,” then allow students time to practice using adjectives to describe different types of spider webs.

All About Application

And that’s truly the key… hands-on practice!

After modeling with mentor sentences, give students the opportunity to apply what they’ve seen! They can imitate the style and structure of the mentor sentence by writing their own sentence or paragraph using similar techniques. This might be as simple as describing something they know a lot about, like a sport or hobby, or researching a topic of their choice.

Another way to get in that crucial application is in the revision process. After your students have written a first draft, encourage them to go back and add more descriptive language or vivid verbs, just as Gibbons or Jenkins might.

You can even provide them with a text that needs revising that also covers a topic you are teaching to maximize your time!

By imitating these mentor texts, your students will learn how to make their writing not just informative but also engaging and fun to read.

More Mentor Texts to Consider for Informational Writing

Here are a few more of my favorite mentor texts with a variety of styles of writing to check out when teaching engaging nonfiction writing strategies in your classroom:

• Shark Lady by Jess Keating is a nonfiction picture book that tells the story of Eugenie Clark, a fearless marine biologist who dedicated her life to studying sharks. Using this book as a model will allow students to see how vivid verbs, descriptive language, and engaging structure can turn factual writing into a compelling narrative. (Because nonfiction writing doesn’t have to be written in “essay” form!)

• Recess at 20 Below by Cindy Lou Aillaud is full of photographs and offers a fascinating glimpse into life in Alaska, where students experience recess in frigid temperatures. This one offers an opportunity to model nonfiction writing with a first-person point of view, helping students see how to add personality and creativity to their own writing.

• Her Right Foot by Dave Eggers takes readers on an engaging journey through the history of the Statue of Liberty, with a thought-provoking focus on the statue’s right foot. This book is an excellent resource for teaching students how to make informational writing both factual and fun, while using humor, vivid descriptions, and a conversational tone to keep the reader hooked. His writing is more playful (but still factual!), perfect for showing students how even nonfiction writing can have a strong voice and personality.

Ideas for Mentor Sentence Use in Nonfiction Writing

1. Read a nonfiction text.
   
2. Explore a mentor sentence with interesting info given.
   
3. Look at other sentences with that style (from the same text or previous texts).
   
4. Brainstorm things you could research, or teach.
   
5. Allow students to research if necessary and apply the style, using models.
   
6. Students imitate the mentor sentence in their own writing, and revise for the author’s style.
   
7. Allow time for students to share their writing.

Mentor sentences are a powerful tool for teaching informational writing. Whether you’re focusing on vivid verbs, descriptive language, or even figurative language, your students will be able to weave these elements into their writing with confidence. Remember, it’s all about giving students the opportunity to explore how authors convey information creatively and allowing them to practice those techniques in their own writing.

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