Mentor Text Library by Megan Bearry

Write Write Write! by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater

bearrymegan1504 — 2024-09-04 14:13:05 UTC

This is a great story for multiple reasons; not only is it a way to explain the writing process for children, but it also demonstrates sentence fluency! This story uses a poetic flow, following the abab rhyming pattern. This book is a fun way to introduce different writing concepts by using said concepts in its own story!

Ish by Peter H. Reynolds

bearrymegan1504 — 2024-09-04 14:13:09 UTC

This is another one of my personal favorites! In this story, Ramon loves drawing, and he draws all the time! However, after consistent ridicule about his artworks, he tosses them out, only to realize his sister has kept them! When he confronts her about how his works aren't perfect, his sister tells him that they're "-ish." This story demonstrates presentation by informing our students that their art doesn't have to be "perfect," whether they're writing or drawing because EVERY art piece has some worth. I'm not an established artist, so many of my drawings are also "-ish!"

A Squiggly Story by Andrew Larsen and Mike Lowery

bearrymegan1504 — 2024-09-16 14:49:45 UTC

This is another favorite! In this story, we follow a boy as he creates a story with the help of his big sister. However, we can see that his story doesn't follow traditional writing rules. Despite this, both his sister and his teacher encourage his writing, and even though he doesn't follow the "correct" rules, we can still clearly follow his story! This is a good story to introduce organization because it shows students the order in which a story should progress!

The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds

bearrymegan1504 — 2024-09-16 14:49:51 UTC

This is one of my absolute favorites! In this story, we follow the journey of Vashti as she goes form feeling discouraged from drawing to creating masterpieces! All it takes is Vashti's teacher telling her to start with a dot, and suddenly Vashti realized she could draw anything! This is a good story to introduce ideas because every drawing Vashti created is representative of an idea she had, even if it isn't explicit. Having an idea is the very first step in writing; how you communicate that idea is totally up to you!

One & Everything by Sam Winston

bearrymegan1504 — 2024-09-23 13:41:53 UTC

This story follows an egocentric story who believes that it is the best and should be the only story to exist. One by one, the story swallows up all the other stories to become the ONLY story. However, the stories it swallowed revealed to it that not only is it the only story, it's EVERY story! This is a good book to use for ideas because it uses illustrations to show just how many ideas exist in the world; people of all backgrounds have ideas, and by putting pencils to paper they can share them with the world! Students will understand that all ideas have some merit, and any idea can become a story!

Henry's Amazing Imagination by Nancy Carlson

bearrymegan1504 — 2024-09-23 14:04:39 UTC

This story follows a mouse who loves telling stories! However, many times his imagination gets mixed up with the truth, and his peers call him a liar. Undeterred, Henry is still determined to share his ideas, so he begins writing stories! His peers know that the stories are unmistakably Henry, but they begin to enjoy them as they realize he's not lying; he's merely telling a story! This is a good story to introduce the concept of voice because we can see how Henry puts his unique ideas and uses his imagination in creating his stories.

Room for Everyone by Naaz Khan

bearrymegan1504 — 2024-09-23 14:06:49 UTC

This is another story that follows a poetic pattern! This story follows the abcb rhyming pattern and contains advanced vocabulary that encourages students to think about what they're reading! This is a great story to introduce sentence fluency because it provides great models for sentences that are easy to read and understand.

Book's Big Adventure by Adam Lehrhaupt

bearrymegan1504 — 2024-09-23 14:07:05 UTC

This is a powerful story that demonstrates to students how important reading and writing are! In this story, we follow a book that has been donated to a library and worries that it will never be read again. This story invokes a feeling of empathy for the book, and students will likely feel attached to the book in the story as they follow its journey. Using a physical book as a main character is a great way to emphasize to students how books are a part of us and encourages and nurtures a love for reading!

How to Write a Poem by Kwame Alexander

bearrymegan1504 — 2024-09-23 14:08:20 UTC

This story is exactly what it sounds like! It teaches students how to write a poem, by following the rules of writing a poem! The story itself is written as if it were a poem, and uses rhyming rules and stanzas to teach students the parts of a poem! This is great for organization because it provides students with a way to organize their ideas!

Out the Door by Christy Hale

bearrymegan1504 — 2024-09-23 14:10:06 UTC

Unlike many other stories, this book tells the story primarily through its images! This story is a great way to introduce students to the idea that drawing is another form of writing; you're showcasing your voice and ideas, and you're creating a specific presentation of these factors.

Oh! If Only... by Michael Foreman

bearrymegan1504 — 2024-09-23 14:13:18 UTC

Interestingly enough, this story is almost like a NON-example of sentence fluency! This story consists of a few sentences; about 2 long run-on sentences, and then a final sentence to tie everything up! Reading this story is a great way for students to see how sentences shouldn't be constructed, and also shows students how repetition can be important in emphasizing an idea!

Kind Words: Popcannibal

bearrymegan1504 — 2024-09-23 14:16:07 UTC

This is actually a video game that involves writing rather than a story! Within this game, students can connect with people all over the world by writing each other letters or talking through messages in a community area! This game helps students practice writing through typing, and it's a wonderful way to introduce students to the concept of writing in a digital space!

Description

bearrymegan1504 — 2024-09-30 22:57:52 UTC

This category is where I house books (and non-books!) that don't particularly fit into any of the VIP COWS sections :)

Description

bearrymegan1504 — 2024-09-30 22:58:09 UTC

Voice is present in all forms of writing! An author's voice comes through their writing when we feel a strong connection to what we are reading. Voice can take the role of persuasive, informative, or explanatory (also known as perspective). We can almost hear the author's voice in our heads as we follow along with their writing. Oftentimes with students, their voice shows through their writing depending on the confidence present in their writing and how they form their sentences (everyone, especially children, put their personality into their writing!). As teachers, we will likely be able to tell exactly which student wrote what simply based on the voice of their writing.

Description

bearrymegan1504 — 2024-09-30 22:58:14 UTC

Ideas involve how clearly a writer's...well, ideas are expressed! We see this referred to in writing as a "main idea" or "main topic." However, there are many ideas that go into writing! After all, you can't even begin picking up a pencil without having the idea to! It's important to teach to our students that they can and should write about anything that comes to mind; it doesn't always have to be academic! Only then will we be able to nurture a passion for writing.

Description

bearrymegan1504 — 2024-09-30 22:58:32 UTC

Presentation involves HOW writing looks. Drawing is a form of writing presented in an illustration. Some poets write their lines to create certain shapes, and some authors write in nontraditional ways, such as top to bottom. There are many ways to creatively present writing; it shouldn't always have to be left to right in even lines!

Description

bearrymegan1504 — 2024-09-30 22:58:45 UTC

Conventions can be described as the rules and tools of writing that make a piece of written work make sense. Without the appropriate use of conventions, we would have no consistency in how we present our writing, leading to discomfort and confusion in everyone! We want to emphasize to our students why conventions are important in their writing and how they help convey meaning.

Description

bearrymegan1504 — 2024-09-30 22:59:05 UTC

Similar to presentation, organization looks at how IDEAS are presented, not just the overall body of text. Organization is key to having a story flow. Without proper organization- such as beginning, middle, and end- a story can't be followed.

Description

bearrymegan1504 — 2024-09-30 22:59:14 UTC

Word choice relates to vocabulary and how an author uses their words to paint a picture! Vocabulary use can really make or break a story, so it's critically important as a writer to examine your choice of vocabulary and how it can be improved! You must be careful to find a balance between not too simple and not too difficult for your intended audience.

Description

bearrymegan1504 — 2024-09-30 22:59:26 UTC

This is one of the more advanced writing traits. Sentence fluency involves correct word order (subject, verb, object) and correct spelling. However, a sentence can still be fluent without correct spelling as long as it is spelled phonetically! Many students cannot write advanced sentences until around second grade, so our early writers should not be expected to excel at sentence fluency from the very beginning.

If Found...by DREAMFEEL and Annapurna Interactive

bearrymegan1504 — 2024-10-21 13:47:00 UTC

This is an interactive game where players get to tell a story by adding and erasing journal entries. The lives of the characters are interwoven with each other, although they are on two separate paths. It is a powerful way to show how people's stories are told through writing, and how there is so much weight in words.

Heaven's Vault by inkle Ltd

bearrymegan1504 — 2024-10-21 13:47:11 UTC

Writing doesn't always have to be in words in a modern language; sometimes it can be through pictures! In this interactive game, you work as an archaeologist discovering and translating hieroglyphics left behind by ancient civilizations, unlocking secrets and history along the way! This is a great way to show how writing can take many more forms than what students may think.

Journey by thatgamecompany and Annapurna Interactive

bearrymegan1504 — 2024-10-21 13:47:17 UTC

Similar to a wordless picture book, this game has no speaking or writing to be found! The whole purpose of this game is to demonstrate how stories can be told arbitrarily and their meanings will still resonate with countless people.

My Art Book of Love by Shana Gonzansky

bearrymegan1504 — 2024-10-23 13:44:40 UTC

A multimedia board book that shows many different ways of writing! It emphasizes creativity and making writing your own through the use of any materials you wish!

Epistory by Fishing Cactus and PID Games

bearrymegan1504 — 2024-10-28 13:42:24 UTC

Writing takes many forms, both in penmanship and in typing! In this game, the player embarks on an adventure as the story and world unfolds around their character. You watch the story happen in real time!

This is Not a Picture Book! by Sergio Ruzzier

bearrymegan1504 — 2024-10-28 13:43:54 UTC

The title is actually counterintuitive to the content of the story, as there are pictures in the book! However, the point of the title is to emphasize the power of words, and how words themselves can create pictures for you. That's how powerful they are!

The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch

bearrymegan1504 — 2024-11-04 14:59:14 UTC

This is a fun story that turns traditional storytelling on its head! Using nothing but illustrations, it is up to the reader to make their own story from the information provided in the drawings! There are so many different stories to be told, and so many different voices to be heard in this fun and engaging book!

I Have and Idea! by Herve Tullet

bearrymegan1504 — 2024-12-14 00:56:27 UTC

This is a sweet story about how you find an idea and what you use it for! The formatting of this book makes it seem like it was handwritten and drawn by the author himself, which shows students that writing isn't always picture-perfect with even font and symmetrical images. All writing starts with an idea - big or small, good or bad. This helps our students recognize that anything and everything can be an idea to share!

Detroit: Become Human by Quantic Dream

bearrymegan1504 — 2024-12-14 02:52:18 UTC

...I could talk about this beautiful game for hours. I ADORE this and it is one of my all-time favorites. Extremely player-driven, it is a choice-based game where you decide the story of 3 separate characters who are unknown to each other until their stories overlap at different points. It is a beautiful exploration of how stories are driven by emotion, and how one decision can drastically change everything.

Milo Imagines the World by Matt de la Peña

bearrymegan1504 — 2024-12-14 03:26:08 UTC

This story is a great example of presentation because you don't expect the twist at the end! While not intended to be a story filled with suspense, the ending will have you rereading the story to look for clues! I think this is important to keep in mind with writing; you don't want to give anything away, but you want the story to flow smoothly to its ending.

Voices in the Park by Anthony Browne

bearrymegan1504 — 2024-12-14 03:34:53 UTC

One of my favorites!!! In this story, you follow the points of view and perspective of different characters in the story! From just the first perspective, you begin to make assumptions about characters, but as you read their stories you realize that what you first thought isn't true! I think this is a great way to teach voice and how certain voices will portray stories in certain ways.

What are Words Really? by Alexi Lubomirski

bearrymegan1504 — 2024-12-14 03:40:59 UTC

This story explains how the meanings of words impact the meaning of a story! If an author wants a negative tone, they will use words such as melancholy or somber to get the reader in the right mood. The opposite is true, too! Never underestimate the power of words!

Punctuation Takes a Vacation by Robin Pulver

bearrymegan1504 — 2024-12-14 03:41:18 UTC

This silly story shows how disjointed and uncomfortable writing can become without proper use of conventions! As the punctuation marks leave school, the students and teachers try desperately to get them to return, but their pleas make no sense! The story also shows the punctuation marks in action and emphasizes to readers the importance of these conventions in communicating.

Twenty-One Steps by Jeff Gottesfeld

bearrymegan1504 — 2024-12-14 03:47:21 UTC

This is a powerful story that tells the story of the unknown fallen American soldiers and those who guard them. The story uses repeating phrases in a pattern to emphasize their importance. I believe this is a great way to demonstrate sentence fluency as these repeating phrases contribute to the overall flow of the story.

The Three Questions by Jon J Muth

bearrymegan1504 — 2024-12-14 03:51:39 UTC

This story is powerful in the way that the writing is presented with the illustrations. As Nikolai asks his friends questions, their answers all appear above their heads. This presentation choice allows readers to follow the personalities and beliefs of each character.

What Remains of Edith Finch by Giant Sparrow and Annapurna Interactive

bearrymegan1504 — 2024-12-14 03:55:40 UTC

Through this game, you play as a girl named Edith Finch who uncovers the stories of her family members who have passed away. She is the last one left of her family, and as she discovers their stories, the players get to live vicariously as them. There are so many stories to be told, but it seems like there's never enough time to tell them.

Dear Angelica, directed by Saschka Unseld

bearrymegan1504 — 2024-12-14 03:56:05 UTC

A beautiful story that constructs itself around you in real-time! You watch the words spoken by the protagonist float in the air around you, coming together to form three-dimensional drawings representing the events she speaks about. It is powerful and a definite tear-jerker, but shows students how stories come from anywhere and everywhere.

I and You and Don't Forget Who: What Is a Pronoun? by Brian P. Cleary

bearrymegan1504 — 2024-12-14 04:12:29 UTC

As much discourse there is on the internet nowadays about what pronouns are (and ignorant people fundamentally misunderstand them), pronouns are an essential part of writing! They let us know who is speaking, who is being spoken to, who is being spoken about, and much more! They are an essential convention that make perspective-taking much easier in writing and help readers get a better picture of the roles of different characters!