Mentor Sentences Student & Parent Guide A Basic How-To

Rationale & How it’s used Mentor sentences introduce students to a CORRECTLY written sentence. It shows students what GOOD writing is all about. Rather than students identifying what is wrong with a sentence, they have to find what is RIGHT about a sentence’s grammar, structure, and style. Mentor sentences should cover every language standard for Grade 4 in a spiral review format. Rather than focusing on one standard at a time, we will be discussing multiple language standards within each sentence.

Day 1: Invitation To Notice What makes this sentence a good mentor sentence? What does the writer do well? Are there: Exciting words or descriptions? Figurative language? Vivid verbs? Grammar usage? Word meanings or context clues? Punctuation?

Day 1: Invitation To Notice

Day 2: Invitation To Label Students rewrite the sentence exactly as they see it, making sure to skip lines. Find and label all the parts of speech found in the mentor sentence.

Day 2: Invitation To Label

Day 3: Invitation To Revise Your job today is to revise the sentence by adding more details and descriptions. Rewrite the sentence and try to add or change the adjectives, certain nouns, and vivid verbs. Try to make your new sentence a new mentor sentence.

Day 3: Invitation To Revise

Day 4: Invitation to Imitate Use the structure of the sentence to create a brand-new mentor sentence that no one has ever seen before. Try to use the style and order used. Use the author’s style, but in your own words.

Day 4: Invitation To Imitate

Day 5: Sentence Showcase Students share their sentences from Day 4 with their classmates. What did you do that is the same as the original writer of the sentence? How do you know your sentence is a great mentor sentence? What impressed you about your classmates’ sentences?

Student Examples