Pretend on the Page: Writing Fiction in the Early Grades Karyn W. Tunks, Ph.D. University of South Alabama Gulf Coast on the Teaching of Writing June 25-28, 2012 Destin, Florida

Teacher as Writer It is a widely held belief that teachers should be models of writing.  Modeling writing for our students is part of the explicit instruction we do for them.  Helps us engage in the same struggles and problem solving strategies as our students.

Mentor Texts also Serve as Models of Writing! “Good authors are the ones to teach students how to write well. And as we’ve said before, this takes so much pressure off of us as teachers of writing. We let professional authors carry the weight of writing well. We simply have to carry their weight – or the weight of their books, actually – into our classrooms and then write alongside them with our students.” - Katie Wood Ray, What You Know By Heart: How to Deepen Curriculum for Your Writing Workshop

The Important Role of Mentor Texts  Writing mentors are for everyone- teachers as well as students.  Mentor texts are books that offer many possibilities for our students and ourselves as writers.  They become our coaches and partners as we bring the joy of writing to our students.

What is a Mentor Text?  a published piece of writing whose idea, structure, or written craft can be used to inspire a student writer.  a model to be studied and then imitated.  an example to help students take risks and try out new writing strategies.  Through the use of mentor texts, children “spontaneously borrow ideas temporarily as they develop their own writing craft” (Lancia, 1997).

Why Use Picture Books as Mentor Texts?  provide the models that will help students grow as writers.  stimulate creativity and create interest.  are rich in beautiful illustrations that add another layer to the text.  can be used to connect reading strategies to author’s craft.  contain multiple life lessons.  are culturally diverse.  demonstrate the importance of choosing words wisely.  are short enough to be shared entirely in one reading.

Innovations on Mentor Texts Student writers use mentor texts to write “innovations” or variations using similar qualities, such as:  repetitive pattern or refrain  same characters in different situations  different perspective of the same story  same plot in a different setting

How to Write Innovations from Mentor Texts  Become familiar with the story through repeated readings  Look at them through the eyes of a writer: Search for craft Gather ideas Discuss elements such as repetitive pattern or refrain  Model writing using an element from the mentor text  Students write their own text

Activity #1 The Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown The Important Book highlights the uses of everyday objects to prompt students to write about themselves in the same format. 1.Read poems aloud to familiarize students with the formula. 2.Write your own poem to model how to “fill in the blanks.” 3.Students write about an object of their choice (whole group, partner, buddy, or individually) and illustrate their poem. 4.Make a class collection.

Activity #2 Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Bill Martin Jr. 1.Familiarize students with Brown Bear, Brown Bear through repeated readings and class activities. 2.Share Bill Martin Jr.’s own innovations. 3.Choose one element to change and model how to begin innovation. 4.Students participate in the innovation. 5.Students write their own innovation.

Activity #3 A Good Day by Kevin Henkes 1.Read text aloud and give students access to book to “read” independently. 2.Demonstrate use of a writing plan as a scaffold in preparation of writing. 3.Using a blank book, model how to begin the story. Refer to writing plan while composing. 4.Offer writing plan template to students as they begin writing their innovation in blank book.

Activity #4 JUBILEE! by Karyn W. Tunks Read JUBILEE! and bring attention to the connection between illustrations and text. Share author website ( with students and read about experiences that relate to the story. Provide a questionnaire and storyboard for planning the story. Use writing process and conferencing (prewrite, draft, revise, edit, publish) to complete finished product.

JUBILEE! Questionnaire Answer the questions to help plan your story: Who is your main character? What event, place, person, or thing makes your main character curious? What question will your main character ask the secondary characters? How will these secondary characters answer? What clever way will your main character’s curiosity be satisfied? How will the story end?

Remember… “Writers take their writing very seriously. When they read, they discover topics for their writing. They become interested in new genres and formats. They study authors’ techniques to learn how to improve their own writing. They develop mentor relationships with their favorite writers, aspiring to be more like them.” –Shelley Harwayne