Mentor Text Link Up - Language Arts

So glad to hear that the mentor text link up with Collaboration Cuties will still be going on over the summer.  This week's topic is language arts...

Sincerely Yours: Writing Your Own Letter, by Nancy Loewen, is perfect forexploring the friendly letter format to your students (business letter included as well). I use this text after many other wonderful picture books written using friendly letters. This text is on of several in the Writer's Toolbox series published by Picture Window Books.  

The text begins with a friendly letter from the author stressing how important letter writing has been over hundreds of years, even in this day and age when people communicate in many ways.  Then the author goes on to present "tools" for writing a friendly letter, over-viewing each "tool" (part) and its purpose.  When each tool is presented, a model letter is presented with the tool boldfaced to draw attention.  As subsequent tools are presented, previous tools remain but are printed in grayscale. Below are select pages from the text. 

  Proofreading is stressed as well.

I used the text to further explore an author's purpose in writing letters before  we wrote letters to our secret pal.  I especially like how the text discusses the purpose of a friendly letter and even classifies thank you notes as friendly letters.  This is especially applicable for second graders, as writing thank you notes/cards is something my students do more frequently.

The ultimate is seeing a student use what they have learned for a real purpose.  A thank you card I received the day after students got out of school.  Nice form!

 

The second text I'd like to share is Rattletrap Car by Phyllis Root.  What an awesome text to use when teaching students how authors use onomatopoeia, alliteration, and rhythm, rhyme, and repetition in their writing to create interest and excitement. The kids love to chime in as the story builds.  They are also taken with all of the detail in the illustrations that tell the story as well as the text.  

The gist:  It's hot and the kids want to go to the lake.  Poppa's not sure they can make it there in the rattletrap car.  Poppa starts the rattletrap car, "brum, brum...clickety, clankety.."  Then, "Boomssss. The tire went flat." 

"Whumpety whomp! The floor fell out!" and so on... The kids naturally anticipate if they will make it to the lake.  And if they do, will they make it home?  A great text to add to your collection!

Check out more language arts mentor texts over at Collaboration Cuties! 

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