What Is a Mentor Text?
A mentor text is a written piece used in education as an example of quality writing by a student who is studying the writing process. Typically, mentor texts are used by individuals. When an entire group uses them, they are known as “touchstone texts.” Use With young students, a mentor text can be used as a foundation from which students learn the writing form. For example, the first story the students are taught will be that to which they compare all future stories. With more advanced students, a mentor text can teach lessons regarding craft, structure, symbolism, theme, imagery and tone to help the students become better readers and better writers. Strategy Repeated reading of a mentor text results in an increasingly intimate familiarity with the work. The reader will better understand how the text works and, in attempting to imitate it, will learn how to create similar effects as a writer, thus learning how to write by actually writing. Qualities A mentor text worthy of study tends
