Learning from Classmates: Using Students' Writing as Mentor Texts by Lisa Eickholdt

by Lisa Eickholdt

"When we value kids' writing enough to use it to teach other kids, all kids grow into stronger writers. Thanks, Lisa, for writing this important book. I needed it, teachers need it, and the field needs it."
-Stephanie Harvey "If students know we believe in them, that the content of their writing matters, more kids will take a risk and try some new things-even if they don't know how to spell all the words or punctuate all the sentences correctly."
-Lisa Eickholt Let's face Mentor texts are fantastic, but children's literature is the perfect product of adult authors. When we work students' writing into the mentor-text mix, amazing things happen-especially for struggling writers. "I have spent my career working with kids who hate to write," writes Lisa Eickholdt, "when we use our students' writing as a mentor text, we are helping them identify themselves as someone who writes." In Learning from Classmates , Lisa shows you how this simple but powerful idea can help "Time and again," Lisa writes, "I've watched reluctant and unenthusiastic writers become more eager and willing after their writing was used as a model for other students." The need is great, so her book helps you integrate student writing as mentor texts right away with suggestions for how Read Learning from Classmates to discover how your writers grow when they see what their peers can do and say, "I can do that, too!"

Paperback

First published April 9, 2015

Reviews

[Tenille Shade]

I highly recommend this book for all 4th grade writing teachers. Student love having their papers used as mentor text.

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved how she wove in using student mentor text into the Units of Study. Awesome!

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great mentor text resources are as close as the students in our own classrooms.
Lisa shows us how to use student writing to help elevate the quality of writing in our classrooms!
Love it!