Mentor Text

I'm from the heart of the literacy jungle
Where I am hunted for my pristine structure
unparalleled organization
and my captivating words.

I'm from the difference between finding your voice
and fading into the background.

I'm from giving my audience something to strive for
picked up over and over
to help with that one detail of the writer's block
they just can't get over.

I'm from the first words read to a class of 35
to the last kid to get the concept of a thesis statement
and though he can identify it in me
he just can't get it out of him
until he picks up my friend
whose structure is similar
and organization just as amazing
but her voice is slightly different
and then it clicks.

Author's Note: 

We must provide a text rich environment for our students to achieve greatness as writers. Kittle reinforces time and again that each genre should have many mentor texts to provide students with as many opportunities as possible to see great works, and not so great works, from that genre. She stresses the importance of not only seeing professional work, but the work of their peers. There are several strategies that get the students to interact with the mentor text, deconstruct it, name it, and notice how it is put together. I plan on using so many more picture books, articles, and providing my students with text to manipulate, organize, and interact with.