Why Mentor Sentences are Essential for Grammar Instruction

In this article you’ll learn why mentor sentences are essential for quality grammar instruction.

First, let me ask you a question:

Have you ever introduced or had your students practice a grammar skill with an exercise such as this:

Directions: Capitalize the proper nouns in the following sentence:
mr. tanen is the principal of the lynnhurst elementary school.

This may seem like a good exercise for a lesson on proper nouns, but here are some of the problems with error-correcting exercises such as these:

1. They reinforce error making rather than correct grammar usage.
2. They reinforce a mindset of grammar as a subject to be mastered rather than inspire your students to write.
3. They lead to fear and embarrassment rather than excitement and confidence in writing.
4. They only help students to perform well on isolated activities like workbook drills rather than apply grammar in their writing.
5. They bore students rather than engage them.

It’s time to rethink why and how we teach grammar.

WHY DO WE TEACH GRAMMAR?

We teach grammar to help our students better communicate meaning through their writing and to therefore improve their writing. 

If our goal for teaching grammar is to see our students’ writing improve, we must really consider if our grammar instruction reflects this goal.

HOW SHOULD WE TEACH GRAMMAR?

Research repeatedly states that correcting grammatical errors in isolated sentences will not help students’ writing to improve.

Rather, research highlights that we should showcase quality writing (i.e. mentor sentences), and have our students notice how conventions help to create meaning in text. 

Our students NEED to observe how authors use grammar to enhance their writing and create meaning. Mentor sentences are an excellent way to accomplish this goal!

WHAT ARE MENTOR SENTENCES?

A mentor sentence is a short text, 1-2 sentences long, that showcases a targeted skill.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF MENTOR SENTENCES FOR GRAMMAR?

Mentor sentences are proven to be one of the best strategies for introducing grammar skills in the context of writing. Here are some of the main points from research on the benefits of using mentor sentences to teach grammar:

1. Focuses on quality writing:

Focusing on good writing rather than bad writing, strong craft rather than weak craft, helps to shift the focus towards what good writers do well and away from the mistakes made by poor writers. (Gallagher, 2011)

2. Provides a model for students:

Mentor sentences model how grammar skills are used to make meaning and improve the craft of writing. (Zuidema, 2012)

3. Offers an inquiry-based approach:

Using mentor sentences offers an inquiry approach for students to notice grammar rules. (Weaver, 1996)

4. Inspires students to imitate:

Mentor sentences encourage and inspire students to imitate the example texts using their own ideas. As a result, you will see your students writing improve. (Shubitz, 2016)

Rather than weigh our students down with terms and rules at the beginning of a grammar lesson, mentor sentences allow our students to discover how authors use grammar to communicate meaning and improve their craft. This approach inspires our students to improve their writing by applying these same skills!

So let’s re-work the exercise from above for a lesson on proper nouns. Try introducing your lesson like this:

Directions: What do you notice in the sentence below?
Mr. Tanen is the principal of the Lynnhurst Elementary School.

Steps for this Mini-Lesson:

• Read aloud the mentor sentence with your students.
• Ask your students what they notice in this sentence. Allow adequate time for your students to think before discussing their observations. They are free to notice anything related to grammar or writing, even if it’s outside the targeted grammar skill.
• Guide your students into a discussion about how authors capitalize specific names and how these specific names (proper nouns) add meaning and clarity to the text.

HOW DO MENTOR SENTENCES ENHANCE STUDENT ENGAGEMENT?

When you use mentor sentences, your students’ mindsets about grammar will completely shift. Here are some of the mindset shifts you can expect to see: 

• Students will be inspired to write and improve their craft rather than see grammar as a subject to be mastered.
• They will be excited and confident in writing rather than afraid and embarrassed.
• They will apply grammar in their writing rather than only perform well on isolated activities.
• They will be engaged rather than bored!

Using mentor sentences will reinforce quality writing and help your students see grammar as a tool to make meaning in their writing. Your students will no longer be bored and disengaged, but inspired to apply grammar in their writing!

CAN I SEE AN EXAMPLE OF A MENTOR LESSON IN ACTION?

Check out this short video where I explain how you could introduce your students to proper nouns with a mentor sentence.

Full-Year Grammar Curriculums with Mentor Sentences

Are you interested in an authentic full-year grammar curriculum that uses mentor sentences and other authentic writing activities to teach grammar? Choose your grade level to learn more!

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