I recently finished reading Jeff Anderson’s wonderful Mechanically Inclined.  He offers a smart, systematic approach to introducing grammar and usage into writer’s workshop. For me, one of the true gems of the book is a focus on mentor sentences.

A sentence can say so much. In countless fiction books, one sentence often crystalizes an idea to drive home the author’s point. I often tell my students when I read a gorgeous sentence, I go back to look at the words, at the construction because even though I know all the words…I would not have thought to string them together in that fashion. Great writers are artists and we need to appreciate their art. But equally important, students need to study mentor sentences so they can grow as writers.

For the past month I have been collecting sentences to share with my students. With some sentences I have a lesson idea in mind. With other sentences I am eager for the students to help me uncover what makes the line memorable. Sometimes, I will share a string of two or three sentences because the magic is in how the sentences work together.

As Anderson points out, looking at a sentence takes a short amount of time but the rewards can be bountiful.  Good mentor sentences help students examine author’s craft. Why did the author use a comma? Why that particular adjective? After all, good writers use grammar and style to speak to the reader. The construction of a sentence is at the heart of meaning.

My students will start looking at sentences the first week.  My mentor sentences will lead to students finding their own powerful sentences to share with the rest of us. Then, students can use these guides to polish their own writing.

Here are some of the beauties I found in my reading so far this summer:

“I had heard of Billie Holiday, the jazz and blues singer, but I’d never really listened to her sing. Her voice mixed with the music like molasses with warm butter.”                                                                                                Jack, Navigating Early (p. 63)

“Humans have so many words, more than they truly need.”                      Ivan, The One and Only Ivan (p.143)

“The energy inside the factory was palpable. Machinery clacked and wheezed. Wheels and cogs married.”                                                           Echo (p59)

“Had father not been holding him, he too might have floated away on the wind, like a dandelion’s white-seeded parachutes.”                            Friedrich, Echo (p.58)

“Hirohito tried to show no change in his face, but he was changing on the inside, where people change when they’re sad or angry.”                Delphine, One Crazy Summer (p. 123)

“The long grass of the dunes tossed its brown seed heads. The smaller pebbles, the ones that were almost sand, skittered across the beach.”  Circus Mirandus (p. 33-34)

“You’d see the shiny, crow-black hair that hung smooth as paper from the top of her head to the bottoms of her earlobes. And you’d see the petite — pixieish, Miss Mallory called the — features of her face.”                                 A Tangle of Knots (p. 13-14)

“At the beginning of summer it always feels like there’s so much time ahead: whole empty calendar pages of sunshine, warm sea breezes, midnight thunderstorms, and running barefoot in the grass.”                   Lily, A Handful of Stars (p. 96)

Now, finding great mentor sentences is like discovering sea glass on an early morning beach walk. I know I have found something shining that I can’t wait to show to others.

Happy sentence hunting!

Some lessons in life strike so deep and so true that it is easy to return to the moment.  A couple of years ago I had a student (let’s call him Jonah) who loved books.  Jonah wanted to be part of any conversation about books. He asked friends for recommendations, listened eagerly whenever anyone talked books and kept a “to read” list that was pages long.

In addition to being a book lover, Jonah was a well-liked classmate — always sensitive and encouraging with everyone in the room. It was impossible not to like Jonah.

Our classroom library is fairly large (1,500 books or so) and students are encouraged to read away.  The classroom library belongs to the students and the guidelines for library management are reset with each year’s class. During Jonah’s year the students agreed that to ensure everyone had a chance to read the hottest titles in the classroom, we establish a “three books at a time” limit.  Most of my 100 or so students had at least two or three books checked out regularly. It was wonderful to see the classroom library so well used.

Of course there were always exceptions to the book limit.  If we were heading into a holiday break, students could grab extra books and if a student read quickly everyone was fine with that student checking out the next three or four books in a series.

As the school year progressed, Jonah kept checking out more and more books.  He always assured classmates that he was bringing a couple back the next day but he just had to start the book in his hand. No one objected.

Late in the year I pulled Jonah aside and noted he had a fair number of books out. Fortunately, Jonah’s classmates had filed out of the room before he responded.

In a quiet voice, Jonah said, “Ms. Sanderson I know I have a number of books checked out. I have a small shelf at home next to my bed and it is so exciting to look over and see my own bookshelf filled…I have always wanted my own little collection and having these books all together makes me so happy. I have never had my own books.”

“I will be sure to bring books back tomorrow. Part of me feels bad for keeping these books since I have already read some of them,” Jonah added with his head down.

Jonah is a reader, a true reader and he had never had his own books. For him, happiness is a small shelf filled with books next to his bed. Being a reader is part of his self-definition.

As I look around my own house I know that the things I collect – the things I hold dear – say a lot about who I am and what I value. At twelve, Jonah made a statement loud and clear about what he values.

I told Jonah to leave the books right where they were. I told him the books had found a rightful home and my personal library was filled with gift books too. That afternoon I went to the bookstore and replaced the titles that had now become part of Jonah’s library.

It makes me happy to think about Jonah and his bookshelf. It makes me appreciate the books stacked on my own bedside table. Thanks in part to Jonah I will never take books for granted…isn’t that a gift?

As August winds down, I find myself waking up earlier and earlier.  I head out to my porch with a cup of coffee, the computer and pages of notes.  You see these days my mind is buzzing with ideas for the start of school. I have designed and redesigned the first week’s activities. My blackboard site has a new look and I am planning a twitter future for my classes!

Summer is the perfect time to refresh and revitalize oneself.  But, as I approach a new school year I am mindful that busy days are ahead.  Before I meet my new students I am making a pledge to find the time each day to reflect on my daily teaching practices. What did the students learn? Is there a better way to share the information? How is the class community growing?

As I set up my classroom I will make room for a very short list of reflective questions next to my chair.  Additionally, I will set aside time to answer these questions each day.  Planning lessons ahead is wise but adhering to plans without taking into account the interaction of students is foolhardy.  I can’t wait to see how my focus on reflection changes my teaching.

I am so thankful for the quiet days of summer. I hope to find moments of summer at the end of each teaching day.

This week I traveled a bit to visit family.  I took a stack of books with me and happy to say I read some wonderful texts. For the last few weeks I have been spoiled with lots of time to read on my back screen porch. Travel cut down my reading volume but it was fun to curl up with a good book at my sister’s house.  Added bonus, book shopping in New York!

Here is my list from this week:

 At TCRWP’s Reading Institute last summer Kylene Beers was the keynote speaker.  She shared the principles of Notice & Note and I loved the thinking. Throughout the year, I have flirted around the edges of this book and finally sat down to dig deeper into these strategies.  I look forward to implement the signposts in my classroom this year. I recommend the book to any teacher running reading workshop…so practical. 4 out of 5 stars.

 I love the Beaumont family Ingrid Law created in Savvy.  At some point most kids dream about the magic power they would possess if only such things existed.  Well in this lovely story, the Beaumont children each discover their magic or savvy on the thirteenth birthday.  The reader rides along on the big pink bus in this adventure as Mibs Beaumont discovers her savvy.  My students will love this one! 4 out of 5 stars.

 Lauren Castillo draws gorgeous pictures. I would love to cover the walls of my family room with her color saturated drawings.  The Troublemaker gives the reader clues on every page…who is the real troublemaker in this lovely picture book? Read it and decide. 4 out of 5 stars.

 So I went on a mini-binge with Lauren Castillo this week.  I think The Reader will be one of my first read alouds with my 6th grade students during workshop this year.  Amy Hest does a masterful job of creating a perfect reading spot — even in the midst of a winter snow. I can’t wait to hear my students share about their ideal reading spot. 5 out of 5 stars.

If you have not met Ben Hatke’s Zita the Spacegirl yet, you should. Hatke has created a graphic novel trilogy that marries adventure, fantasy and compelling writing.  I am always looking for strong graphic novels and I know my students will love the whole series. 5 out of 5 stars.

 This is an unusual book. Written in the tone of a folktale, West of the Moon tells the story of two sisters who are left with uncaring relatives after their mother dies.  The girls desperately want to join their father in America. The book is a bit hard to follow in the early going but by the end of the book, the reader has no trouble following and rooting for the sisters. I will be curious to see how my 6th grade readers react to the book. 3 out of 5 stars.

Have a great reading week!