We have all been there. You are preparing to teach a small moment writing unit. However, you need a mentor text to help your students understand what they will be learning throughout the unit.
I have spent years searching through libraries and countless websites to find the JUST RIGHT mentor text to teach small moment writing. I am pleased to share my list of the best mentor texts for teaching small moments!
The Importance of Mentor Texts
Mentor texts are crucial for helping students understand the writing process. Mentor texts can serve as an example of good writing for student writers. They introduce students to craft moves they can study and use in their writing. The goal of using mentor texts is to provide students with a model they could emulate in crafting their own written pieces.
So, finding the right mentor text for teaching small moments and launching your small moment writing unit does not have to be complicated. I have put together a list of 41 Small Moment Mentor Texts to help you get your students writing across pages in no time!
41 Small Moment Mentor Texts
A Moment in Time (Jennifer Butenas)
Baby Goes to Market (Atinuke and Angela Brooksbank)
Bibbity Bop, Barber Shop (Natasha Anastasia Tarpley)
The Big Big Sea (Martin Waddell)
Blackout (John Rocco)
Come On, Rain! (Karen Hesse)
The Dandelion Seed (Joseph Anthony)
Extra Yarn (Marc Barnett, Jon Klassen)
Flying Over Brooklyn (Myron Uhlberg)
Fireflies (Julie Brinckloe)
Freedom Soup (Tami Charles)
Hair Love (Matthew A. Cherry)
Hike (Pete Oswald)
Jabari Jumps (Gaia Cornwell)
Jamaica’s Find (Juanita Havill)
Joshua’s Night Whispers (Angela Johnson)
Kitchen Dance (Maurie J. Manning)
Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale (Mo Willems)
The Leaving Morning (Angela Johnson)
Lost and Found Cat (Doug Kuntz and Amy Shrodes)
Mr. George Baker (Amy Hest)
My Night in the Planetarium (by Innosanto Nagara)
Night of the Veggie Monster (by George McClements)
Night Shift Daddy (by Eileen Spinelli)
Nothing Ever Happens on 90th Street (by Roni Schotter)
Owl Moon (by Jane Yolen)
The Paperboy (by Dav Pilkey)
Red Rubber Boot Day (by Mary Lyn Rae)
Roller Coaster (by Maria Frazee)
Salt Hands (by Jane Chelsea Aragon)
Saturdays and Teacakes (by Lester Laminack)
Sheila Rae’s Peppermint Stick (by Kevin Henkes)
Shhh! We Have a Plan (by Chris Haughton)
Shortcut (by Donald Crews)
The Snowy Day (by Ezra Jack Keats)
Thunder Cake (by Patricia Polacco)
Tiny, Perfect Things (by M.H. Clark)
Twister! (by Darleen Bailey Beard)
The Underbed (by Cathryn Clinton Hoellwarth)
The Wall (by Eve Bunting)
Wemberly’s Ice Cream Star (by Kevin Henkes)
Great! Now you have one (or two) mentor texts to start teaching small moments. If you are looking for strategies and tips to start teaching small moment writing, check out the articles below.