Reading+as+a+Writer+-+Ideas

[|Corbett Harrison] defines an **idea mentor text** as "a published piece of writing whose unique idea or topic can be discussed, appreciated, then used to inspire similar but original ideas from students. For example, if you like the idea of the automatic donut-making machine in Robert McCloskey's __Homer Price__ . . ., then it's quite easy to convince students they should write about other automatic machines and put them into original stories. A good mentor text with a good idea helps students who are working on the idea development trait."
 * =Reading as a Writer -- Guiding Questions for Ideas=
 * Where do you think the author got his or her ideas for this story?
 * Does the author know his or her subject well?
 * Do you think that this was a good topic to write about? (Was it a good idea?) Why or why not?
 * What unique or different ideas did he present in his writing?
 * Is the writing interesting? What makes it interesting? Or, if you don't find the writing interesting what could the writer have done to make it more interesting?
 * What details did the author include to make his or her ideas more interesting ore easier to understand?
 * Why did an author include a particular idea or detail?
 * =Suggested Mentor Texts for Ideas and Content=
 * Available in the New Hope Library
 * Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
 * The Honest-to-Goodness Truth by Patricia McKissack
 * The Patchwork Quilt by Valerie Flournoy
 * The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
 * All the Places to Love by Patricia MacLachlan
 * Edward and the Pirates by David McPhail
 * When Sophie Gets Angry -- Really, Really Angry
 * Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin
 * Corbett Harrison's [|Diary of a Worm Lesson Plan] from [|Writing Fix]
 * Additional Suggestions (If you borrow one of these from the public library and would like to see it added to the New Hope Collection, please request from Mrs. Carter)
 * Whoever You Are by Mem Fox
 * Who is the Beast? by Keith Baker
 * What You Know First by Patricia MacLachlan
 * Sidewalk Circus by Paul Fleischman and Kevin Hawkes
 * The Perfect Pet by Margie Palatini
 * I'm in Charge of Celebrations by Bryd Baylor
 * Baghead by Jarrett J. Krosoczka