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Mentor Text Lessons: Picture Books
inspiring students to write like their favorite picture book authors

How did this collection of free-to-use lessons come about? In 2005, WritingFix and the Northern Nevada Writing Project received a generous grant that helped begin the very popular lesson collection you will find on this page. The $25,000 SBC Grant, acquired with the help of the Washoe Education Foundation, allowed us to create and host a very different kind of inservice class for one-hundred Northern Nevada teachers, and that inservice created this page.

Members of the Northern Nevada Writing Project's Technology Team showcased seven favorite picture book lessons to the lucky 100 teachers who signed up first, then gave away 100 copies of each of the picture books so that participants could teach the lessons back in their classrooms. At the inservice's end, each of the 100 participants brought in a different picture book to share, and wrote a brief proposal for a 6-trait lesson inspired by their books. The best of those proposals became the lessons you can find on this page.

The Picture Books Inservice continues in Northern Nevada. Each year under the instruction of Kim Polson, the Northern Nevada Writing Project offers a variation of its original 2005 Picture Book Inservice. Instead of giving away picture books (since the grant is exhausted), we give all class participants a copy of the NNWP's awesome print resource--The Going Deep with 6 Trait Language Guide (pictured at right) Our picture book inservice remains highly popular, and each year we try to add up to five new lessons here from the most recent class's participants.

"Your Picture Books inservice is--by far--the most valuable class I have ever taken as a teacher. Thank you for making me re-examine the way I talk about picture books with my students!"

--Stacy McCormick, Nevada teacher

Please enjoy these free lessons from WritingFix. If you notice we're missing a student sample of a certain grade level, contact us. We might be able to arrange sending you a new book in exchange for your help in getting one of your students published on-line.

Propose your own Picture Book Lesson! Join our WritingFix Family!

Propose your own picture book-inspired lesson to be posted at WritingFix! Below are our two templates for picture book-inspired lessons. Here is our template for K-3rd grade teachers' lessons. Here is our template for 4th-12th grade teachers' lessons. If we end up using your lesson at WritingFix, we will send you any two of the NNWP's Print Resources as our way of saying thank-you for sharing your ideas with the thousands of teachers who use this website.

Want a lesson e-mailed to you every month?

Join our Writing Lesson of the Month Ning by clicking here, and start enjoying this free feature.

Looking for books that inspire student writing?


Click here to see our favorite books.

New Picture Book Lesson
(Click on the image to access a newly posted lesson)


Lesson Title:
"Oh, That's Good!" "No, That's Bad!"

For Which Trait are you Seeking a Lesson?

Our 6 Most Popular Picture Book-inspired Idea Development Lessons

Lesson: Using 90th Street's Advice

Mentor Text: Nothing Ever Happens on 90th Street by Roni Schotter

Focus Trait: Idea Development
Support Trait: Word Choice

Lesson: Silly Animal Problems

Mentor Text: Dog Breath by Dav Pilkey

Focus Trait: Idea Development
Support Trait: Organization

Lesson: Unique Imaginary Friends

Mentor Text: Ted by Tony DiTerlizzi

Focus Trait: Idea Development
Support Trait: Word Choice

Click on the lesson's title or the book thumbnail to read an overview and to access the entire lesson and its resources, including student samples and graphic organizers.

Lesson: Rolling with the Animals

Mentor Text: Duck on a Bike by David Shannon

Focus Trait: Idea Development
Support Trait: Organization

Lesson: What Got Stolen?

Mentor Text: Grandpa's Teeth by Rod Clement

Focus Trait: Idea Development
Support Trait: Organization

Lesson: Top Secret Rule Reasons

Mentor Text: The Secret Knowledge of Grown-ups by David Wisniewski

Focus Trait: Idea Development
Support Trait: Voice

Click on the lesson's title or the book thumbnail to read an overview and to access the entire lesson and its resources, including student samples and graphic organizers.

More for Idea Development

Focus on Idea Development!

Visit WritingFix's Idea Development Homepage for dozens more lessons, prompts, and resources that focus on this very important writing trait.

We have even more picture book lessons at our Poetry Lesson Collection.

More idea development-focused picture book lessons:

Lessons for K-2nd Grade!

Visit WritingFix's The Six Traits and Primary Writers Homepage for trait-inspired lessons specifically for the primary grades.

     


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Our 6 Most Popular Picture Book-inspired Organization Lessons

Lesson: A Scientific Mishap

Mentor Text: Dogzilla by Dav Pilkey

Focus Trait: Organization
Support Trait: Idea Development

Lesson: Floating Down a River

Mentor Text: Daisy Comes Home by Jan Brett

Focus Trait: Organization
Support Trait: Idea Development

Lesson: Three-Meal Weather

Mentor Text: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi & Ron Barrett

Focus Trait: Organization
Support Trait: Word Choice

Click on the lesson's title or the book thumbnail to read an overview and to access the entire lesson and its resources, including student samples and graphic organizers.

Lesson: Between Repeated Catch Phrases

Mentor Text: Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst

Focus Trait: Organization
Support Trait: Sentence Fluency

Lesson: Weird Animal Adventures

Mentor Text: Tuesday by David Wiesner

Focus Trait: Organization
Support Trait: Idea Development

Lesson: Powerful First Paragraphs

Mentor Text: Brave Margaret by Robert De San Souci

Focus Trait: Organization
Support Trait: Idea Development

Click on the lesson's title or the book thumbnail to read an overview and to access the entire lesson and its resources, including student samples and graphic organizers.

More for Organization

Focus on Organization!

Visit WritingFix's Organization Homepage for dozens more lessons, prompts, and resources that focus on this very important writing trait.

We have even more picture book lessons at our Poetry Lesson Collection.

More organization-focused picture book lessons:

Lessons for K-2nd Grade!

Visit WritingFix's The Six Traits and Primary Writers Homepage for trait-inspired lessons specifically for the primary grades.

     

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Our 6 Most Popular Picture Book-inspired Voice Lessons

Lesson: Start with What Isn't There

Mentor Text: Caves by Stephen Kramer

Focus Trait: Voice
Support Trait: Word Choice

Lesson: Interjected Emotions!

Mentor Text: No David! by David Shannon

Focus Trait: Voice
Support Trait: Conventions

Lesson: I Wanna [Something]

Mentor Text: I Wanna Iguana by Karen Kaufmann Orloff

Focus Trait: Voice
Support Trait: Word Choice

Click on the lesson's title or the book thumbnail to read an overview and to access the entire lesson and its resources, including student samples and graphic organizers.

Lesson: Giving Voice to Opposites

Mentor Text: I Am the Dog I Am the Cat by Donald Hall

Focus Trait: Voice
Support Trait: Idea Development

Lesson: "Just the Facts, Ma'am."

Mentor Text: The Web Files by Margie Palatini

Focus Trait: Voice
Support Trait: Conventions

Lesson: Unusual Friendly Letters

Mentor Text: Dear Mrs. LaRue: Letters from Obedience School by Mark Teague

Focus Trait: Voice
Support Trait: Word Choice

 

Click on the lesson's title or the book thumbnail to read an overview and to access the entire lesson and its resources, including student samples and graphic organizers.

More for Voice

Focus on Voice!

Visit WritingFix's Voice Homepage for dozens more lessons, prompts, and resources that focus on this very important writing trait.

We have even more picture book lessons at our Poetry Lesson Collection.

More voice-focused picture book lessons:

Lessons for K-2nd Grade!

Visit WritingFix's The Six Traits and Primary Writers Homepage for trait-inspired lessons specifically for the primary grades.

     

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Our 6 Most Popular Picture Book-inspired Word Choice Lessons

Lesson: An Onomatopoetic Field Trip!

Mentor Text: Rattletrap Car by Phyllis Root

Focus Trait: Word Choice
Support Trait: Idea Development

Lesson: Perspective Paragraphs

Mentor Text: Tough Boris by Mem Fox

Focus Trait: Word Choice
Support Trait: Voice

Lesson: Hoot and Howl...

Mentor Text: Halloween Hoots and Howls by Joan Horton

Focus Trait: Word Choice
Support Trait: Conventions

Click on the lesson's title or the book thumbnail to read an overview and to access the entire lesson and its resources, including student samples and graphic organizers.

Lesson: Details and Vocabulary...

Mentor Text: Tulip Sees America by Cynthia Rylant

Focus Trait: Word Choice
Support Trait: Idea Development

Lesson: Alliterative Insects

Mentor Text: Clara Caterpillar by Pamela Duncan Brown

Focus Trait: Word Choice
Support Trait: Idea Development

Lesson: Haiku Riddles

Mentor Text: If Not for the Cat by Jack Prelutsky

Focus Trait: Word Choice
Support Trait: Idea Development

Click on the lesson's title or the book thumbnail to read an overview and to access the entire lesson and its resources, including student samples and graphic organizers.

More for Word Choice

Focus on Word Choice!

Visit WritingFix's Word Choice Homepage for dozens more lessons, prompts, and resources that focus on this very important writing trait.

We have even more picture book lessons at our Poetry Lesson Collection.

More word choice-focused picture book lessons:

Lessons for K-2nd Grade!

Visit WritingFix's The Six Traits and Primary Writers Homepage for trait-inspired lessons specifically for the primary grades.

     

Back to the top of the page

Our 6 Most Popular Picture Book-inspired Sentence Fluency Lessons

Lesson: Special Days or Places to Love

Mentor Text: All the Places to Love by Patricia MacLachlan

Focus Trait: Sentence Fluency
Support Trait: Idea Development

Lesson: Combining with Participial Phrases

Mentor Text: Dancing in the Wings by Debbie Allen

Focus Trait: Sentence Fluency
Support Trait: Conventions

 

Lesson: Counting Sentences' Words

Mentor Text: Owl Moon by Jane Yolen

Focus Trait: Sentence Fluency
Support Trait: Organization

Click on the lesson's title or the book thumbnail to read an overview and to access the entire lesson and its resources, including student samples and graphic organizers.

Lesson: School Song Parodies

Mentor Text: Take Me Out of the Bathtub and other Silly Dilly Songs by Alan Katz

Focus Trait: Sentence Fluency
Support Trait: Idea Development

 

Lesson: Impersonating Great Poets

Mentor Text: Science Verse by Jon Scieszka

Focus Trait: Sentence Fluency
Support Trait: Idea Development

 

Lesson: Ain't Gonna Rain No More

Mentor Text: I Ain't Gonna Paint No More! by Karen Beaumont

Focus Trait: Sentence Fluency
Support Trait: Word Choice

 

Click on the lesson's title or the book thumbnail to read an overview and to access the entire lesson and its resources, including student samples and graphic organizers.

More for Sentence Fluency

Focus on Sentence Fluency!

Visit WritingFix's Sentence Fluency Homepage for dozens more lessons, prompts, and resources that focus on this very important writing trait.

We have even more picture book lessons at our Poetry Lesson Collection.

More sentence fluency-focused picture book lessons:

Lessons for K-2nd Grade!

Visit WritingFix's The Six Traits and Primary Writers Homepage for trait-inspired lessons specifically for the primary grades.

     

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Our Featured Conventions Lessons inspired by Picture Books

Lesson: A Conventional Family

Mentor Text: Punctuation Takes a Vacation by Robin Pulver

Focus Trait: Conventions
Support Trait: Idea Development

Lesson: Interjections and Questions

Mentor Text: Yo! Yes! by Chris Raschka

Focus Trait: Conventions
Support Trait: Voice

This lesson is undergoing revisions! Check back soon.

Lesson: Dialogue Stories from Wordless Books

Mentor Text: Good Dog, Carl by Alexander Day

Focus Trait: Conventions
Support Trait: Idea Development

This lesson is undergoing revisions! Check back soon.

Click on the lesson's title or the book thumbnail to read an overview and to access the entire lesson and its resources, including student samples and graphic organizers.

More for Conventions

Focus on Conventions!

Visit WritingFix's Conventions Homepage for more lessons, prompts, and resources that focus on this very important writing trait.

We have even more picture book lessons at our Poetry Lesson Collection.

 

Lessons for K-2nd Grade!

Visit WritingFix's The Six Traits and Primary Writers Homepage for trait-inspired lessons specifically for the primary grades.

     

Back to the top of the page

 

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