It’s really important to have great mentor texts for small moments as you plan out this writing unit. It can be challenging for young writers to focus in on one small moment in time. Many kids tend to write the same way they tell stories. They can go on and on, and are often distracted by unrelated tangents.
Been there?
👉 Tip: One of my favorite ways to show the small-moment-non-example is to verbally share one of my own stories where I go on and on about everything I did from the moment I got up until the moment I went back to bed. We call these “bed to bed” stories. At first the kids think it’s pretty silly, but then they start to get bored (and a little annoyed) which is exactly the feeling I want them to have.
Want to make an even bigger impact? Model writing your bed-to-bed story on chart paper in front of them. It will be super long and you’ll get confused and your hand will get sooo tired (be dramatic here). This can be very effective.
Mentor Texts for Small Moments
#1: Salt Hands by Jane Chelsea Aragon
This is hands-down my favorite book for teaching children how to write about small moments. It’s perfect because…
- it focuses on ONE small moment in time
- it’s written in the first person
- the author uses descriptive language
In this story, a little girl hears something rustling outside her window and discovers it’s a deer. The author does a really great job slowing down this moment between the girl and the deer and tells about how she quietly tiptoes toward it with a handful of salt. Once the deer licks the salt from her hands, he turns and heads back out of her yard. And … the end. Yep, that’s it. It’s perfect. And I promise you’ll be able to use this text to model so many other qualities of good writing such as details, transitions, strong verbs, emotions, setting descriptions, leads, endings, and pace.
👉 Tip: If you teach K-1 children, I recommend choosing a book written in the first person. This gives the kids a model that sounds like the kind of writing you’ll want them to do. Being developmentally self-centered at this age, it’s natural for young children to use the pronoun “I” in their stories, so texts that are written in the third person can be confusing and counterintuitive.
#2: The Big Big Sea by Martin Waddell
This book is a close second to Salt Hands. Again, the author uses the pronouns “I” and “we” throughout the text to tell the story of a little girl and her mother sharing a tender moment by the sea beneath the moonlight. Near the end of the story, the little girl gets cold, so her Mama carries her back home where they snuggle by the fire and fall asleep.
More Mentor Texts for Small Moments
#3: Owl Moon by Jane Yolen
#4: Fireflies by Julie Brinckloe
#5: Shortcut by Donald Crews
#6: Rollercoaster by Marla Frazee
#7: Blackout by John Rocco
#8: The Underbed by Cathryn Clinton Hoellwarth
All of these titles are great examples of small moments, but not all are written in the first person and some are longer than others. Preview each one before making your decisions. I think the age and attention span of your students are important to consider as you choose the best mentor texts for your unit.
Happy teaching!
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