How do mentor texts help students in their writing?

Before I start posting lesson ideas, I wanted to give some background information on how powerful and dynamic mentor texts can be on young students and their writing. I have included two videos of teacher trainers explaining to groups of teachers the importance and significance of mentor texts. My first grade students love to think that they are going to be an author. Now, they can be an author just like...(fill in any author's name). It helps them make connections to skills that are actually used by authors. First graders love to be like adults and using these connections to some of their favorite authors can really influence how they write.

The first video describes how you could use a short passage from a text to influence "saying more" or adding details to writing. The literacy consultant does a fabulous job explaining how to use the story My Steps in Writers Workshop.

The next video describes multiple texts that you could use and how these authors can teach students about different writing crafts, skills, or concepts. The chosen mentor books are focused for 2nd and 3rd grade, but you can adjust them to your needs at your grade level.

The whole goal of using mentor texts is to get the students to look at the author as a teacher and model for their writing. You want your students to apply the skills and techniques the chosen authors use and apply them into their own writing. It is not to explain how they use them for reading. The focus should be how can they be just like that writer in their own writing.