1. Through mentor sentences, you can intrigue students and subconsciously get them interested in books. A single sentence can cause students to wonder and predict what it means in the context of a story.

2. Sentences in real writing and real books are messy. They don’t always fit a perfect mold like sentences on a grammar worksheet or workbook. Students can memorize a predictable pattern on a grammar worksheet, but by using mentor sentences, students are going to internalize, transfer, and apply these grammar concepts in their own writing.

3. Mentor sentences expose students to quality writing and inspire them to try out techniques used by their favorite authors in their writing.

4. Instead of standing up in front of the class and lecturing about grammar rules and telling students, “It’s just the way it is” in reference to memorizing grammar rules, you can stand up in front of the class and say, “Let’s look at what R.J. Palacio, Kate DiCamillo, or Lois Lowry does in this sentence.”

5. Looking at mentor sentences from several books/authors proves to students that grammar rules are applied in a similar fashion in order for writers to communicate effectively with readers.

6. When we appreciate the way authors craft sentences together and take the time to study how and why they write, we, as writers, will intentionally and automatically think more like the authors we study.

OUR CLASSROOM EXAMPLES:

#1- Sarah's hands were cold and clammy.

#2- Dad dished up three plates, side by side, with big pieces of pie and giant scoops of ice cream.

#3- Every Saturday she had hot biscuits, sweet butter, and Golden Eagle Syrup waiting on the kitchen table.