Text Structures From the Masters: 50 Lessons and Nonfiction Mentor Texts to Help Students Write Their Way In and Read Their Way Out of Every Single Imaginable Genre, Grades 6-10

Text Structures from the Masters provides 50 short texts written by famous Americans driven by what Peter Elbow described as “an itch” to say something. By examining the structure of these mentor texts, students see that they too have an “itch” and learn how to use the text structure of each document to express it.

Each 4-page lesson includes:

• A planning sheet that shows the structure of the mentor text
• Brainstorming boxes 
• A method for “kernelizing” (outlining) their own essay
• Student examples