Keywords
mentor texts, writing class, student writers, classroom writing, writing instruction
Submission Type
Research
Preview
I was teaching a writing class and students were writing research-based papers, an expectation of the course and one that met several learning standards. I understood the course expectations, but I wanted to move away from the traditional, school-based "research paper," a genre I disliked reading and students disliked writing, to a genre I was willing to read and one that exists in the real world: TED talks. I thought that if we focused on informational TED talks, we would meet the expectations for the course but also create a more interesting and transferable learning experience for them and-I hoped-one that would be fun for all of us to learn from. The students seemed excited by the idea, so that was a plus.
Recommended Citation
Dean, Deborah
(2022)
"When Mentor Texts Fail, Build More Bridges,"
The Utah English Journal: Vol. 50, Article 4.
Available at:
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/uej/vol50/iss1/4