Sources
“§ 38–2901. Definitions.” D.C. Law Library. Accessed July 13, 2025. https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/38-2901.
This is the District of Columbia code defining the term “at-risk” for public school students.
Bunn, Mike. “How to Read Like a Writer.” Essay. In Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing 2, edited by Charles Lowe and Pavel Zemliansky, 2:71–86. Anderson, South Carolina: Parlor Press, 2011.
This article describes in detail what it means to read like a writer and I plan to use an excerpt of this with my students to read and annotate for understanding.
Christensen, Linda. Reading, writing, and rising up: Teaching about social justice and the power of the written word. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Rethinking Schools, 2017.
This book discusses how to use mentor texts with students and how to run a writer's workshop using "read arounds." It also gives helpful information about ways to brainstorm teaching childhood narratives.
Clark, Christina, and Anne Teravainen-Goff. 2018. “Mental Wellbeing, Reading and Writing How Children and Young People’s Mental Wellbeing Is Related to Their Reading and Writing Experiences.” https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED593894.pdf.
This study considers the impact of writing well on children’s and adolescents’ well-being.
Culham, Ruth. 6 + 1 traits of writing: The Complete Guide. New York, New York: Scholastic Professional Books, 2003.
This book is the definitive guide to the 6+1 traits of writing and includes definitions, rubrics, lesson ideas, and student examples.
Culham, Ruth. Traits of writing: The Complete Guide for Middle School. New York, NY: Scholastic, 2010.
This book is also written by Ruth Culham, but specifically focuses on Middle School writers and includes some useful tips about writing conferences.
Davis, Viola. Finding me. New York, New York: HarperOne, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2023.
This is Viola Davis’ memoir about her life from elementary school through present and I will be using several excerpts of it as mentor texts for my students. I do need to redact some words in it due to the use of profanity, but the stories are poignant and beautifully written.
“Expanding and Strengthening Vocabulary and Word Knowledge.” WIDA, January 2024. https://wida.wisc.edu/resources/resource-snapshot/expanding-and-strengthening-vocabulary-and-word-knowledge.
This website gives suggestions about vocabulary acquisition for multilingual learners.
Glatch, Sean. “Get Literary: How to Read like a Writer.” Writers.com, June 16, 2023. https://writers.com/how-to-read-like-a-writer.
This post on writers.com further defines in simpler terms what it means to read like a writers.
Hammond, Zaretta. Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor Among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin, 2015.
This book explores brain science and culturally relevant teaching practices that make learning “sticky” for all students.
Klinkenborg, Verlyn. Several short sentences about writing. New York: Vintage Books, a division of Random House, Inc, 2013.
This book teaches a writer how to be better at sharing their thoughts clearly and profoundly. I have read the entire book and pulled excerpts about the importance of reading like a writer, ways to explore word choice, and less prescriptive means of thinking about transitions.
Noah, Trevor. Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood. Grand Haven, MI: Brilliance Audio, Inc, 2016.
This memoir describes Trevor Noah’s experiences growing up in South Africa during and after apartheid. I will be using chapter 1, “RUN,” as one of the mentor texts due to Noah’s unique approach to presenting the story.
Ogle, Rex. Free Lunch. New York, New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc, 2021.
This memoir describes Rex Ogle’s sixth grade year as part of the free lunch program. I will be using several vignettes from here as mentor texts for my students.
“School Profiles Home.” 2017. Dc.gov. 2017. https://profiles.dcps.dc.gov/MacFarland+Middle+School.
Demographic data and test scores from MacFarland Middle school are available here.
Zamora, Javier. Solito: A Memoir. London: Hogarth, 2023.
Javier Zamora’s memoir is full of beautiful writing. I will use at least two excerpts of this book with my students as mentor texts.
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