Using Mentor Texts to Teach Argumentative Writing through Writing Conferences

Abstract

Poor student performance of writing skills has caused many teachers in America to focus more closely on teaching writing. In fact, the Common Core State Standards emphasize the importance of writing skills in elementary education. A case study with a teacher and 1 student was conducted to investigate how direct instruction impacted a student’s ability to write argumentative texts on her own. The student wrote an initial argument paragraph before the study, during the study and another argumentative paragraph after the study was completed. Mentor texts were used for instruction throughout the study to find how they impacted a student’s ability to write argumentative writing. The results of this study showed that direction instruction using mentor texts positively impacted a student’s ability to write argumentatively.