Night in the Country

Cynthia Rylant's book has wonderful, rich language. I have been using it in with Barb Sauter's first graders to teach visualization. The writing helps the reader actually imagine the sights and sounds of a night in the country. This story could easily be used during Reader's Workshop when teaching connections, questioning, or inferences. The descriptive language also makes it a great mentor text during Writer's Workshop.

Hello Ocean

Hello Ocean by Pam Munoz Ryan is a great mentor text for visiualizing. It has many sensory details that helps us "see" the ocean through our mind's eye. This is also a great text for teaching the five senses, rhyming words, and descriptive writing.