Reading Like Writers

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Creating Spaces for Powerful Writing and Writers | Reading Like Writers | Writing as Response

What does it mean to “read like a writer”? It means something like “steal like an artist.” (Austin Kleon)

The National Writing Project and Georgia Writing Projects have long histories of using mentor texts to support all ages of writers to hone their writing craft (Atwell, 2014; Calkins, 1994; Fletcher, 2013; Ray, 1999; Smith, 1983). The books sitting on your classroom shelves can help you teach writing craft (Ray, 1999). Use these books as idea starters and springboards for writing, but don’t stop there. You can help students discover the craft of authors by studying the techniques they use that draw us into their writing and allow their words to linger in our minds, long after we have closed the pages of the book.