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Mentor texts are pieces of literature that you—both teacher and student— can return to and reread for many different purposes. They are texts to be studied and imitated. Mentor texts help students to take risks and be different writers tomorrow than they are today. It helps them to try out new strategies and formats. They should be texts that students can relate to and can even read independently or with some support (para. 3).

Mentor texts are used by primary school teachers as they model how proficient readers use various reading strategies and skills in reading lessons. They are selected and held up as examples of high-quality writing of any genre to be celebrated and emulated in writing lessons. And they are explored, analysed, interpreted, and appreciated in literature-focused lessons. Through its many destinations, this book introduces a wide variety of mentor texts that can be obtained to assist the teaching and learning of English.

As a final message for this introductory chapter, the editors wish you all the very best as you take your own personal journey through the complex and empowering world of Teaching and Learning Primary English.

References

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