Disciplinary Literacy Tools Structure a Process for Inquiry and Argument Writing
The Mentor Text Tool
Analyze Sample Writing
Use the “Mentor Text” tool to analyze how other people write arguments.
Mentor Texts offer students examples of disciplinary argument writing. The example in each investigation is a model of the type of writing the investigation calls for, but the topic and focus are different from the investigation’s topic and focus. This offers students an opportunity to review and consider the overall structure of the writing, but does not bias them toward any particular claim in their own writing. Students interact with Mentor Texts by identifying the features of argument writing and discussing how those features function or contribute to the quality of the argument.