Supersister by Beth Cadena

This month we will be helping my students think about how they can become stronger narrative writers. We will explore mentor texts and notice crafts that will help us add depth and invite other readers to want to read our pieces. I have so many different writers who are at varying places developmentally (don't we all). My biggest challenge is to differentiate conversations and text. I know I can pull small groups and meet with writers individually but often I am thinking hard about which texts to share that will lift the learning for everyone during whole group mini-lessons. I've been looking for mentor texts that have "do-able" craft, length,and contain ideas and a message that second graders can emulate. I like Supersister because of the way the author and illustrator work in a comic feel to the story. Some pages have panels while other pages are full pictures with short text.

Supersister (I am hoping) will be one book that we can notice as a mentor for narrative writing but also enjoy for the "superhero" factor (it will fit nicely in our superhero basket). Supersister is about a little girl who is on a mission to help out in any way she can. She braves the world trying things on her own: like waiting at the bus stop, pouring her own cereal and cleaning up the dishes. She seems too good to be true as she is SUPER- helpful all day. Before she falls asleep, she runs downstairs kiss her mom and then mom's belly. Yep she will be a big sister soon.

I did get a chance to read this on Monday during writers workshop and I have two students who added super sister and super brother to their little notepad for big ideas. Both have also started to writer about their adventures. I am anxious to see what super-sibling adventures they will share with us.