shurley english
As a certified elementary teacher, I came to realize the tremendous amount of power and influence I had on my students very early in my career. It was clear that my energy and delivery during certain lessons (either high or low) made an impression and greatly affected the outcome of
Back-to-School
Although summer is in full swing, we all know that August is just around the corner and school will begin soon thereafter! I feel like a killjoy for bringing this up, but I know from experience that now is a great time to work on a few of those back
ELAsuccess
A broad, diverse vocabulary is essential to good writing, and that’s a fact! Since vocabulary directly affects Word Choice and Voice, two of the Traits of Effective Writing, meaningful vocabulary instruction is absolutely imperative. As you decide how to approach vocabulary instruction in your classroom, look for effective strategies
Summer Learning
Summer Break is here, and our thoughts are revolving around words like vacation, relaxation, rest, getaway, and so on! Words like homework, project, and assignment instantly turn into bad-words the minute summer vacation begins, so I encourage you to avoid them at all costs! Instead, try to generate creative ways
ELAsuccess
As a teenager in the 1980s, I incorporated some ungrammatical words and phrases from pop culture into my day-to-day dialogue. One of the worst habits I picked up was saying the word “like” to accent almost everything that came out of my mouth. (Like, I was totally, like, bad about
Summer Learning
Summer vacation is coming soon! So, what are your plans? Have you included any activities that will help your child keep their language arts skills sharp over the break? (Haha! I’m almost positive that most of you just knitted your brows and sarcastically muttered the words: “Ugh, NO!”) Before
shurley english
If a teacher evaluation was optional, would you volunteer? I’m sure that many of you have already answered with an emphatic “no,” but you should probably reconsider. Why? Research consistently shows that effective teaching is the single most important factor contributing to student academic achievement. It’s such a
ELAsuccess
Competent writing begins with understanding basic sentence structure. It's true! Today, let's talk specifically about the POWER of the adjective. Learning the Shurley English Adjective Jingle during Jingle Time is the first step to leaning about adjectives! The basic information recited explains (1) what an adjective
ELAsuccess
If you understand every word in a text and still fail to understand what the text is all about, chances are you are having trouble with the idioms. This has happened to me on occasion, so my guess is that you’ve been in the same boat. Let’s attempt
public speaking
During the past 25 years, I have been presenting Shurley English to educators across the country. So, as a seasoned presenter, I sometimes forget how uncomfortable some people feel about speaking in front of a crowd. The very idea that someone would be that fearful of public speaking led me
appositives
Appositives don’t have to be complicated. You just need to know (a) what they are, (b) how to punctuate them properly, and (c) how to use them to your advantage. When you understand these three things, you can use them any time they’re necessary in a competent and
strategies
When someone asks me to tell them about Shurley English in a nutshell, I still experience a nanosecond of wondering where to begin. I mean, hey, it’s no easy task to capture the unique features of the curriculum and explain how they help students make the language arts connection