Help your students avoid the dreaded summer slide! In this engaging session, you’ll discover practical ways to reduce the learning loss that often occurs after the final school bell rings. We will explore several proven strategies to keep kids accountable over the summer and send them off with ready-made
I have never taken a class in martial arts, but I have certainly enjoyed watching Bruce Lee’s moves in his action-packed films! Let’s face it. The guy was physically amazing, but more than that, he had a way with words! Lee was more than just a famous martial
If you’ve ever found yourself in the middle of a tumultuous situation like a rip-roaring, indoor recess due to inclement weather, or a rigorous test preparation right before a holiday, you know how it feels when you need a break! You need it, and you need it NOW! Now
Having the right tools in your writing toolbox can make all the difference when it comes time to revise a composition. Do your students need a creative way to link ideas and show association? Then look no further than the correlative conjunction! First, let's look at this simple
Let’s get back into the language arts huddle to go over some key plays that will help your students win the game! If you missed Part I of the Playbook of Literacy Success, you might want to go back to the starting line to capture the necessity of a
It’s not always easy to see how much we’ve grown in one year, especially for a child. Physical growth might be the most noticeable because we can feel it in several ways. For instance, we can tell when our clothes are too big or too small; they don’
As the school year progresses, your students have learned a wide range of core concepts. How do we help them go beyond the basics and make deeper connections? In this month’s Shurley English Teacher Talk, we will continue our deep dive into novelty and explore how it can spark
What if elementary teachers approached the subject of Language Arts as if it was a competitive sport? Just think of it. Every K-8 teacher would be part of a coaching staff charged with developing players’ language arts knowledge and skills. In this analogy, the playbook contains plays designed to help
In this series about developing micro-comprehension, I have discussed how students need a good vocabulary in order to create accurate mental models of the stories they read or hear. We also know that those mental models are affected by the way the brain fills in missing information, called gap-filling inference.
Do you need a new idea to get the creative juices flowing in your classroom? The Haiku offers that opportunity to your students by channeling their creativity into this unique form of Japanese poetry. Here is a great lesson plan to get you started. The best part is that it
There’s nothing like the dreaded feeling of sitting at your desk with a blank sheet of writing paper staring back at you. You see some of your classmates busily jotting down ideas; you see them creating their prewriting map; or you see some classmates looking upward with a pleasant
Last week, we talked about student-led learning centers. Personally, I found that learning centers gave my students the opportunity to collaborate in small groups, be a leader among their classmates, and learn subject material on a deeper level. This week, we would like to provide you with some tips on
Our brains are wired for novelty, the search for new stimuli. If you have been tuning in to our recent webinars, you know that Shurley English makes learning language arts easier because we intentionally revisit content in a logical, systematic way. But what do you do when the practice becomes
Ideas for your Classroom
When I was a classroom teacher in the 90s, some teachers, including myself, were in the business of creating student-led learning centers or stations for Math, Science, or Language Arts. I loved creating and hosting centers in my classroom because it gave my students the opportunity to collaborate in small
ELA Success
In a word…YES! If you are seeking a great writing prompt, look no further than a picture book, a local art gallery, or a collection of great works of art from one of those coffee-table display books. When I was a kid, we used to have a large reproduction
ELA Success
Sniff, sniff, mmmm! There’s something special about the aroma of that sweet little corner coffee shop. The lingering scent of a creamy caramel latte, mixed with the boldness of jet-black espresso, brings a smile to my face. The dimmed lights and down-tempo tunes playing in the background set the
ELA Success
The Shurley English Writing Folder will help your students move through the writing process with ease. This foldout, four-pocket folder keeps students organized with a dedicated space for their prewriting, rough draft, revised draft, and edited paper. It is packed with handy references, checklists, and tips to ensure students have
In the Spotlight
Teaching kids to write can be easy if you have the right tools! Getting organized is the first step, and one of the best ways to accomplish this is with an excellent set of writing maps. Writing maps will provide your students with a solid foundation from which to establish
Confident, intelligent student writers don’t appear overnight. Just like a house needs the right blueprint and materials, writing needs correct structure and components. In ELA classrooms, strong writers must be developed intentionally. They need clear instruction, guided practice, repeated opportunities to work through the writing process, and domain-specific language
ELA Success
If I asked you to list the top five sources of stress in your life, your answers might include things like money, work, relationships, health, and time. These common sources are no surprise, but have you ever thought about the stress that is created when you attempt to communicate about
ELA Success
If I could travel the world, I would! I love the excitement of finding a new destination to experience. I love having the freedom to go wherever I want or can afford, whether I have a detailed itinerary or not! For me, world travel is an adventure. But what if
Holiday Lessons/Resources
As a classroom teacher, returning from holiday break was always bittersweet. On one hand, I knew the pressure for “test prep” would be more intense, but on the other hand, the satisfaction of witnessing my students grow into wiser beings put a validating smile on my face. I imagine my
In the Spotlight
As a kid, do you remember the first time you took the training wheels off and tried to ride your first bicycle? In the beginner’s mind, it was the next step in being a big kid, and it meant being open to making mistakes and being willing to take
Holiday Lessons/Resources
As the calendar year comes to a close, a teacher’s journey is still moving at full speed. (It’s true!) We are not quite to the halfway mark of our year, and we still have much to do! As 2025 comes to a close and before you begin the