In the Spotlight
If there’s one subject I enjoy teaching almost as much as English grammar, it’s phonemic awareness, phonics, and spelling! I know it’s strange, but my linguistic brain has always identified with letters and the sounds they represent. When I began teaching phonemic awareness and phonics as an
Let's Get Creative
Did you know that a verb can tell time? It’s true! Within every verb is a little piece of information called tense. The tense of the verb tells you when the action of the verb takes place. Mastering the use of correct verb tense is a critical skill that
Back to School
[caption id align="alignnone" width="507"] “Without continual growth and progress, such words such as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.” -Benjamin Franklin [/caption] Dear Educators, Welcome aboard Shurley English flight ABC. Please find your seat, stow your baggage in the overhead bin, and buckle-up
ELA Success
While the jury may still be out regarding the importance of teaching handwriting/penmanship, from where I sit, it isn’t something we want to leave out of our teaching repertoire. Though some might think the time needed to develop fluent handwriting would best be spent teaching keyboarding skills, I
In the Spotlight
In the 1960’s, a researcher by the name of Paul Diederich asked a group of language arts professionals a simple question: “What makes writing effective?” As the responses rolled in, Diederich was able to configure them into six distinct traits and coined them as the Traits of Effective Writing.
Back to School
So, what’s happening “testing-wise” in your school and in your classroom? Let’s continue the conversation about real or authentic assessments. (If you missed part one, click here.) In my opinion, it is vital to add these authentic assessments to your “testing bag-o-tricks.” Just look at some of the
ELA Success
Are complex sentences all that complex? Not really! If you want to see how simple complex sentences can be for young writers, read on. When I work with young, developing writers, I like to make new concepts seem like they’re no big deal, even if they are a bit
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
When you think of testing, do any of these statements come to mind? “I want to see what my students have learned at the end of each chapter.” “I want to make sure I’m teaching effective lessons.” “My administrator says I have to have a certain number of scores
In the Spotlight
One of my favorite strategies to teach writers is the effective use of appositives. I like to show kids how appositives, like prepositional phrases, can create a wonderful context for the sentence. So, what’s wrong with adjectives? Usually, with younger writers, we might simply encourage the use of strong
shurley english
The Shurley English curriculum is uniquely designed to teach students about language arts in a logical, sequential, and systematic way. Each feature of the curriculum scaffolds into the next as students learn how to make the connection between grammar, writing, speaking & listening, and reading. So, have you ever wondered
ELA Success
I’ve had the pleasure of living around the United States- on the East coast, the South, the Midwest, and the West; some people say they can even hear a British English accent when I speak. Hmm? I grew up with one grandma speaking with a thick Southern accent, the