ELAsuccess
Across the Curriculum activities are intended to be purposeful and meaningful, but coming up with a great idea that truly connects content can be tough. Today, let's explore an Across the Curriculum activity that you can utilize during your ELA block using Sentence Blueprints. What is a Sentence
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
shurley english
Remember a day when you woke up on the wrong side of the bed, spilled your coffee on your way to work, your students ended up not being the angels you taught the previous day, and it was nowhere close to being Friday. Can you remember how you approached teaching
ELAsuccess
In a previous post, I shared my keen interest in Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences. I discussed how the Shurley English Jingles give the intelligences of Word Smarts, Picture Smarts, and Body Smarts a workout. Now, I would like to take it just a bit deeper into the next level in
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
In the Spotlight
I love it when parents want to help their children at home. This kind of attention and assistance can make all the difference. But what happens when the parent is not quite sure about your teaching methods, specifically the Shurley English approach to language arts? Not to worry! We have
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
In the Spotlight
(This is part two of a two-part series on Language Arts Centers. If you missed part one, you can find it here.) Now that you’ve decided to create Shurley English Centers in your classroom and have solidified the details of my 7 Must Dos, let’s brainstorm some topics
k-12 education
Who’s in Control? This is an important question…but, before I attempt to answer it, I should explain that I CAN’T answer this question for you. I can only answer it as it applies to me. As a former classroom teacher, it was a question I grappled with
adverbs
When my third graders were first learning the parts of speech, some of them would mix-up adverbs and adjectives. I found a great process that would move my students from definitions, through Bloom's Taxonomy, and towards application. Let me show you... Step 1: Definitions Remember, an adverb modifies
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
Let's Get Creative
Anyone up for an out-of-the-box challenge? When I was a classroom teacher in the 90’s some of us teachers 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