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
ELAsuccess
Did you know that there is more than one way to be smart? According to theorists, educational psychologists, and professors, such as Howard Gardner, Carol Dweck, and Thomas Armstrong, evidence suggests they’re right. Howard Gardner developed the Multiple Intelligences (MI) theory about 35 years ago. I stumbled upon his
ELAsuccess
Subject-verb agreement refers to the special way in which a subject and verb work together to make a sentence correct. Basically, the two must agree in number. For example, if the subject is singular, the verb must be singular. If the subject is plural, the verb must be plural. Without
ELAsuccess
Do you have some primary students who still have difficulty identifying adverbs? Not to worry! Our Adverb Jingle helps students learn not only the definition of an adverb, but also the three initial questions to ask when finding adverbs: How? When? Where? (Don't have our ELA jingles? Here&
at school
Bullying remains a serious problem in schools across America even though anti-bullying laws and/or policies to prevent bullying and protect children are enacted in every state. Recent studies suggest that rates of bullying may be on the decline, but according to the National Center for Education Statistics, nearly a
ELAsuccess
Words, Words, Words…what are they all for? I’d like to invite you to reflect on your early learning years as a young child and remember what it might have been like before you knew about sentences, paragraphs, or reports. If you find this to be challenging, then catch
ELAsuccess
In the world of technology, reverse engineering is a slippery slope, as any technology patent office will tell you. But, in Shurley English, we feature a clever type of reverse engineering that can be groundbreaking for reluctant writers. In Shurley English, we make it our goal to help students understand
Holiday Lessons/Resources
My favorite thing about February is that it seems to be the designated month of love. It’s the time of the year when people seem to make a conscious effort to show LOVE to their family and friends in one way or another. Even people that find it hard
Holiday Lessons/Resources
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. (By the way, you can find this lesson,
ELAsuccess
At first glance, teaching the Degrees of Adjectives and Adverbs may seem trite, but after personally hearing numerous adults use this concept incorrectly, I feel it’s worth addressing to ensure the communication success of our young learners. Here is a great reference for you to use during your lesson:
study skills
All of us have students in our class who need a little extra nudge to keep their work area organized. (I have a whole post dedicated to teaching study skills here.) One of THE best tools that I have found to aid in the quest to stay organized is to
In the Spotlight
TPR (Total Physical Response) has its roots in second language acquisition, but it found its way into Shurley English too. TPR was first incepted by a psychology professor from San Jose University, CA, James Asher. He developed the idea almost fifty years ago, but it has truly helped students to