ELA Success
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
ELA Success
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
ELA Success
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&
ELA Success
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
ELA Success
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,
ELA Success
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
ELA Success
Writing skills are an important part of communication. They are critical to academic success and go on to become crucial in the workplace and other areas of life. While some people are born with a natural ability to express themselves verbally, writing is a skill that must be learned. You
Let's Get Creative
If you’re like most human beings in 2018, you probably spend a fair amount of time in front of a computer, tablet, or cell phone sitting, reading, texting, typing, or holding a phone up to your ear. Our workplaces and classrooms have been overtaken by the digital world. Even