at school
One goal of using direct instruction in your classroom is to build confidence in your students as you model, model, model. As teachers, we model grammar jingles. We model sentence classification. We model every day to ensure our students can make English Language Arts connections with confidence. But, why leave
at school
I understand that getting parents involved in your classroom can be challenging for many teachers. And, when a school or teacher implements a new curriculum, especially as unique as Shurley English, many parents begin to make themselves heard. You’ve probably heard such comments as: “Why is my child chanting?
Let's Get Creative
The reinforcement of concepts can sometimes be a tedious task. Here is a great way to practice sentence building during center time: 1. Create a word-bank wall using any flat surface. (An old metal filing cabinet makes a great wall.) 2. Make labels for the parts of speech that you
In the Spotlight
Last week, I had the pleasure of teaching a struggling 8th grader how to classify a basic Pattern 1 sentence using the Shurley English Question & Answer Flow. After he silently reviewed the interesting process I lead him through and focused on the classified sentence, he proudly said, “It’s
ELA Success
A Special Word… This past Thanksgiving holiday offered me the chance to spend precious time with my dear ones, like many of you I suspect. What made this Thanksgiving so fun this year was getting to play with my soon-to-be 1-year-old grandson! We played with blocks and stuffed animals—complete
In the Spotlight
Now that you’ve given yourself permission to be human and let go of the challenges surrounding perfection in learning and teaching Shurley English, let me speak to you first-year Shurley users and teachers that are just simply struggling teaching the curriculum. Here are my Top 10 Tips to surviving
Let's Get Creative
It's always a great idea to have an activity on hand for days when reinforcement is needed. Here's a great activity to add to your toolbox: The Grammar Necklace. Supplies Needed: yarn, construction paper, markers, stapler or tape Assembly Instructions: 1. Fold a sheet of construction
ELA Success
Okay…so you want your kids to write detailed sentences, right? But, as the saying goes, “the devil is in the details” for most kids. Here’s a good way to help them strike a balance. For more expansive sentences, teach them to use the “Question Word” lineup in this
ELA Success
Learning is an amazing process that we often take for granted. We seldom stop to ponder just exactly “how” information travels through pathways in our brain to somehow successfully get coded and stored in our short-term or long-term memory bank. The journey is quite amazing, and I believe it’s
communication
Welcome to Shurley English (SE) and thanks for checking out our new blog! Whether you’re just learning about the curriculum or you’re a seasoned SE teacher, I’d like to invite you to come back weekly for some English Language Arts (ELA) discourse! This week, I want to
In the Spotlight
Being organized is a key ingredient to the writing process. It helps everyone stay focused and on-topic. I find that writing maps not only help my students accomplish this goal, but these planning tools also give them a great place to start. Recently, I had a teacher at a workshop