October 02, 2021

Vocabulary Enrichment: Strategies to improve and increase your students' vocabulary

October 02, 2021/ Contributing Blogger

Vocabulary development is an important part of a child’s education! Since language is the system of words and the methods of combining them that people use to express thoughts and feelings to each other, it makes sense that a large vocabulary improves communication.

Writers most definitely need a large vocabulary to have the words they need to express themselves in an interesting way. That’s why Shurley English establishes a routine early on to teach students to incorporate new and unfamiliar words. It’s called a Vocabulary Check, and it includes proven strategies to increase vocabulary. Here’s how it works:

February 05, 2021

Writing Extension: A Valentine's Day Haiku

February 05, 2021/ Contributing Blogger

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, along with many others, in the Unit Studies Section of your Shurley English book!)

January 14, 2021

Writing Extension: Celebrate Your Winter Wonderland

January 14, 2021/ Contributing Blogger

When the excitement of a snow day or a long weekend is over, you may want an activity to teach your students how to find interest in nature’s resting time. It's an opportunity to find the beauty on display right outside the window! Take a classroom field trip outside and have your students paired up with clipboards to record the details they observe. This is a great time to review descriptive writing to spark their imagination. We've provided a few descriptive writing resources for you at the bottom of this page!

January 08, 2021

ELA Tips for a Successful Second Semester

January 08, 2021/ Contributing Blogger

As a classroom teacher, returning from holiday break was always bittersweet. On one hand, I knew the pressure for “test prep” would be more intense, but on the other hand, the satisfaction of witnessing my students grow into wiser beings put a validating smile on my face.

The New Year seems to offer people a clean slate or a fresh start from which to begin another 365 days of the Earth’s rotation around the Sun. Celebrations with family, eating delicious food, watching the “ball” drop with flashy fireworks, and reevaluating the past or creating resolutions for the next 365 days is how most Americans bring in the New Year. Why not create a New Year’s Celebration in your classroom? It’s an ideal time to celebrate your students’ academic growth and invite them to reexamine their goals. Here are two ways you can bring in the New Year with positivity and possibility.

January 05, 2021

Resolutions vs. Goals

January 05, 2021/ Contributing Blogger

During the first few days of January, many people across the globe participate in the age-old tradition of writing a New Year’s Resolution. The custom of making a promise to do something differently to improve one’s life (mind, body, & soul) in the coming year has been going on since ancient times.

Writing a New Year’s Resolution is not the same thing as coming up with a goal for the New Year. Goals require

December 17, 2020

How to Manage Stress During the Holiday Season

December 17, 2020/ Contributing Blogger

There are only eight shopping days left before Christmas! (Let that sink in for just a minute!) I know that Christmas is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year, but right about now, I’m feeling a little less than wonderful! The very idea that I only have a handful of days left to select, purchase, and wrap gifts for my family stresses me out! I’ve never been this unprepared!

December 10, 2020

ELA Holiday Activity: My 12 Days of Christmas

December 10, 2020/ Contributing Blogger

Coloring sheets, word puzzles, tinsel, glitter, and glue are just some of the items you’ll find scattered around many classrooms during the holidays. There are so many wonderful craft ideas and activities people have used to make the season a memorable one at school. Here’s a fun way to keep your students engaged in writing during the weeks before the holiday break.

Ask students to use their creativity to rewrite the lyrics of a holiday tune. Allow them to work in pairs or small groups, and invite them to really “get outside of the box” to present their final masterpiece to the class. They might turn their song into a rap, a short musical skit, dramatic presentation, radio broadcast, or a story. Anything’s possible when

December 03, 2020

ELA Holiday Activity: The Kindness Calendar

December 03, 2020/ Contributing Blogger

Kindness is defined as the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate. Some of the words associated with kindness are affection, gentleness, warmth, concern, and care. The act of being kind often requires courage and strength, but a simple act of kindness can have huge effects individually and globally.

Think back to a time when someone was kind to you or when you were kind to someone else. Do you remember the feeling you felt when that person held the door open for you? Did you happen to see the other person smile or light-up when you acted with kindness?

Take a look at how kindness affects a human being:

November 24, 2020

Holiday Fun: A Vocabulary Game for Everyone

November 24, 2020/ Contributing Blogger

My family and I have played a really cool game throughout our years together. My wife and I thought it up when we were traveling on vacation several years ago, and it remains as one of my all-time favorites (not sure anyone else agrees!!). It only requires a brain, a vocabulary, and a voice.

November 19, 2020

Extend the Lesson: Thanksgiving fun with Grammar Printables

November 19, 2020/ Contributing Blogger

Have you ever asked your students to use a newspaper or magazine to highlight adjectives or adverbs? You may have had the same results as me. I tried this with 3rd-5th graders, and I admit the results were underwhelming. A more effective and interactive way to help your students practice this same skill is to have a little fun with a Mad Libs-inspired worksheet! These sheets can easily be turned into a game or into a story-writing activity in your classroom.

Take a look at this free holiday printable I found online. It can be used in your classroom by following a few easy steps!