October 22, 2021

More Than the ABCs: The Consonant S

October 22, 2021/ Contributing Blogger

Welcome back! In a previous post, I showed you how to help students own the alphabet as more than just the ABCs. Each symbol or letter is a picture of sound. Our job is to teach kids how to attach the sound or sounds that each symbol represents. I introduced to you the three sounds of Vowel Aa. As promised, I will be teaching you about a consonant next…the Consonant Ss. Again, like last time, I print both the capital and lowercase letter Ss so that you won’t forget to make it a point to teach the sounds that way. Unlike the vowels, consonants stop

October 13, 2021

How to Teach Subject-Verb Agreement

October 13, 2021/ Contributing Blogger

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 correct subject-verb agreement, a reader or listener can become easily confused; therefore, students must be taught to apply three basic rules when speaking and writing. Here’s what they need to know.

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:

September 20, 2021

Writing Time: Let's start a blog!

September 20, 2021/ Contributing Blogger

Journal Writing is an activity that is implemented very early in the Shurley English curriculum. Students are taught how to create a written journal to record their thoughts and feelings. Then, throughout the school year, they are encouraged to respond to specific prompts in their personal journals. (If you’re wondering about the benefits of journaling, please check out my previous blog, “The Value of Journal Writing (…and how to get started).”)

Today, I’d like for you to think beyond the written journal and consider developing a classroom wall blog. This type of activity affords you an opportunity to support your classroom instruction and teach your students how to become responsible writers.

September 13, 2021

Authentic Assessments: How Shurley English integrates real assessments

September 13, 2021/ Shurley English

So, what’s happening “testing-wise” in your school and in your classroom? Let’s continue the conversation about real or authentic assessments. (If you missed part one, click here.) In my opinion, it is vital to add these authentic assessments to your “testing bag-o-tricks.” Just look at some of the benefits:

September 03, 2021

FREE Language Arts Tools from Shurley English

September 03, 2021/ Shurley English

At Shurley English, we are committed to helping you and your students experience language arts success. Whether you use the Shurley English curriculum or not, we want your language arts experience to be the best that it can be. Today, we are excited to share several FREE resources to help you in your quest for excellence:

September 01, 2021

Authentic Assessments: Breaking the Paper Test Cycle

September 01, 2021/ Contributing Blogger

When you think of testing, do any of these statements come to mind?

“I want to see what my students have learned at the end of each chapter.”

“I want to make sure I’m teaching effective lessons.”

“My administrator says I have to have a certain number of scores in my grade book.”

“I’d like to see the strengths and weaknesses of each student so I can know how to differentiate my instruction.”

We’re all familiar with national standardized testing, the numerous true/false or multiple-choice tests a teacher gives throughout a school year, along with the benefits these assessments can provide. One school of thought says that assessments are a key component of learning because it helps students see how well they understand subject-specific material. Others say assessments can help motivate students. Still, testing often feels like a necessary evil that all teachers must do to show evidence that students have learned the content teachers worked so hard to teach.

I’d like you to consider looking at

August 26, 2021

Shurley English Centers for Your ELA Classroom

August 26, 2021/ Contributing Blogger

Last week, we talked about student-led learning centers. Personally, I found that learning centers gave my students the opportunity to collaborate in small groups, be a leader among their classmates, and learn subject material on a deeper level.

This week, we would like to provide you with some tips on how to create Shurley English Centers in your classroom. Here are some possible center/station ideas to get you started:

August 20, 2021

How to Implement Successful Language Arts Centers

August 20, 2021/ Contributing Blogger

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 students the opportunity to collaborate in small groups, be a leader among their classmates, and learn subject material on a deeper level. You might be asking, “What is a Learning Center?” A Learning Center is typically

August 17, 2021

The Value of a Pretest

August 17, 2021/ Contributing Blogger

What is the value of giving the Shurley English Pretest if students are not familiar with the curriculum? As a consultant, I’ve heard this question before, and I want to urge you to listen up! Even though the pretest may appear extraordinarily difficult, you should never avoid it! Let me explain.