Welcome to the Shurley English Blog! For the past thirty-five years, our mission at Shurley Instructional Materials has been simple. We do all we can to help teachers and students experience grammar and writing success. With that goal in mind, we wanted to create a space where our team of educators could share tips, tricks, and techniques to ignite learning. It’s all about educators helping educators on the Shurley English Blog. We invite you to join the conversation!
There are only seven 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!
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Christmas is known as the season of giving, but that might be a difficult concept for children to understand. With the onslaught of holiday ads, it’s only natural for them to ponder “getting” vs. “giving” during the holidays. While receiving gifts usually produces a good feeling, research indicates that giving creates an even greater joy.
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Have you ever tried to describe something without using a prepositional phrase? Well, it’s almost impossible! Although prepositional phrases are not a requirement in every sentence, they certainly do help us:
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Poetry is a special form of writing that allows a student to express ideas, emotions, or experiences directly through words in verse. It is probably the most artistic of all genres of writing because of the delicate juggling act of
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It seems like everyone is talking about being mindful these days! From “how-to” magazine articles to “feel-good” stories on the evening news, mindfulness is generating quite a buzz! So, what’s it all about? Is it for me? Will mindfulness enhance the quality of my life, and can I teach myself how to incorporate the principles?
With all of these questions in mind, I decided to
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Every year, Daylight Saving Time (DST) ends on the first Sunday in November, when clocks are moved back an hour at 2 a.m. local daylight time. When this happens, It takes our minds and bodies several weeks to adjust to the time change. On top of that, the early evening darkness can wreak havoc on our overall mood due to a reduction in the amount of sunlight we receive.
Research tells us that
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It’s no secret that English as a subject area is a complex field of study that’s full of concepts and rules necessary for everyday speaking and writing. In education, the subject is separated into five basic categories, including: (1) reading, (2) writing, (3) speaking, (4) listening, and (5) viewing. The bulk of the concepts and rules for these categories are taught, reinforced, and mastered during elementary school (K-8). The real shocker is that if students don’t grasp all of them before entering high school, they are destined to struggle until they do.
Can anyone master the basic concepts and rules of language arts?
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Writing is a tool for communication, and language is the system of words and the methods of combining them that we use to express our thoughts and feelings to each other.
Did you know that good writers use certain traits that make their writing more successful? They’re called the Traits of Effective Writing, and although they take a lot of hard work and practice, they consist of skills that can be learned and mastered.
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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 since that a large vocabulary improves communication.
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Some people are born with a natural ability to put their thoughts into words, but the ability to effectively put those words on paper requires a lot of hard work and practice. Good writing is a skill that develops over time; therefore, consistent instruction to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to write well is imperative.
That’s where Shurley English makes a huge impact! Each year, our curriculum teaches and reinforces the Traits of Effective Writing so that students have a better chance to develop a strong foundation in the writing process. The curriculum is designed to teach students how to communicate their thoughts effectively and write for all purposes with competence and confidence!
Sentence Fluency
Sentence Fluency is the 5th Trait of Effective Writing. It is defined as the ability to use various types of sentences and transition words to make writing sound smooth and polished. The skills required to master Sentence Fluency take time to develop; however, they make a huge difference in the overall effectiveness of a writing piece.
We encourage you to help your students master the art of sentence fluency. If you need assistance, the Shurley English curriculum is here to help!
Shurley English is the best English Language Arts curriculum available to public schools, private schools, and home educators.Shurley English is a rigorous curriculum that brings back student-teacher interaction, promotes higher-order thinking skills, and provides students with a successful base from which they can achieve mastery, retention, and enthusiasm for English.
Our mission is to inspire and empower ALL students to become competent, confident communicators by providing superior educational solutions and innovative teacher training tools. This will enable all students to positively impact their school, community, and future work environments.
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