January 10, 2018

Teaching Study Skills: Tips, Strategies, and Checklists that Work

January 10, 2018/ Cindy Goeden

Do you have some students who continually struggle with organizing their assignments, their folders, their personal desk area, and just generally need some extra incentives to be ready for school obligations? It may benefit them, and you, to lead a lesson in study skills.

A Study Skills Unit should give students practical help so that they may learn and apply best practices for success. A great place to start is by focusing on these three areas of study skills:

January 03, 2018

Word Analysis Strategy: How to Convey Depth of Meaning

January 03, 2018/ David Lutz

For some people, writing is an arduous task. They would rather do anything but pay attention to and analyze words—especially when they are writing. But, it is possible to help writers learn how to analyze words in a fun way, intentionally, and with a goal in mind…being specific. Do you want your kids to write words that truly convey depth of meaning? Here’s one way to help them understand how.

December 11, 2017

Grammar and Writing: It's a process!

December 11, 2017/ Kimberly Crady

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 just like Math!” Yes indeed! Understanding sentence patterns and using the Q&A Flow as a way to create a grammatically correct sentence is similar to having a balanced equation in Mathematics. Many Math teachers have shared their appreciation and support for our unique methodology because they, too, see the connection.

“Grammar is to a writer what

December 04, 2017

The First Year Freak-Out!

December 04, 2017/ Kimberly Crady

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 the FIRST YEAR FREAK-OUT:

November 17, 2017

Let's Get Organized with Writing Maps!

November 17, 2017/ Cindy Goeden

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 ask me where to find all the Prewriting Maps since they have not yet ventured into the digital version of Shurley English.

Here is a step-by-step process to access our Prewriting Maps from our website:

November 16, 2017

The "Perfect" Shurley Teacher

November 16, 2017/ Kimberly Crady

PERFECTION: the quality or state of being perfect: such as

a. freedom from fault or defect: flawlessness

That is how Merriam-Webster defines the word, perfection. In my experience training teachers across the USA, on how to implement Shurley English into their classrooms, I have noticed this one quality in many teachers. Hi! My name is Kimberly, and I’m a recovering perfectionist!

During trainings, I hear questions like:

November 15, 2017

Shared Knowledge: The tale of my (our) village...

November 15, 2017/ Kim Shurley

Thankful does not even begin to describe what I feel today. Many years ago, when my children were young, I began to contemplate what their educational journey would look like. There were many options, which included public schools, private schools, and home education. I knew, regardless of what path we traveled down, I wanted to be included. I wanted to have my hands in the mix to help encourage and stimulate their minds. Over the years, the path has gone many different directions, but one thing remains the same, I am there—in the thick of it.