March 08, 2022

The Playbook of Literary Success, Part 2: Grammar

March 08, 2022/ Contributing Blogger

Let’s get back into the language arts huddle to go over some key plays that will help your students win the game! If you missed Part I of the Playbook of Literacy Success, you might want to go back to the starting line to capture the necessity of a strong vocabulary. As for today, we’re going to focus on Part II: Grammar. We’ll begin with some calisthenics we call Shurley English Jingles, and then we’ll move right into our version of the wishbone formation! We call this feature the Question and Answer Flow.

Remember, English is like a competitive sport, and every K-8 teacher is part of the coaching staff charged with developing players’ language arts knowledge and skills. The playbook contains plays designed to help each team member achieve literacy success, which is the ultimate goal of the game, and the action plan involves the following equation:

February 14, 2022

FREE Grammar Jingles from Shurley English

February 14, 2022/ Shurley English

If you’re ready to learn English definitions in a fun and easy way, Shurley English Jingles are for you! Using domain-specific language, our definitions for the parts of speech and many other important language arts concepts incorporate rhythm, rhyme, and movement. Jingles provide the tools for critical thinking during sentence analysis and writing.

Our multi-sensory approach provides an active, hands-on learning environment in which kids truly understand and retain language arts skills for a lifetime. (We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again. Jingles are an extremely effective way to learn information!) We invite you to incorporate Jingle Time into your ELA studies today! Getting started is easy…

February 14, 2022

Let’s get “Ziggy" with language arts definitions!

February 14, 2022/ Contributing Blogger

At Shurley English, we teach everything about Language Arts in a unique way. The curriculum has been divided into a combination of individual features that spiral together in harmony to teach difficult concepts successfully. Jingles are one of the unique features that we introduce, reinforce, and help students master, and they are taught during Jingle Time. So, what’s the big deal? Well, Jingles are a

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

April 05, 2021

The Importance of Practice

April 05, 2021/ Contributing Blogger

I have never taken a class in martial arts, but I have certainly enjoyed watching Bruce Lee’s moves in his action-packed films! Let’s face it! The guy was physically amazing, but more than that, he had a way with words!

Lee was more than just a famous martial artist! He was also an actor and a philosopher with a long list of inspirational quotes tagged to his name. Many of his famous quotes are still being used today to trigger personal growth, and one of my favorites says:

February 08, 2021

FREE Grammar Jingles from Shurley English

February 08, 2021/ Kim Shurley

October 05, 2020

What is multi-sensory learning?

October 05, 2020/ Contributing Blogger

I have been dabbling with curriculum since I was a baby teacher and could barely crawl. If you’re a teacher, too, you probably have a similar story. I cut my teacher teeth on theories and practices from many different models, but the one that makes my brain do a happy dance is Multi-Sensory Learning.

The system of our senses is fascinating in and of itself, but what is extraordinary is that teachers can learn how to maximize a student’s awareness of how their senses work together to help them learn and retain knowledge. I also enjoy studying up on the latest neuro-research, and once again, multi-sensory education rises to the top of my favorites list. Here’s why…

August 20, 2020

It's time to listen, move, and learn!

August 20, 2020/ Contributing Blogger

TPR (Total Physical Response) has its roots in second language acquisition, but it found its way into Shurley English too. TPR was first incepted by a psychology professor from San Jose University, CA, James Asher. He developed the idea almost fifty years ago, but it has truly helped students to acquire new languages with great facility.

What is TPR (Total Physical Response)?

The strategy Asher developed first involves teaching students to

February 10, 2020

FREE Grammar Jingles from Shurley English

February 10, 2020/ Kim Shurley

To give you a great start to grammar instruction, we are excited to offer our Shurley English Language Arts Jingles for FREE! Getting started is easy…