April 03, 2024

Spring Bulletin Board: See how we've grown!

April 03, 2024/ Contributing Blogger

It’s not always easy to see how much we’ve grown in one year, especially for a child. Physical growth might be the most noticeable because we can feel it in several ways. For instance, we can tell when our clothes are too big or too small; they don’t fit right. We know when our feet have grown because our shoes are too tight, and our feet hurt. Also, we can tell when our hair has grown when it starts covering our eyes and ears. Intellectual growth, on the other hand, is much more difficult to notice.

January 30, 2024

Writing Extension: A Valentine's Day Haiku

January 30, 2024/ Contributing Blogger

Do you 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. The best part is that it has a Valentine’s Day twist!

(You can find this lesson, along with many others, in the Unit Studies Section of your Shurley English book!)

January 04, 2024

Resolutions vs. Goals

January 04, 2024/ 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.

January 02, 2024

ELA Tips for a Successful Second Semester

January 02, 2024/ 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.

It was a common practice of mine to

December 28, 2023

Language Arts Success: Top 10 List, 2023 Edition

December 28, 2023/ Kim Shurley

As the calendar year comes to a close, a teacher’s journey is still moving at full speed. (It’s true!) We are not quite to the halfway mark of our year, and we still have much to do! As 2023 comes to a close and before you begin the second semester, I would encourage you to take a moment, stop, and reflect. It is good for the mind and soul to take note of one’s progress. What successes are you seeing in the classroom? Are you on the track you had planned? Do you need to make adjustments?

To help you do so, we've assembled a list of the 10 most significant language arts stories we discussed in 2023. From subject-verb agreement to jingles to language arts centers, these articles examine ways to ignite learning while building a solid foundation for #ELAsuccess.

December 19, 2023

How to Manage Stress During the Holiday Season

December 19, 2023/ Contributing Blogger

There are only six 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!

People deal with stress on a daily basis, but it’s no secret that stress runs extra high during the holidays. There are four

December 12, 2023

Holiday Activity: Let's address the envelope!

December 12, 2023/ Contributing Blogger

‘Tis the season for trimming the tree, caroling, and holiday cards! I am one of those people who love to send and receive mail. I think I am a dying breed, but it gives me joy to create a holiday card and send it to my friends and family. Of course, this can be a prime teaching and learning opportunity.

Do your children know how to properly address an envelope?

December 05, 2023

Holiday Activity: My 12 Days of Christmas

December 05, 2023/ 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.

November 28, 2023

Holiday Activity: The Kindness Calendar

November 28, 2023/ 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 21, 2023

Holiday Fun: A vocabulary game for the whole family

November 21, 2023/ 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 one of my all-time favorites (not sure anyone else agrees!!). It only requires a brain, a vocabulary, and a voice.