When I was a first-year teacher, a very dear veteran teacher bought me Evan-Moor’s Daily Language Review. After glancing over my students’ writing wall (…sigh), she surprised me with the new book. I’m forever grateful for her kindness!

The quick and simple lessons helped my students master grade-appropriate spelling, vocabulary, and language conventions in very little time. The method of instruction offered a continual spiral review, which is difficult to find embedded within district- mandated curriculum.

Here are 3 reasons Daily Language Review became my no-fail method to teach Conventions of Standard English skills:

1. Students like it

• Quick and simple lessons are not overwhelming for students.
• It’s review, which builds students’ confidence.
• Who doesn’t like pointing out someone else’s mistakes?

2. It’s easy and flexible to use

• You can use the daily activities for morning work, lesson warm-up, informal assessments, and/or homework packets.
• The Scope and Sequence helps you see the skills covered at a glance.
• Each day’s activity only takes 10 to 15 minutes, so it’s easy to incorporate centers, games, and other activities to extend the lesson.

3. There’s a writing component (yes!)

My favorite aspect is the full-page activity on “Day 5.” Many language lessons stop at corrections and do not make the leap into writing. Students must be given the opportunity to transfer their skills into their own writing. The Day 5 activities ask students to use the skills they have practiced all week to write their own sentences. This is the ultimate “tell all” for teacher assessment. Can students transfer their learning into their writing?

Bonus tip: You can easily extend your lesson. Daily Language Review complements the skill practice found in these Evan-Moor resources:

• Language Fundamentals
• Daily Paragraph Editing
• Take It to Your Seat: Language Centers
• Interactive lessons

As a novice teacher, I approached grammar exercises like a strike team. Get in fast, deliver the lesson, dodge the complaints, and move on. Needless to say, my success rate in student understanding left a lot to be desired. If you can relate, try Daily Language Review. (And you won’t be ashamed of your writing wall!)

Check it out for yourself. Evan-Moor is offering free downloads of Daily Language Review units for your grade level. Use this link to get your free lessons.

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Heather Foudy is a certified elementary teacher with over 7 years’ experience as an educator and volunteer in the classroom. She enjoys creating lessons that are meaningful and creative for students. She is currently working for Evan-Moor’s marketing and communications team and enjoys building learning opportunities that are both meaningful and creative for students and teachers alike.

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