Books with author Cheryl Miller Thurston

What do you do when nothing seems to work? Turn to Surviving Last Period on Fridays and Other Desperate Situations. This popular book is full of language arts games and activities that are interesting, challenging, and educational―never busy work. Many teachers believe that two of the games alone are worth the price of the book. "Newspaper Scavenger Hunt" and "Holiday Challenge?" are lively learning activities that students love. They are just right for the two or three days right before a vacation. The two kinds of activities included are:activities that you can photocopy for your own personal use and pass out to your students; and activities that need some advance preparation, usually minimal. Surviving Last Period on Fridays and Other Desperate Situations is perfect for junior high/middle school, and most games are suitable or adaptable for high school as well.

Some people just don't want to share intimate details about their thoughts, feelings and lives―at least not with others in a class or group. That's where Unjournaling comes in. All the writing prompts in this book are entirely impersonal but completely engaging―for both kids and adults. Just a couple of examples of the 200 writing prompts on widely varied topics: Write a paragraph about a girl named Dot, but use no letters with a dot (in other words, no i or j). Why on earth would Yankee Doodle stick a feather in his cap and call it "macaroni"? Come up with a plausible explanation. The book includes sample responses to all of the questions―a helpful tool for anyone who gets stuck with a topic and wants to see that it can be done!

Some people just don't want to share intimate details about their thoughts, feelings and lives―at least not with others in a class or group. That's where Unjournaling comes in. All the writing prompts in this book are entirely impersonal but completely engaging―for both kids and adults. Just a couple of examples of the 200 writing prompts on widely varied topics: Write a paragraph about a girl named Dot, but use no letters with a dot (in other words, no i or j). Why on earth would Yankee Doodle stick a feather in his cap and call it "macaroni"? Come up with a plausible explanation. The book includes sample responses to all of the questions―a helpful tool for anyone who gets stuck with a topic and wants to see that it can be done!

How to Avoid English Teachers' Pet Peeves is a book that helps writers avoid the annoying little errors that English teachers encounter nearly every day as they read student papers. It addresses the mistakes that make English teachers wince. It is not intended to address major problems, like disorganized writing or writing that does not make sense.The 50 pet peeves in this practical book were those mentioned most often by 125 English teachers from across the country.Topics covered include:spelling "a lot" as one word;writing "could of" instead of "could have" andmixing up "your" and "you're."The short, sensible explanations and exercises can help anyone learn to avoid common writing errors.

Melanie and the Trash Can Troll makes a perfect junior high or middle school production. The play has a flexible cast, simple sets, easy costumes and--best of all--lots of humor. The funny fairy tale stars a young waitress who is forced to confront a terrifying creature called the Trash Can Troll. She discovers a secret the Troll has been hiding for years, as well as the courage to stand up for what is right. The play runs about an hour and fifteen minutes and includes 16 characters, plus extras.

Even kids who think they hate singing cannot resist the goofy tunes in this songbook. Written specifically for upper-elementary and middle-school students, parodies of old favorites like "My Bonnie Went in for a Face Lift" and "Oh, My Darling, Frankensteen," and hilarious original tunes like "Snot Is Not the Proper Subject for a Song" and the tongue-twisting "Impossible to Sing Song" keep kids laughing while they learn to love singing. Short, melody-only versions of the songs photocopy easily and are accompanied by full-piano leader editions.