From Mar 18, 2022 How can regular fluency practice lead to fluent readers? In today’s episode, educators Lorraine Griffith and Lindsay Kemeny discuss the impact of fluency in their classrooms. Fluency is a bridge: It connects word recognition with comprehension. We dive into whole and small group fluency instruction with simple strategies and more. We answer your questions about teaching reading in The Literacy 50-A Q&A Handbook for Teachers: Real-World Answers to Questions About Reading Tha...
Aug 23, 2024•53 min•Transcript available on Metacast Our guests today, authors Tricia Zucker and Sonia Cabell, discuss the concept of Strive-For-Five Conversations, which emphasizes the importance of multi-turn conversations between teachers and students. They explain that the goal is to stretch conversations beyond the typical question-response format and aim for at least five turns. The conversation explores the importance of building relationships with parents and the impact of conversations on brain development. They also provide practical tip...
Aug 16, 2024•47 min•Transcript available on Metacast From Jul 15, 2022 Dr. Sonia Cabell, Associate Professor at Florida State University , shares the importance of both oral language and content knowledge instruction. Why? Oral language skills underlie our ability to comprehend text. At the same time, the knowledge we bring to a text is THE key determinant on how much we understand that text. This episode speaks to the entirety of the reading rope! We answer your questions about teaching reading in The Literacy 50-A Q&A Handbook for Teachers: ...
Aug 09, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Transcript available on Metacast Heidi Anne Mesmer discusses her book Big Words for Young Readers. She emphasizes the importance of teaching young readers to decode and understand words with multiple syllables and morphemes. Heidi Anne highlights the need to teach morphemic concepts early on and provides recommendations for teaching different types of morphemes at each grade level. She explains that morphology, the study of word parts, is a crucial component of reading comprehension and vocabulary development. Mesmer provides p...
Aug 02, 2024•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast From Nov 4, 2022 Researcher Heidi Anne Mesmer joins the podcast to discuss the research on decodable text and dos and don'ts for classroom practice. Thinking about decodability as a meter from most to least decodable to the reader is important. A child who reads a text by sounding out and decoding words will experience a milestone of childhood: the feeling of reading. This also supports orthographic mapping. Resources Decodable Text: A Review of What We Know , Heidi Anne Mesmer TextProject....
Jul 26, 2024•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast Anna Geiger, author of "Reach All Readers," joins us on the pod today. Anna takes us on a historical reading journey, from the early reading wars of the 1800s to debates between whole language and balanced literacy, up to the present Science of Reading movement. She shares her personal transition from balanced literacy to embracing the science of reading, providing critical insights into why a code-emphasis method is indispensable for early reading instruction. Resources Connect with A...
Jul 19, 2024•46 min•Transcript available on Metacast From Sep 21, 2020 The article Placing Text at the Center of the Standards-Aligned ELA Classroom is a must-read before or after listening to this podcast! Meredith Liben and Sue Pimentel share the true intentions of the CCSS vs. the way they are currently interpreted. They also provide observations about how the Standards play out in classrooms and schools - within HQIM and what happens in absence of HQIM! We ask the gals some tough questions: What does this mean for assessment, especially "...
Jul 12, 2024•1 hr 12 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Meredith and David Liben discuss the importance of comprehension instruction, the power of questions, and the practice of close reading. They emphasize the value of curiosity, vocabulary depth, and the features of complex text. The conversation also delves into the debate around teaching comprehension strategies, the overemphasis on reading strategies, the impact of high-pressure assessments on instruction, and the need for a more comprehensive approach to reading comprehension....
Jul 05, 2024•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast Unlock the potential of your ELA instruction by shifting to a knowledge-rich curriculum! Join us as we sit down with David Liben, co-author of Know Better, Do Better , to hear stories about knowledge-building goodness. David highlights how incorporating vocabulary, morphology, syntax, and comprehension can bring joy and engagement to your classroom. Discover how diverse topics like polar bears and space can captivate students' imaginations, while a shared quality curriculum fosters a strong...
Jul 02, 2024•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast Kim Lockhart, Canadian educator, shares her top three book recommendations. The first recommendation is 'Next Steps in Literacy Instruction' by Susan Smart and Deb Glaser, which focuses on the multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) model and effective interventions. The second recommendation is 'Why Don't Students Like School?' by Daniel Willingham, which explores the science of learning and how to make instruction more effective. The third recommendation is 'Read A...
Jun 28, 2024•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast Read Not Guess is a FREE program designed for parents to help their children improve their early reading skills. The lessons are short and simple, taking only 5 to 10 minutes per day. The program is email-based, with parents receiving a daily email with the lesson of the day. There are two levels available, with level one for true beginners and level two for more advanced learners. Additionally, there is a Dailyish Decodable program for kids who need more practice with specific skills. All the p...
Jun 25, 2024•21 min•Transcript available on Metacast Melissa & Lori discuss questions about reading comprehension from our new book, The Literacy 50: A Q&A Handbook for Teachers , and provide research-based answers and practical suggestions. We talk about the place of sustained silent reading in the school day and the best ways to assess a student's comprehension. We also discuss the concept of reading volume and how to support students in reading more. We answer your questions about teaching reading in The Literacy 50-A Q&A Handb...
Jun 21, 2024•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast Melissa & Lori discuss questions about phonemic awareness from our new book, T he Literacy 50: A Q&A Handbook for Teachers . We talk about best practices for teaching phonemic awareness and whether to teach it with or without naming and showing letters. Additionally, we address the misconception that introducing letters in phonemic awareness instruction means transitioning to phonics, and they provide guidance on when and how to introduce letters in phonemic awareness instruction. We ans...
Jun 14, 2024•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast The tables are turned on us in today's episode! Anna Geiger interviews us about our new book, The Literacy 50. You might know Anna as The Measured Mom and host of the Triple R Teaching podcast. We loved divulging why we wrote the book, how educators can use it in classrooms and schools, and we even answer some hot topic questions! We answer your questions about teaching reading in The Literacy 50-A Q&A Handbook for Teachers: Real-World Answers to Questions About Reading That Keep You Up...
Jun 07, 2024•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today's sneak peek episode gives you a behind the scenes look at why we wrote this book, the questions we answer, and resources we crafted just for you! We answer your questions about teaching reading in The Literacy 50-A Q&A Handbook for Teachers: Real-World Answers to Questions About Reading That Keep You Up at Night . Grab free resources and episode alerts! Sign up for our email list at literacypodcast.com . Join our community on Facebook , and follow us on Instagram , Facebook , &am...
Jun 04, 2024•5 min•Transcript available on Metacast Unlock the potential in every multilingual learner as Claude Goldenberg, renowned professor emeritus of education at Stanford University, joins us to dispel myths and share crucial strategies in literacy education. Delve into the complexities of teaching reading to students mastering English, where educational rights meet the science of literacy. We promise a journey through the nuances of vocabulary acquisition and orthographic mapping, with Goldenberg guiding us to make academic content access...
May 31, 2024•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast We discuss various models for teaching English learners to read with Magdalena Zavalia, CEO of the PAF Reading Program. We explore different types of models, including monolingual programs, transitional bilingual education, and dual language immersion. Magdalena emphasizes the importance of understanding students' needs and goals when implementing a dual language program. She also discusses the challenges and considerations for teachers and principals, including resources, professional deve...
May 24, 2024•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast From August 5, 2022 Dr. Elsa Cardenas-Hagan joins the podcast to share that reading science works for English Learners. What does it mean to use evidence-based instruction to teach English Learners? Dr. Cardenas-Hagan asserts that every language has its own history, its own culture, its own use. Language supports literacy, and literacy support language. With this cyclical understanding, she explains how to use effective strategies for ALL learners. We answer your questions about teaching reading...
May 17, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this conversation, Stephanie Stollar discusses the implementation of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS). MTSS is a framework for school improvement that helps to provide support for students with various needs. The MTSS framework focuses on using data to identify barriers to student performance and making plans to eliminate those barriers. Stollar explains that word recognition skills are more discreet and sequential, while language comprehension skills are more unconstrained and complex....
May 10, 2024•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Savannah Campbell, a K-5 reading specialist, shares practical spelling tips for teachers. She emphasizes the importance of having students say the sounds or syllables as they spell, as it helps develop sound-symbol correspondence. Savannah also recommends interleaving, which involves practicing both new and old spelling skills to ensure mastery. Savannah also discusses the use of dictation, word chains and sound boxes for spelling instruction. Additionally, she advises keeping t...
May 03, 2024•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast Pam Kastner discusses the connection between spelling and reading. She emphasizes that teaching spelling is teaching reading, as spelling is a higher linguistic skill that requires complete and accurate recall and memory for words. Spelling helps students understand the internal structure of words and improves their reading abilities. She suggests using instructional routines that integrate phonology, orthography, morphology, semantics, syntax, and pragmatics to teach spelling effectively. Takea...
Apr 26, 2024•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast From 3/4/2022 We’ve been asked about spelling and the connection to reading science more times than we can count. Today, we talk with expert J. Richard Gentry , author of Brain Words and blog contributor to Psychology Today: Raising Readers, Writers, and Spellers (An Expert Guide for Parents). He tells us all about spelling and how it connects to our speech and language system. Moreover, he supplies teachers with practical, meaningful, science of reading-aligned strategies to teach spelling. We ...
Apr 19, 2024•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Jessica Farmer shares tips for teaching heart words. She explains the importance of blending and introduces the concept of continuous blending. Jessica defines heart words as high-frequency words with irregular or temporarily irregular spellings. She emphasizes the need to follow a scope and sequence and provides a routine for introducing new heart words. Jessica also discusses the process of orthographic mapping and suggests engaging activities for teaching heart words. She con...
Apr 12, 2024•20 min•Transcript available on Metacast Julie VanLier and Dr. Svetlana Cvetkovic discuss their experiences and successes teaching phonics. They both highlight the importance of a speech-to-print approach and the impact it has had on their students' reading and spelling abilities. The conversation also delves into the principles of speech to print and the scope and sequence of instruction. They emphasize the importance of interleaving, where concepts are revisited over time. The integration of phonics into all aspects of reading a...
Apr 05, 2024•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast From August 12, 2022 Talking with Dr. Julia Lindsey is like popping into the classroom next door to chat with your best teacher friend after school. On this podcast, Julia shares what evidence says that young readers need to know to help them decode words efficiently. We discuss foundational reading skills, starting with oral language and print concepts through multisyllabic word reading. Instructional swaps take this conversation to the classroom where Julia tells us what to swap to improve ins...
Mar 29, 2024•1 hr 11 min•Transcript available on Metacast Yvette Manns discusses the schwa and its importance. She shares insights from her book, The Not So Lazy Schwa , and explains how it helps children understand the schwa sound. Yvette also tells all about National Schwa Day, a holiday she created to celebrate language and literacy in schools. She provides suggestions for celebrating the day and highlights the resources available in the National Schwa Day toolkit. Takeaways The schwa is a neutral unstressed sound that is the most common sound in th...
Mar 26, 2024•21 min•Transcript available on Metacast Danielle Colenbrander and Katie Pace-Miles discuss orthographic mapping, irregular word instruction, and the different terms used to describe high frequency and irregular words. They translate research about the effectiveness of different approaches to teaching irregular words. They also discuss the role of morphology - how understanding morphemes can help students decode and understand words. Takeaways Irregular words exist on a spectrum, ranging from completely regular to highly irregular. Dif...
Mar 22, 2024•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast Denise Eide, author of Uncovering the Logic of English , helps us understand the logic of English! It actually makes a lot of sense... and can help your students learn to read and spell. Takeaways English spelling and decoding can be logical and systematic when taught with complete phonics rules. All words in English are decodable when the rules are understood. Incomplete knowledge of rules can lead to misconceptions and difficulties in reading and spelling. Teaching phonics rules explicitly and...
Mar 15, 2024•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, teacher Christina Winter, better known as Mrs. Winters Bliss on Instagram, talks about the practical application of sound walls in the classroom. She provides her top 3 tips and shares how sound walls can be used in instruction. She also provides ideas for how students can interact with sound walls, such as through dictation, chants, and games. Takeaways Sound walls can be used during direct instruction to introduce new phonemes and provide a reference for students. Students can...
Mar 08, 2024•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Sound wall expert Mary Dahlgren explains how sound walls differ from word walls, why it's important to teach all 44 speech sounds, and how sound walls can help students make sense of English. She shares evidence to support the use of sound walls in your classroom and gives practical advice for implementation. Takeaways Sound walls are an instructional tool to help students see and understand the 44 speech sounds of the English language. Sound walls provide a visual representation of the sou...
Mar 01, 2024•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
