Melissa & Lori Love Literacy ™ (Powered by Great Minds )
Explorez tous les épisodes de Melissa & Lori Love Literacy ™
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| 11 Feb 2022 | Ep 93: School Counselor and Reading Advocate Dad - Tre Hadrick | 00:49:44 | |
Tre Hadrick, father, guidance counselor, reading science advocate, and book club leader, joins us on the pod today. You might know him as Mr. Lit on Twitter or Instagram, where he advocates for literacy and justice for all. Tre’s book club, Lit Champs (Dad’s Literacy Book Club), gained attention when he posted a video discussing this book - If only I had known… by Faith Borkowsky. We connected with Tre to discuss the impact of this book on his son and community. We also consider the big impact of this piece by Dr. Stephen Dykstra, titled Trauma and Reading. Digressions include Tre’s children’s book, Cheesesteaks and Clippers: The Barbership where you can learn about you, me and we! and recommendations for both cheesesteaks and clippers in the Philly area. Visit our website and subscribe to our newsletter. Follow us!
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| 18 Feb 2022 | Ep. 94: "If only I would have known..." Book Talk with Author Faith Borkowsky | 00:54:35 | |
Today we talk with Faith Borkowsky about her book, “If only I would have known… “ What I wish the Pediatrician, the Preschool Teacher, and the Librarian would have told me about Language, Literacy, and Dyslexia. This accessible book explains the science of reading in simple terms. Check out Ifonlybooks.com for free resources such as a book discussion guide. Visit our website and subscribe to our newsletter. Follow us!
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| 04 Mar 2022 | Ep 96: What about Spelling? with Richard Gentry | 00:56:37 | |
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. Visit our website and subscribe to our newsletter. Follow us!
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| 11 Mar 2022 | Ep 97: Going GLEAM with Lacey Robinson and Andrea Hancock | 00:53:45 | |
In this episode, we chat with our friends at UnboundEd about Going GLEAM. Lacey Robinson and Andrea Hancock share the GLEAM process - grade-level, engaging, affirming, and meaningful - and ways that educators can feel empowered to lead from their seat. Visit our website and subscribe to our newsletter. Follow us!
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| 18 Mar 2022 | Ep 98: Improving Student Reading Growth in Months with Fluency Instruction and Practice | 00:53:12 | |
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. Visit our website and subscribe to our newsletter. Follow us!
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| 25 Mar 2022 | Ep. 99: An Important Discussion about Reading with Our Dyslexic Children's President, Brett Tingley | 00:54:16 | |
Brett Tingley shares how to harness parent energy and expertise to address the legal and moral responsibility of school districts to teach children how to read using science. Our Dyslexic Children tells the story of a group of parents who took on the system, and won. The nonprofit group shares a Strategic Roadmap that’s a practical and actionable guide for educators and parents looking to improve reading instruction in their communities. Follow us!
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| 08 Apr 2022 | Ep. 101: The State of Nebraska's Transition to Reading Science | 00:45:24 | |
Nebraska Dept of Education CAO, Cory Epler, joins us today to share why and how Nebraska transitioned to reading science with HQM. In the course of eight years, the state formed a partnership with EdReports and The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), built transparency of HQM in Local Education Agencies (LEAs), and provided guidance around high quality materials. These key actions created coherence and agency across the state. This mantra resonates: Make the best choice the easiest choice. Related Episodes
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| 22 Mar 2022 | [Listen Again] Ep. 62: Effective Fluency Instruction with Tim Rasinski | 01:11:36 | |
Last Friday, we talked about FLUENCY with a couple great guests, Lindsay Kemeny and Lorraine Griffith. If you haven't listened to our episode with Tim Rasinski from last summer, give it a listen to add to your knowledge about fluency! | |||
| 01 Apr 2022 | Ep. 100: Trauma and Reading with Dr. Steven Dykstra | 01:16:12 | |
The axis of rating trauma is frequent and repetitive. Over time, the chronic trauma wears down kids who can’t read. This has devastating effects. In our official 100th episode, Dr. Steven Dyskstra discusses Trauma and Reading. He explains the connection between not being taught to read using evidence-based practices and the subsequent, unnecessary trauma this causes in children’s lives. Stepping away from science-based approaches creates issues for kids that don’t need to be there. This is a pervasive problem happening everywhere. Dr. Steven Dykstra is a psychologist, advocate, and troublemaker in the reading world. He has worked with the most severely traumatized and mentally ill children for more than 25 years. His passion for reading comes from the recognition that the thousands of children he has served often pay the highest price for our failures and mistakes. Related Episodes:
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| 15 Apr 2022 | Ep. 102: Heidi Jane Drops Knowledge on Heart Words and So. Much. More! | 00:53:11 | |
In today’s episode, we drop some knowledge with one of our favorite teachers, Heidi Jane. You might recognize her as Droppin Knowledge With Heidi on Instagram or LearningWithHeidi on TikTok! What’s the difference between sight words and heart words? How does knowing letter sounds help students when they begin decoding? Why did Heidi choose the trademark Literacy and Justice for All? Heidi shares her journey from balanced literacy to science of reading with the goal of reaching the everyday classroom teacher. Digressions include This Is Us, Mandy Moore, and TikTok. Related Episodes
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| 29 Apr 2022 | Ep. 104: ELA Teacher + School Librarian = Knowledge Building Dream Team | 00:44:34 | |
In today’s episode we’re joined by two teachers from Skaneateles, NY - Seth and Kelly. Seth is a sixth grade ELA teacher and Kelly is a middle school librarian. They work together to ensure that all students have access to complex texts. With the right support, they believe that all students can engage in grade level tasks. Seth and Kelly share how their collaboration around the knowledge and tasks in Wit & Wisdom ELA enriches students' learning and teachers’ teaching. Together, they make an incredible, knowledge-rich team!
Visit our website and subscribe to our newsletter. Helping educators learn about science of reading, knowledge building, and high quality curriculum. | |||
| 13 May 2022 | Ep. 107: Where Do Secondary Educators Start with Struggling Students? | 00:55:12 | |
The authors of Thinking Reading: What Every Secondary Teacher Needs to Know About Reading, James and Dianne Murphy, join Melissa and Lori to discuss secondary struggling readers. Where do secondary educators start with struggling students? Put simply, there are two parts to intervention: learning and practice (for automaticity). Keeping those in mind, target what students need to know, explicitly teach and practice, and keep it manageable and motivating. Related Episodes:
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| 22 Apr 2022 | Ep. 103: From Workshop Model to Reading Science in Pentucket | 00:57:41 | |
Episode Description
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| 12 Apr 2022 | [Listen Again] Ep. 48: Behind the Scenes at EdReports.org | 01:02:51 | |
This is the time when many districts are engaged in the curriculum adoption process, so we wanted to put this extremely information episode out for listeners who may have missed it. Cory Epler, CAO at Nebraska DOE, speaks about how they encourage the use of EdReports in episode 101. Visit our website and subscribe to our newsletter that follows up with more information about choosing curricula!
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| 06 May 2022 | Ep. 105: You're Wrong About... Assessment | 01:11:28 | |
This episode is the first in a series on a really important topic: Assessment. How can we debunk the idea of ‘standards-aligned assessments’? What about ‘standards-aligned report cards’? Today’s guest teaches us that when we overfocus on the format of an assessment (i.e. the standards), we miss out on what matters most and lose track of the goal (i.e. comprehension). Comprehension is not a single construct.
The assessment data is a pathway back to the content. In case you’re wondering, here’s where the science of reading comes into play… knowledge building is a necessary and (very) important part of assessment!
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| 10 May 2022 | Ep. 106: Book Preview: Thinking Reading: What Every Secondary Teacher Needs to Know About Reading | 00:46:28 | |
Join Melissa and Lori for their first Book Club episode! In this episode, they discuss the book Thinking Reading: What Every Secondary Teacher Needs to Know About Reading. They focus their discussion on Chapter 4: Helping struggling readers in the secondary classroom, and Chapter 6: What does it take for effective reading intervention at secondary school? Related Episodes:
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| 20 May 2022 | Ep. 108: From 13% to 100% Literacy Proficiency with School Leader Angie Hanlin | 01:15:12 | |
Angie Hanlin, current Superintendent in Wisconsin, led her former school from 13% to 100% reading proficiency. How? Angie shifted the focus from TEACHING to LEARNING. She worked alongside her school teams with a relentless, laser-like focus on data, asking questions such as: Who is making progress? Who’s not? What are we going to do about it? Radical acceptance of the data helped educators move forward and put aside blame and shame. Key takeaway: All means ALL! Related Episodes
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| 29 Jul 2022 | Ep. 118: Rethinking Reading Comprehension with Researcher Hugh Catts | 00:56:12 | |
In this episode, researcher Hugh Catts discusses his pivotal piece titled Rethinking How to Promote Reading Comprehension | American Federation of Teachers. He asserts, “Reading comprehension is thinking with a book in your hand.” There are three factors that impact reading comprehension: the reader, the text, and the activity (task or purpose). He talks with Melissa and Lori about the role knowledge plays in reading comprehension, the interaction of the knowledge the text demands vs. the knowledge a student brings to a task, and the implications of knowledge in instruction and assessment. Resources
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Helping teachers learn about science of reading, knowledge building, and high quality curriculum. | |||
| 26 Apr 2019 | Episode 1: Is FIDELITY really a bad word? | 00:42:10 | |
What does fidelity mean in a large, urban school district when implementing Great Mind's Wit and Wisdom ELA curriculum? Melissa and Lori share perspective, research, and resources to support teachers in unpacking the why behind fidelity.
Visit OUR WEBSITE to subscribe to our newsletter and podcast! https://www.literacypodcast.com/ Connect with Melissa & Lori: Today is a great day to start your own podcast... If you’re thinking about it, we say GO FOR IT! We love Buzzsprout for so many reasons, but especially because it’s easy to use and their customer service rocks! Use our Buzzsprout affiliate link to sign up for their podcast media hosting and get a $20 Amazon gift card. | |||
| 17 Jun 2022 | Ep. 112: Kareem Weaver on Levers for Literacy Change | 01:02:14 | |
In this episode, Melissa and Lori have a candid discussion about change with Kareem Weaver, co-founder of FULCRUM Oakland: Full and Complete Reading is a Universal Mandate. FULCRUM’s goal is to ensure that every Oakland child is an 'on-time' reader provided with full LITERACY: a fundamental civil right, a powerful protection from the school to prison pipeline, and the cornerstone for a life of choice and fulfillment. In this episode, Kareem discusses the change he is fighting for and the elements he believes are necessary to make it happen. Related Episodes
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Visit our website to stay connected with Melissa and Lori! Helping teachers learn about science of reading, knowledge building, and high quality curriculum. | |||
| 24 Jun 2022 | Ep. 113: Reading is Rocket Science with Louisa Moats | 01:09:05 | |
Why is teaching reading so important? Melissa and Lori have a conversation with Louisa Moats grounded in this article: Teaching Reading is Rocket Science: What Expert Teachers of Reading Should Know and Be Able to Do. Moats asserts that 95% of students can learn to read when taught to do so using evidence-based practices. In this episode, listen as we discuss and define the term science of reading, while connecting decades of research and theory to classroom practice.
Helping teachers learn about science of reading, knowledge building, and high quality curriculum. | |||
| 27 May 2022 | Ep. 109: The Right to Read with Second Language Educator, Kim Lockhart | 01:13:41 | |
Kim Lockhart, Canadian French immersion teacher and special educator in Kingston, Ontario, shares how she meets the needs of students in her classroom. As stated in a recent report, Right to Read inquiry report from Ontario Human Rights Commission, Ontario is removing the three cueing system completely from all materials and turning to reading science instead. In this episode, Kim models what an evidence-based phonics lesson might entail. In second language programs, it’s necessary for students to build language comprehension by attaching meaning to decoding. Related Episodes
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Visit our website to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Helping teachers learn about science of reading, knowledge building, and high quality curriculum. | |||
| 03 Jun 2022 | Ep. 110: Baltimore Secondary Literacy Teachers Talk Fluency | 01:11:15 | |
Today middle school educators from Baltimore City Public Schools join us to discuss their focus on fluency through Continuous Improvement work with fluency using HQC. What is Continuous Improvement? Why is this a useful framework? “Possibly wrong, definitely incomplete” is a mantra that resonates. The educators share their approach, impact, and outcomes for students. Secondary teachers… this one’s for you. Related Episodes
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| 01 Jul 2022 | Ep. 114: Science of Reading: What I Should Have Learned in College with Donna Hejtmanek | 00:57:05 | |
Donna Hejtmanek, teacher and lifelong literacy advocate, joins Melissa and Lori on the podcast. What does Science of Reading really mean? There’s some misinformation and misunderstandings happening recently around the term - some are equating it to phonics. But, Donna asserts, it’s so much more than that! It’s Science of Literacy. Three years ago, Donna began a Facebook Group titled Science of Reading: What I Should Have Learned in College. It exploded in popularity with almost 160K members (as of this publication). As moderator of the world’s largest literacy professional learning community, Donna’s advocacy work stretches beyond her home state borders to national and international reach. Sign Up for our FREE WEEKLY Newsletter for Resources and Related Episodes Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! Helping teachers learn about science of reading, knowledge building, and high quality curriculum. | |||
| 15 Jul 2022 | Ep. 116: Sonia Cabell on the Importance of Content-Rich ELA Instruction | 01:04:07 | |
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!
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| 22 Jul 2022 | Ep. 117: The Writing Revolution with Authors Judith Hochman and Natalie Wexler | 00:56:54 | |
The Writing Revolution authors, Judith Hochman and Natalie Wexler, share a 'revolutionary' approach to writing. The best part: It begins at the sentence level AND content knowledge drives the rigor. Moreover, there is an overlap in reading, writing, and critical thinking.
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| 10 Jun 2022 | Ep. 111: Melissa & Lori: Two Truths and a Lie | 01:02:22 | |
Melissa and Lori share more about themselves... how their undergrad and graduate coursework didn’t prepare them to teach students to read, a bit about their teaching and leadership experiences, and of course, why they started the podcast! Bonus content: They ask and answer Five Things You Love and play Two Truths and a Lie.
Visit our website to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Helping teachers learn about science of reading, knowledge building, and high quality curriculum. | |||
| 08 Jul 2022 | Ep. 115: Kindergarten TEAM Reaches (nearly) 100% Success Using Evidence-Based Practices | 01:28:49 | |
Kristin Poppens IS BACK! In this episode, she shares the power of teacher teamwork and collaboration. Her Kindergarten teammates and Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) join her to explain how they use evidence-based practices to reach 100% success for Every Single Student. All means all!
Helping teachers learn about science of reading, knowledge building, and high quality curriculum. | |||
| 14 Jun 2022 | Melissa's Top Pick [Listen Again] Ep. 66: Re-thinking the Reading Rope with Nell Duke | 01:05:27 | |
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| 14 Jun 2022 | Lori's Top Pick [Listen Again] Ep. 43: A Knowledge-Based Approach to Writing: The Vermont Writing Collaborative | 01:02:52 | |
From Lori: Backward design (envision the final goal!) Build understanding (talking about text, writing about text, acting it out, and more!) Direct instruction (writing models, structures, organizers) Writing is a powerful way of working with knowledge - a coherent chunk of knowledge. How do HQIM support and execute this approach to writing for understanding? Listen in to find out, and grab a copy of their book, Writing for Understanding! | |||
| 05 Jul 2022 | [Listen Again] Ep. 63: Kindergarten Teacher Reaches 100% Success Using Evidence-Based Practices | 01:00:06 | |
Listen Again Kristin is coming back this Friday, and she is bringing a WHOLE TEAM with her! If you haven't listened to her first episode with us from last summer, listen NOW to hear about all that she learned and implemented before hearing how she worked with others to bring that learning beyond her classroom. From June 2021 Kristin Poppens teaches kindergarten in Iowa and is just learning about the science of reading! In fact, she's applied evidence-based, self-taught practices for less than six months, and her students reached end of year benchmarks with 100% success rate. Kristin's district uses Lucy Calkins Units of Study Phonics, Reading, & Writing as a core curricula ... but now that Kristin knows better, she's doing better for her students. Listen in as she shares the shifts she makes to take a science of reading, evidence-based approach to literacy! Visit OUR WEBSITE to subscribe to our newsletter and podcast! https://www.literacypodcast.com/ | |||
| 19 Jul 2022 | Book Talk: The Writing Revolution | 00:41:26 | |
Melissa and Lori talk about The Writing Revolution by Dr. Judith Hochman and Natalie Wexler. What distinguishes The Writing Revolution and everything else out there? There are two basic principles:
Listen and learn more about knowledge and explicit writing instruction.
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| 02 Aug 2022 | Book Talk: Literacy Foundations for English Learners | 00:34:00 | |
Literacy Foundations for English Learners prepares educators to enter the classroom with a full understanding of the language and literacy development of English Learners. Remember this: What's good for English Learners is good for ALL students! Connect with us!
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| 09 Aug 2022 | Book Talk: Reading Above the Fray | 00:50:10 | |
Reading Above the Fray: Reliable, Research-Based Routines for Developing Decoding Skills is a must read for all ELA educators Pre-K through 12. Dr. Julia Lindsey outlines the essentials of how children learn to read, the principles of high-quality foundational skills instruction, essential instructional "swaps" to improve reading instruction, and more.
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| 05 Aug 2022 | Ep. 119: How Reading Science Works for English Learners with Elsa Cardenas-Hagan | 01:04:10 | |
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.
Visit our website to subscribe to our newsletter. Helping teachers learn about science of reading, knowledge building, and high quality curriculum. | |||
| 12 Aug 2022 | Ep. 120: Research-Based Routines for Developing Decoding Skills with Julia Lindsey | 01:10:55 | |
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 instruction. Efficient and effective instruction is critical when teaching decoding. Resources
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| 08 May 2019 | Episode 2: Talking Shift 3 | 00:42:15 | |
Common Core Shift 3 is often understood as "a balance of literary and informational text types," but the most important part is misunderstood, the idea of building knowledge. How does the Wit and Wisdom literacy curriculum address building knowledge through content-rich nonfiction? Listen as we interview Sarah Woodard, who shares valuable insight and information on the intentional integration of texts to attend to Shift 3 in this curriculum. Connect with Melissa & Lori: Today is a great day to start your own podcast... If you’re thinking about it, we say GO FOR IT! We love Buzzsprout for so many reasons, but especially because it’s easy to use and their customer service rocks! Use our Buzzsprout affiliate link to sign up for their podcast media hosting and get a $20 Amazon gift card. | |||
| 19 Aug 2022 | Ep. 121: Listener Question: What about Classroom Objectives? | 00:45:39 | |
Melissa and Lori received a question from a listener about classroom objectives. The listener was grappling with the idea that she has to post objectives in her classroom, but they often don't match what reading science tells us about how we teach reading. This question requires us to rethink about "meeting an objective" at the end of a reading comprehension lesson. It's about SO MUCH MORE than classroom objectives. It's about knowledge building, assessment, and evolving outcomes to align with current practice. Listen and learn as Melissa and Lori unpack this important question together!
Visit our website to subscribe to our newsletter. Helping teachers learn about science of reading, knowledge building, and high quality curriculum. | |||
| 09 Sep 2022 | Ep. 124: Innovative Assessment with the Louisiana Assessment Team | 01:00:07 | |
Louisiana is a state taking assessment to the next level. In this episode, the assessment team from the Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) discusses Innovative Assessments. Reading comprehension is often assessed through cold reads and sometimes familiar topics. The LDOE team tells us how we can change our approach to assessment. We know comprehension is tricky to assess. Why? One word: KNOWLEDGE. Reading science tells us that knowledge is a critical piece of comprehension. Listen as the LDOE team tells how they are innovating to provide equity and respect for teachers and students through assessment. Resources Connect with us!
Visit our website to subscribe to our newsletter. Helping teachers learn about science of reading, knowledge building, and high quality curriculum. | |||
| 02 Sep 2022 | Ep. 123: Diana Leddy - The Painted Essay | 00:42:58 | |
Diana Leddy of the Vermont Writing Collaborative joins Melissa and Lori to talk about a topic we love: Writing. Specifically, Diana discusses a simple, easy to use tool used to support students with expository writing called The Painted Essay. The Painted Essay works because it helps students understand visually what they are writing and why they are writing it, as well as organize their thinking around a thesis statement. This structure requires students to think about what they want to say and use writing skills to say it.
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Visit our website to subscribe to our newsletter. Helping teachers learn about science of reading, knowledge building, and high quality curriculum. | |||
| 26 Aug 2022 | Ep. 122: Reading as Science AND Art with Tim Rasinski, David Paige, & Chase Young | 01:02:34 | |
Today Melissa and Lori talk with authors Chase Young, David Paige, and Timothy V. Rasinski, authors of the book, Artfully Teaching the Science of Reading. Teaching artfully means teaching authentically, aesthetically, and creatively. This book shares how to teach the five pillars of reading (phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension) artfully. It’s important to really know what you’re doing in order to be artful in your teaching. Resources
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| 16 Sep 2022 | Ep. 125: Reviewing Research with Healthy Skepticism | 01:05:39 | |
Andrew Watson, educator and author of Learning and the Brain Blog and the book The Goldilocks Map, teaches us how to become healthy skeptics. Cognitive science and literacy intersect as we are inundated with information about reading science, curricular materials, motivation strategies and more. As we learn to discern and distill information, we ask the question: Is there research to support that? There are three steps to the process of unpacking the legitimacy of research.
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| 23 Aug 2022 | Book Talk: Artfully Teaching the Science of Reading | 00:31:30 | |
Artfully Teaching the Science of Reading by Chase Young, David Paige, and Timothy Rasinski is a next step for educators steeped in the science. When we understand reading research and science, we can add art and creativity to the learning space. What does it mean to teach artfully? How can we creatively approach teaching aligned to science? These questions answered (and more) in this book talk.
Visit our website to subscribe to our newsletter. Helping teachers learn about science of reading, knowledge building, and high quality curriculum. | |||
| 16 Aug 2022 | [Listen Again] Ep. 70: Science of Reading Part 1: Decodable Texts, Sound Walls, & the Aim of Early Literacy | 00:47:30 | |
If you loved our recent episode with Julia Lindsey about her book, Reading Above the Fray, you won't want to miss our first episode with her last year! Check it out! | |||
| 17 Aug 2022 | [Listen Again] Ep. 71: Science of Reading Part 2: Decodable Texts, Sound Walls, & the Aim of Early Literacy | 00:38:12 | |
If you loved our recent episode with Julia Lindsey about her book, Reading Above the Fray, you won't want to miss our first episode with her last year! Check it out! | |||
| 23 Sep 2022 | Ep. 126: How a Science of Reading Bill Became a Law … in Virginia! | 00:55:36 | |
Virginia Delegate, Carrie Coyner, and University of Virginia Professor, Emily Solari, championed action for a bill (now a law) that put $70 million towards changing colleges of education, professional learning for educators, and curriculum and materials to align to reading science across the state of Virginia. On this podcast, they will share how they accomplished this with 100% agreement from all state representatives, regardless of political party. Resources Connect with us
Visit our website and stay connected with Melissa and Lori! Helping teachers learn about science of reading, knowledge building, and high quality curriculum. | |||
| 13 Sep 2022 | [Listen Again] Ep. 105: You're Wrong About... Assessment | 01:11:28 | |
This episode with Lior Klirs connects to Ep. 124: Innovative Assessment with the Louisiana Assessment Team. If you haven't heard this one yet, definitely listen! From original episode (5/6/22) Today’s guest teaches us that when we overfocus on the format of an assessment (i.e. the standards), we miss out on what matters most and lose track of the goal (i.e. comprehension). Comprehension is not a single construct.
The assessment data is a pathway back to the content. In case you’re wondering, here’s where the science of reading comes into play… knowledge building is a necessary and (very) important part of assessment!
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| 21 Oct 2022 | Ep. 130: Teachers' Guide to Trauma | 01:02:47 | |
Trauma impacts every facet of our being. Today we’ll hear from educator and author, Dr. Melissa Sadin. As part of our Dyslexia Awareness month series, Dr. Sadin will share her personal story about how trauma and reading affected her family. Trauma can get in the way of the brain learning to read but we can help our students through intentional instructional practices. Resources
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| 03 Oct 2022 | BONUS: Parents and Dyslexia | 01:03:40 | |
Today we have a special episode featuring four parents from all over the United States. One thing they have in common is that they have children with dyslexia. They are courageously sharing their stories as reading science advocates working for systemic change.
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Visit our website to stay connected with Melissa and Lori. Helping teachers learn about science of reading, knowledge building, and high quality curriculum. | |||
| 30 Sep 2022 | Ep. 127: Richard Gentry, Dyslexia Expert | 01:09:39 | |
Dr. J. Richard Gentry, Dyslexia Expert and the “Guru of Spelling,” joins us on the podcast today to discuss dyslexia. Dyslexia is a specific learning disability, neurobiological in origin. It’s the #1 reading disability that manifests itself in a continuum. People with dyslexia have difficulty in accurate fluent reading, spelling, and decoding abilities. Dr. Gentry shares his personal story of overcoming dyslexia, how dyslexia affects people, and how teachers can help students with dyslexia in the classroom. Resources
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Visit our website to sign up to stay connected with Melissa and Lori. Helping teachers learn about science of reading, knowledge building, and high quality curriculum. | |||
| 07 Oct 2022 | Ep. 128: Dear Balanced Literacy Teacher with Missy Purcell | 00:55:33 | |
In this episode, we talk with former balanced literacy teacher and parent, Missy Purcell. She authored a blog post titled Dear Balanced Literacy Teacher.
Visit our website to stay connected with Melissa and Lori! Helping teachers learn about science of reading, knowledge building, and high quality curriculum. | |||
| 14 Oct 2022 | Ep. 129: A Speech Language Pathologist's View on Reading Science | 00:50:29 | |
In this episode, we talk with Sydney Bassard, a clinical speech language pathologist, also known as The Listening SLP. Inspired by her brother’s experience with dyslexia, she became a speech language pathologist and began advocating within her community so educators and parents can be informed and actualize reading science into practice. Sydney defines the role of the speech language pathologist in the community and in the school to help us better connect language and literacy.
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Visit our website and stay connected with Melissa and Lori! Helping teachers learn about science of reading, knowledge building, and high quality curriculum. | |||
| 04 Oct 2022 | [Listen Again] Ep. 39: Discussing Dyslexia with Advocate & Mom Liz Hembling | 00:57:25 | |
As part of our Dyslexia Awareness Month series, listen to a previous episode with parent and advocate Liz Hembling. | |||
| 27 Sep 2022 | [Listen Again] Ep 96: What about Spelling? with Richard Gentry | 00:56:37 | |
In this coming Friday's episode we get to talk to the fabulous Richard Gentry again! This time we talk to him about dyslexia to kick off a series of episodes for Dyslexia Awareness Month. Until then, listen to our first episode with Richard Gentry about the importance of spelling! 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. | |||
| 05 Oct 2022 | [Listen Again] Ep. 74: Dyslexia and Reading Science: A Parent Advocate's Perspective | 01:06:39 | |
As part of our Dyslexia Awareness Month series, listen to a previous episode with parent and advocate Katie Hickerson. September 24, 2021 | |||
| 06 Oct 2022 | [Listen Again] Ep. 99: An Important Discussion about Reading with Our Dyslexic Children's President, Brett Tingley | 00:54:16 | |
As part of our Dyslexia Awareness Month series, listen to a previous episode with parent and advocate Brett Tingley. March 25, 2022 | |||
| 18 Oct 2022 | [Listen Again] Ep. 100: Trauma and Reading with Dr. Steven Dykstra | 01:16:12 | |
As part of our Dyslexia Awareness Month series, listen again to Dr. Steven Dykstra discuss the devastating effects on students who have not received the instruction they need to be successful readers. Dr. Steven Dykstra is a psychologist, advocate, and troublemaker in the reading world. He has worked with the most severely traumatized and mentally ill children for more than 25 years. His passion for reading comes from the recognition that the thousands of children he has served often pay the highest price for our failures and mistakes. | |||
| 28 Oct 2022 | Ep. 131: Dyslexia, The Brain, and Reading Science with Neuroscientist and Professor, DJ Bolger | 00:43:59 | |
DJ Bolger, a neuroscientist and associate professor at the University of Maryland College Park, joins the podcast today. DJ helps us understand the dyslexia brain a bit better, shares how dyslexia is so much more than “one” thing, and provides helpful analogies and ideas for application. He defines dyslexia, discussing the brain, and making connections to reading science. Resources
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| 11 Nov 2022 | Ep. 133: Decodable Text Series: Quality Decodable Texts | 00:52:25 | |
Primary Teachers: This one’s for YOU! Today we talk with educator, author, and business-owner Elise Lovejoy about decodable texts. What makes texts decodable? What makes quality decodable texts? What’s the purpose of decodable texts? How can we use decodable texts in the classroom? Listen and learn as we discuss all things decodable texts. Resources
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| 02 Dec 2022 | Ep. 136: An Inside Look at Virtual School | 00:35:51 | |
In today's Feel Good Friday episode, we talk with Steven Shadel, Director of Great Minds Virtual School. He tells us about effective virtual learning experiences and how those experiences look very much like a typical in-person school experience. In both settings with high quality materials, educators can engage students in active learning. Students are thinking and doing. All teachers take part in knowledge-building professional learning. ALL educators can bring knowledge to life! Knowledge belongs to everyone.
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| 09 Dec 2022 | Ep. 137: Tackling the Tough Issue of Adult Illiteracy | 00:30:53 | |
In today’s Feel Good Friday episode, we talk with Deidra Mayberry, Executive Director of the nonprofit, Reading to New Heights, which brings attention to adult literacy as a critical issue in our society. Growing up, she was a struggling reader. This led her to establish her nonprofit which supports building literacy skills in adults. Deidra's story is sure to resonate with your literacy loving heart. Resources
Visit our website to stay connected with Melissa and Lori! Helping teachers learn about science of reading, knowledge building, and high quality curriculum. | |||
| 18 Nov 2022 | Ep. 134: Decodable Text Series: Small Group Instructional Time | 00:48:59 | |
In this episode, we talk with first grade teacher, April Evans, about how she uses Tier 1 foundational skills assessment data to make decisions about small group time, such as how students are grouped, what happens during small group instruction, and why all students have access to readable, knowledge building texts. She discusses structures and routines that support accuracy, fluency, and comprehension. Both decodable and readable, knowledge building texts have a purpose and place in her classroom. Resources
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| 04 Nov 2022 | Ep. 132: Decodable Text Series: The Research on Decodable Text | 00:51:24 | |
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
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| 25 Nov 2022 | Ep. 135: Decodable Text Series: Math Readability | 00:45:24 | |
In this episode, we talk with a team of educators who made Eureka Math Squared decodable, readable, and accessible for all students. As students access math, their deficits in reading can get in the way. Eureka Math Squared helps students have equity in math to engage in grade level work and feel empowered. All students deserve to be able to do math without limitations. Resources
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| 16 Dec 2022 | Ep. 138: A RISE-ing Cause for Hope | 00:35:11 | |
In today’s Feel Good Friday episode, we talk with Shaheer Mustafa, President and CEO of Hopewell Inc, and Amy Schneider, vice president, program impact and strategy at HopeWell. They will share more about a program called RISE (Readiness, Inquiry, Scholarship, Education) that builds early literacy skills and more for children in foster care.
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| 23 Dec 2022 | Melissa and Lori Love 2022: End of Year Wrap Up | 00:11:15 | |
Today we’ll be sharing what you can expect for 2023! We’re so excited to have created such an incredible community of educators who want to learn more about reading and writing. We really mean this. There are so many of you listening out there… around the world. Thank you for listening and learning with us! What will stay the same in 2023?
We love creating this podcast and learning together with you, our Literacy Lovers community. We can’t wait to keep learning together in 2023.
Visit our website to learn with Melissa and Lori! Helping teachers learn about science of reading, knowledge building, and high quality curriculum. | |||
| 15 Nov 2022 | [Listen Again] Ep. 9: Geodes Rock | 01:06:48 | |
Pun intended. This episode takes us into the world of Geodes - decodable readers that bridge foundational skills and Wit and Wisdom ELA - through building knowledge and accessible text. Melissa and Lori talk with Lorraine Griffith and Emily Gula, who share the research and insight behind the development of Geodes and how they can be used in classrooms, as well as (and most importantly) why Geodes are market disrupters. We can't wait for Baltimore City students to experience these special texts this year, to connect Wilson Language's Fundations foundational skills to the knowledge-building topics in Wit and Wisdom ELA core instruction. Quite simply, GEODES ROCK! | |||
| 27 Dec 2022 | 2022 COUNTDOWN: #5 | 01:10:55 | |
Ep. 120: Research-Based Routines for Developing Decoding Skills with Julia Lindsey Resources
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| 28 Dec 2022 | 2022 COUNTDOWN: #4 | 00:56:54 | |
Ep. 117: The Writing Revolution with Authors Judith Hochman and Natalie Wexler
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| 29 Dec 2022 | 2022 COUNTDOWN: #3 | 01:15:12 | |
Ep. 108: From 13% to 100% Literacy Proficiency with School Leader Angie Hanlin Angie Hanlin, current Superintendent in Wisconsin, led her former school from 13% to 100% reading proficiency. How? Angie shifted the focus from TEACHING to LEARNING. She worked alongside her school teams with a relentless, laser-like focus on data, asking questions such as: Who is making progress? Who’s not? What are we going to do about it? Radical acceptance of the data helped educators move forward and put aside blame and shame. Key takeaway: All means ALL! Related Episodes
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| 30 Dec 2022 | 2022 COUNTDOWN: #2 | 01:09:05 | |
Ep. 113: Reading is Rocket Science with Louisa Moats Connect with us
Visit our website to stay connected with Melissa and Lori! Helping teachers learn about science of reading, knowledge building, and high quality curriculum. | |||
| 31 Dec 2022 | 2022 COUNTDOWN: #1 | 01:28:49 | |
Ep. 115: Kindergarten TEAM Reaches (nearly) 100% Success Using Evidence-Based Practices Kristin Poppens IS BACK! In this episode, she shares the power of teacher teamwork and collaboration. Her Kindergarten teammates and Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) join her to explain how they use evidence-based practices to reach 100% success for Every Single Student. All means all!
Helping teachers learn about science of reading, knowledge building, and high quality curriculum. | |||
| 18 Oct 2022 | [Listen Again] Ep. 23: Emily Hanford Epically Defines the Science of Reading | 01:03:52 | |
In celebration of Emily Hanford's new documentary series, Sold a Story, listen again to Emily Hanford here! Today Emily Hanford joins Melissa and Lori to define the Science of Reading, addressing the current misinterpretation of the term and what it really means. She shares thoughts on teacher prep programs and where teachers get knowledge about what or how to teach, contemplates why teacher prep programs are not preparing teachers to teach kids how to read, and how curriculum plays a role in helping teachers who do not know the science of reading.
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Visit our website and stay connected with Melissa and Lori! Helping teachers learn about science of reading, knowledge building, and high quality curriculum. | |||
| 20 May 2019 | Episode 3: Wit and Wisdom Best Beach Reads! | 00:42:10 | |
Melissa and Lori dive into K-8 texts to highlight salty summer reads to get set for next school year! We share the why behind our choice for each summer read text choice and make recommendations for field trips and experiences connected to texts to further build background knowledge for students. Join us as you prep for summer - RSVP those books at the library NOW! Connect with Melissa & Lori: Today is a great day to start your own podcast... If you’re thinking about it, we say GO FOR IT! We love Buzzsprout for so many reasons, but especially because it’s easy to use and their customer service rocks! Use our Buzzsprout affiliate link to sign up for their podcast media hosting and get a $20 Amazon gift card. | |||
| 13 Jan 2023 | Ep. 139: Knowledge and Comprehension with Daniel Willingham and Barbara Davidson | 01:00:51 | |
In today’s episode, we discuss knowledge and vocabulary as critical components of reading comprehension. We hear from author and professor Daniel Willingham, who shares research on the important role knowledge plays in comprehension. We also talk with Executive Director of Knowledge Matters Campaign, Barbara Davidson, who highlights strong curricula and resources related to knowledge-building ELA. Resources
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| 27 Jan 2023 | Ep. 140: K-2 Literacy Block Deep Dive | 00:54:52 | |
In today’s episode, we talk with a teacher and interventionist from Blount County, TN, Erin Metz. She provides an in depth walkthrough of her district’s K-2 instructional block time. She’ll share her strategic approach to working with students and teachers during small group instructional time - modeling how to use this time to reinforce accuracy, automaticity, build vocabulary and knowledge in order to solidify comprehension, and more. Resources
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| 20 Jan 2023 | [Listen Again] Episode 10: Noticing The #KnowledgeGap with Natalie Wexler | 00:50:32 | |
LISTEN AGAIN | FROM JULY 31, 2019 Natalie provides a snapshot of research on building knowledge, then tangibly deconstructs the why and how behind the research making explicit connections to education classrooms today. She provides clear steps to take to ‘fix’ the knowledge gap: adopting a content-focused curriculum to build knowledge, and providing teachers and leaders with ongoing professional development and coaching grounded in the curriculum. Pick up her book, The Knowledge Gap: The Hidden Cause of America’s Broken Education System–And How to Fix It. In the meantime, find articles and say hi to Natalie at https://nataliewexler.com/ or on Twitter @natwexler. Follow us!
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| 10 Feb 2023 | Ep. 141: Literacy Leaders as Agents of Change | 00:59:36 | |
What does it take to disrupt the "way it has always been done"? Dr. Ernie Ortiz, Senior Literacy Engagement Specialist with AIM Institute for Learning and Research, joins us to discuss this important question. As a former teacher, school leader, and current national leader, he realizes that leaders play a critical role in student achievement. The approach leaders take often make or break systems and change within classrooms, schools, and districts. How can a side by side approach with leaders as learners (rather than top down with leaders as managers) be more supportive of schools achieving greatness for students? Resources
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| 29 May 2019 | Episode 4: Fangirling Natalie Wexler | 00:17:24 | |
Join us as we fangirl over Natalie Wexler's articles: The Biggest Education News Story You've Never Heard Of & Why American Students Haven't Gotten Better at Reading in 20 Years. We share our thoughts on the explicit connection to Wit & Wisdom curriculum, research, and building knowledge (CCSS Shift 3).
Visit OUR WEBSITE to subscribe to our newsletter and podcast! https://www.literacypodcast.com/ Connect with Melissa & Lori: Today is a great day to start your own podcast... If you’re thinking about it, we say GO FOR IT! We love Buzzsprout for so many reasons, but especially because it’s easy to use and their customer service rocks! Use our Buzzsprout affiliate link to sign up for their podcast media hosting and get a $20 Amazon gift card. | |||
| 24 Feb 2023 | Ep. 142: Structured Literacy in Small Group Time | 00:57:37 | |
In today’s episode, we discuss the structure and content of the literacy block. How can we teach using structured literacy in small groups? Kinder teacher Casey Jergens and author Natalie Wexler join us to connect theory and practice. Casey previously taught using a guided (leveled) reading approach with lots of small group time. In recent years, he’s switched to focus on Tier 1 instruction aligned to structured literacy, which supports access for all students. Resources
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Visit our website to stay connected with Melissa and Lori! Helping teachers learn about science of reading, knowledge building, and high quality curriculum. | |||
| 07 Jul 2023 | Ep. 153: Science of Reading Beyond Phonics: Fluency Instruction and Assessment with Jan Hasbrouck | 01:02:40 | |
Today we talk about fluency and assessment with Jan Hasbrouck. She shares tips and tricks for how to to best assess and teach fluency. She also debunks frequent fluency misunderstandings and explains the scientific evidence that underlies the Hasbrouck-Tindal Oral Reading Fluency Chart. Note: During the podcast, we mentioned we would link Jan’s previous studies on ORF. But… we want to make sure the most recent information (Fluency Norms Chart 2017 Update) is the one that is prioritized for instructional use, so we’ve linked that to avoid confusion. Resources
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| 23 Jun 2023 | Ep. 151: Science of Reading for ALL Students: Language Variation and Reading with Julie Washington | 00:54:47 | |
In today’s episode, Julie Washington discusses how literacy learning can be supported by language variations. Reading and language are intertwined. Reading influences language and language influences reading. It’s a reciprocal process! How can we, as educators and practitioners, leverage students’ strengths in language variations to learn to read? Resources
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Visit our website to stay connected with Melissa and Lori! Helping teachers learn about science of reading, knowledge building, and high quality curriculum. | |||
| 03 Feb 2023 | [Listen Again] Ep 92: Talking About the Literacy Block with Two Early Elementary Teachers | 00:56:03 | |
We are honored to talk with two early grade veteran teachers from Vista Peak Exploratory in Aurora, CO. Vista Peak is in Year 4 of Great Minds’ Wit & Wisdom ELA, Geodes, and Wilson Language Fundations… the trifecta! April Evans, grade 1, and Danielle Hunter, grade 3, discuss the transition from piecemeal, low quality curricula materials to high quality materials that focus on building both skills and knowledge. They share how their materials support engagement and excitement in creating a classroom community of learners. What does the literacy block look like in grades 1 and 3? How are knowledge and skills aligned through grade bands? Listen to find out. Decodable Readers Protocol from Student Achievement Partners Visit our website and subscribe to our newsletter. Follow us!
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| 17 Feb 2023 | [Listen Again] Ep. 22: Leading Urgent Change in Baltimore with Dr. Sonja Santelises | 00:44:54 | |
Ep. 22: Dr. Sonja Santelises joined us to discuss why she saw the urgent need for change in Baltimore City Public Schools, how she set and supported a clear literacy focus through the Blueprint for Success and high-quality curricula, and the ongoing next steps that prevail. She is witty and sharp, but most of all, we appreciate her vision and boundless energy in this admittedly difficult work. Connect with Melissa & Lori: | |||
| 19 May 2023 | Ep. 148: Hot Topic Series: Should You Teach Phonemic Awareness ‘In the Dark’ or with Print? | 00:45:23 | |
What is Phonemic Awareness? It’s one component of your literacy instruction. Phonemic awareness means understanding that spoken words are made of individual sounds called phonemes. We want students to be able to isolate, blend, segment, and more. Can it be ‘done in the dark’? Or should we teach phonemic awareness with print? Listen and learn as we explore this important question (and more) in today’s episode. Resources
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Visit our website to stay connected with Melissa and Lori! Helping teachers learn about science of reading, knowledge building, and high quality curriculum. | |||
| 20 Oct 2023 | Ep. 165: How Brains Learn to Read and Dyslexia with Nadine Gaab | 00:41:37 | |
Nadine Gaab, Associate Professor of Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, joins us on the podcast to talk about how brains learn to read. Reading development starts in utero because the fundamental milestones for learning to read are sounds and language processing. Brain research shows us the brain of children learning to read is different in struggling readers. Dr. Gaab debunks dyslexia myths and connects the importance of early screening and intervention for dyslexia. Resources
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| 05 May 2023 | Ep. 147: Hot Topic Series: What is Speech to Print? | 01:05:44 | |
In this episode, we’ll discuss an approach to teaching foundational skills known as speech to print. The speech to print approach consists of 4 concepts with consistent logic:
What is the difference between speech to print and a traditional print to speech approach? What does the speech to print approach look like in practice? What does the research say about this approach? Resources
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| 16 Jun 2023 | Ep. 150: Science of Reading for ALL Students: Intervention for Secondary Students | 00:57:45 | |
Secondary educators have students in their classrooms who weren’t taught to read. Because of these reading deficits, students likely have a difficult time accessing secondary texts and tasks. Our guests today, Supt. Sherry Sousa and Educator Julie Brown, discuss a secondary intervention they developed that WORKS and is totally doable. The best part? Students partake in the intervention in addition to - not instead of - their regular high school English classes.
Visit our website to stay connected with Melissa and Lori! Helping teachers learn about science of reading, knowledge building, and high quality curriculum. | |||
| 01 Sep 2023 | Ep. 161: Back to School: Communicating with Families about Reading Science | 00:34:09 | |
Crystal Lenhart is a literacy coach who developed a resource that clearly and transparently explains to families and caregivers how the school is teaching reading and writing differently with reading science research! As we head Back to School, this practical resource is a helpful tool to communicate big changes happening in classrooms and schools. Resources Connect with us
Visit our website to stay connected with Melissa and Lori! Helping teachers learn about science of reading, knowledge building, and high quality curriculum. | |||
| 10 Mar 2023 | Ep. 143: Maximizing Small Group Reading Instruction | 01:05:55 | |
Today we’ll be talking to a team of authors about a recent article they published on small group instruction, titled Maximizing Small-Group Reading Instruction. We ask and answer important questions about small group instructional time: What is the appeal of small group reading instruction? Why has it been popular? What does the research say? What do we need to know about effective small-group reading instruction? What are some best practices? Resources
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Visit our website to stay connected with Melissa and Lori! Helping teachers learn about science of reading, knowledge building, and high quality curriculum. | |||
| 24 Mar 2023 | Episode 144: The Science of Reading as More Than a Pendulum Swing | 00:57:49 | |
We want the shift to reading science to be permanent, not perceived as another ‘educational pendulum swing.’ To do this, it’s necessary to recognize what worked and didn’t work within balanced literacy. Today’s guests, UnboundEd’s Lacey Robinson and The Right to Read Project’s Margaret Goldberg, both shifted from teaching using balanced literacy (specifically Lucy Calkins’ Workshop Model, also known as Units of Study) to structured literacy and became powerful literacy advocates in the process. Resources
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| 07 Apr 2023 | Ep. 145: Debunking Balanced Literacy Arguments with Pamela Snow | 00:59:12 | |
Pamela Snow, professor at Latrobe University in Australia, discusses the arguments that keep surfacing when educators are resistant to move away from balanced literacy. You might have heard a few:
Pam’s blog post, Balanced Literacy Bingo, debunks each idea listed above and more. Resources
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| 21 Apr 2023 | Ep. 146: Reading Comprehension is Not a Skill with Robert Pondiscio | 00:57:02 | |
Robert Pondiscio, Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), asserts that reading comprehension is NOT a skill. Yes, good readers use reading skills and strategies to make meaning. But good readers also have a robust knowledge base. There is strong evidence to support knowledge building ELA curriculum, but we continue to wonder about what knowledge, whose knowledge, and how much? Resources
Visit our website to stay connected with Melissa and Lori! Helping teachers learn about science of reading, knowledge building, and high quality curriculum. | |||
| 03 Mar 2023 | [Listen Again] Ep. 80: A Primary Teacher's Perspective on Science of Reading, Small Group Instruction, and Sound Walls | 00:44:01 | |
In this episode, Lindsay Kemeny, 2nd grade teacher, gives a deep dive into her evidence-based, small group instruction time. Her journey to the science of reading was necessary and life altering. It led her to clarity on structured, systematic approaches to teaching reading. She discusses informal and formal assessments, how she uses data to determine small groups, and center options for practicing reading and writing. Her best advice? KEEP. IT. SIMPLE! After reading this recent blog by Tim Shanahan, we couldn’t resist asking her about sound walls and how her students use them in her classroom. She shares, “The sound wall is not the main event in my classroom… structured literacy is the main event. The sound wall is a reflection of what’s happening in the classroom.” We discussed the following resources:
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| 17 Mar 2023 | [Listen Again] Ep. 37: Placing Text at the Center of the ELA Classroom with Meredith Liben & Sue Pimentel | 01:11:31 | |
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:
They are hilarious and smart, and so very relatable. This one is a MUST listen! Read the article that prompted this conversation: Placing Text at the Center of the Standards-Aligned ELA Classroom Visit our website and subscribe to our newsletter. Follow us!
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| 31 Mar 2023 | [Listen Again] Ep. 112: Kareem Weaver on Levers for Literacy Change | 01:02:14 | |
In this episode, Melissa and Lori have a candid discussion about change with Kareem Weaver, co-founder of FULCRUM Oakland: Full and Complete Reading is a Universal Mandate. FULCRUM’s goal is to ensure that every Oakland child is an 'on-time' reader provided with full LITERACY: a fundamental civil right, a powerful protection from the school to prison pipeline, and the cornerstone for a life of choice and fulfillment. In this episode, Kareem discusses the change he is fighting for and the elements he believes are necessary to make it happen. Related Episodes
Resources
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| 06 Jun 2019 | Episode 5: Mad about Mad River, Ohio! | 00:53:14 | |
We had the extreme pleasure of interviewing Amy Holbrook & Mandy Polen, literacy leads in Mad River, Ohio. The Mad River district adopted Wit and Wisdom's ELA curriculum two years ago district wide, and three years ago for several pilot schools. Since then, their teachers have been immersed in adaptive change and test scores have soared! They provide tangible strategies and tips for side by side implementation support, share what worked for them, and describe the real process. We can't wait for you to listen in! Connect with Melissa & Lori: Today is a great day to start your own podcast... If you’re thinking about it, we say GO FOR IT! We love Buzzsprout for so many reasons, but especially because it’s easy to use and their customer service rocks! Use our Buzzsprout affiliate link to sign up for their podcast media hosting and get a $20 Amazon gift card. | |||
| 14 Apr 2023 | [Listen Again] Ep. 118: Rethinking Reading Comprehension with Researcher Hugh Catts | 00:56:12 | |
In this episode, researcher Hugh Catts discusses his pivotal piece titled Rethinking How to Promote Reading Comprehension | American Federation of Teachers. He asserts, “Reading comprehension is thinking with a book in your hand.” There are three factors that impact reading comprehension: the reader, the text, and the activity (task or purpose). He talks with Melissa and Lori about the role knowledge plays in reading comprehension, the interaction of the knowledge the text demands vs. the knowledge a student brings to a task, and the implications of knowledge in instruction and assessment.
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Visit our website and subscribe to our newsletter. Helping teachers learn about science of reading, knowledge building, and high quality curriculum | |||
| 12 May 2023 | [Listen Again] Ep. 113: Reading is Rocket Science with Louisa Moats | 01:09:05 | |
Why is teaching reading so important? Melissa and Lori have a conversation with Louisa Moats grounded in this article: Teaching Reading is Rocket Science: What Expert Teachers of Reading Should Know and Be Able to Do. Moats asserts that 95% of students can learn to read when taught to do so using evidence-based practices. In this episode, listen as we discuss and define the term science of reading, while connecting decades of research and theory to classroom practice. | |||
| 28 Apr 2023 | [Listen Again] Ep. 116: Sonia Cabell on the Importance of Content-Rich ELA Instruction | 01:04:07 | |
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! | |||