Episode 218 is chock-full of super practical ways to implement academic talk in your classroom tomorrow! Elementary science teacher Jami Witherell shares her insights on fostering academic discourse in the classroom, emphasizing the importance of giving students time to think before they speak. She discusses practical strategies for engaging students in conversation, including the 'read a little, think a little, chat a little' approach, and the implementation of Socratic seminars and fishbowl discussions. Jami highlights the significance of preparation and creating a safe space for all students, especially multilingual learners, to express their thoughts and ideas. Her personal experiences as a multilingual learner shape her passion for ensuring that every student feels their voice matters in the classroom.Fourth grade teacher Lauren Proffitt discusses the importance of oracy in education, detailing how her school has implemented a school-wide goal to enhance students' speaking skills. She explains the significance of structured routines and strategies that promote student engagement through talk, emphasizing the role of oracy in both academic and lifelong skills. The discussion also covers peer observations, collaborative learning, and effective management of classroom discussions, providing practical insights for educators.ResourcesFail-a-bration by Brad and Kristi Montague 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, & Twitter.

Episode 167: Researcher Tiffany Hogan explores the relationship between phonics and language comprehension in this episode. She shares practical ways to make these connections in the classrooms - including read-alouds, discourse, and writing. Resources Mentioned in this Episode On the Importance of Listening Comprehension  If you don't look, you don't see: Measuring language development to inform literacy instructionList of commercially available Developmental Language Disorder (DLDP) ScreenersDLDandme.orgRADLD.orgASHA Voices on Apple PodcastsUnderstanding Dyslexia in the Context of Developmental Language DisorderIncreasing Higher Level Language Skills to Improve Reading ComprehensionAdapting Curricula for Children with Language Comprehension DeficitsFive ways SLPs (and others) can positively impact children with dyslexiaA generic implementation framework for school-based research and practice'We test, not teach, comprehension' Jeanne Chall: CUBED free assessment and progress monitoring for decoding, language, and readingExecutive functions and morphological awareness explain the shared variance between word reading and listening comprehension Young-Suk Kim “the acquisition of an alphabetic code is like catching a virus… this virus infects all speech processing… Language is never the same again” Uta Frith  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, & Twitter.

Episode 217Have you ever wondered how to get your students talking in a way that builds deeper understanding? In this episode, we chat with Jeff Zwiers, author of Academic Conversations and Next Steps with Academic Conversations, about the power of authentic discussions in the classroom.Here’s what you’ll learn:3 Key Features of Authentic Conversations: Building on ideas, clarifying and supporting, and using information gaps to spark curiosity.Practical Strategies: How to use routines like Think-Pair-Share to foster meaningful discussions.Building a Culture of Communication: Tips for helping students share opinions, argue effectively, and engage deeply.This episode is packed with actionable ideas to help you create a classroom where every student’s voice matters. Tune in to discover how academic talk can boost participation, agency, and long-term success!ResourcesArticle: Enhancing Instruction with Authentic Communication: 3 Features Conversing to Fortify Literacy, Language, and Learning Book: Academic ConversationsBook: Next Steps with Academic Conversations  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, & Twitter.

Struggling to make writing click for your students? In this episode, 5th-grade teacher Elise Frank shares practical strategies to tackle the challenges of teaching writing, inspired by "A Path to Better Writing" by Steve Graham and Karen Harris.Key takeaways:Simplify the hidden processes of writing for your students.Boost ownership and feedback.Integrate writing across all subjects.Packed with actionable ideas, this episode is a must-listen for every teacher! Tune in now and transform your writing instruction!Resources: Focus Article: "A Path to Better Writing" by Steve Graham and Karen HarrisSee Elise's writing instruction in action:Video: 5th Grade ELA: Writing about Esperanza Rising with SRSDVideo: 5th Grade ELA: The Power of SRSD and EL Education (Esperanza Rising)Urban teachers’ implementation of SRSD for persuasive writing following practice-based professional development: positive effects mediated by compromised fidelity. McKeown, D., FitzPatrick, E., Brown, M., Brindle, M., Owens, J., & Hendrick, R. (2019). Powerful Writing Strategies for All Students by Harris, Graham, Mason and FriedlanderPowerful Teaching: Unleash the Science of Learning by Patrice Bain and Pooja K Agarwal 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, & Twitter.

Steve Graham discusses the significance of writing in education, the challenges teachers face in teaching writing, and effective strategies to enhance students' writing skills. In this episode, you'll hear about: the interconnectedness of writing and readingthe importance of feedbackthe role of handwriting and typing in writing fluency the necessity of integrating writing instruction into the curriculumthe role of interactive writing as a bridge for early and progressing writersSteve also shares his thoughts on the impact of 21st-century tools like AI on writing practices, and the ethical considerations surrounding AI in education. Resources: Focus Article: "A Path to Better Writing" by Steve Graham and Karen Harris 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, & Twitter.

Judith Hochman and Natalie Wexler, co-authors of 'The Writing Revolution,' share insights into their innovative approach to writing education. They emphasize the importance of starting instruction at the sentence level and integrating writing across all subjects. The conversation covers effective strategies like using sentence starters, the role of planning and revising, and how grammar should be taught contextually. Hochman and Wexler reveal how these techniques can significantly enhance comprehension and retention, transforming students into confident writers.

What if young students could transform writing from a daunting task into an exciting journey of self-expression? In this episode, Laura Stam, a second-grade teacher from Wyoming, discusses her transformative journey in writing instruction. Struggling initially with an unstructured writing curriculum, Laura discovered innovative methods to support her students. You will hear how Laura has incorporated strategies fromThe Writing Revolution and self-regulated strategy development (SRSD) to empower her students to write confidently about their learning topics, such as the Revolutionary War and ancient China. Also, you will learn how strategic tools like mnemonics, goal setting, and structured sentence expansion activities have made her students more independent writers. Resources: Focus Article: "A Path to Better Writing" by Steve Graham and Karen HarrisLaura's Teaching Videos 2nd Grade Writing: CKLA, ThinkSRSD, and The Writing RevolutionWriting with Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) and ThinkSRSD (2nd grade)Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) Grade 2: Collaborative Writing with The Magic Fish (1/2) Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) Grade 2: Writing with The Magic Fish (2/2)Core Knowledge Language Arts Grade 2: Indus River Writing DemoInstitute for Excellence in WritingThe Writing RevolutionFrom Struggle to Success: Navigating the Writing Process With Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) 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, & Twitter.

This episode highlights the close connection between reading and writing and the importance of teaching them together. Young-Suk Kim uses a structural house analogy to explain their interdependence. Karen Harris introduces the SRSD (Self-Regulated Strategy Development) model, focusing on evidence-based practices that build self-regulation and explicit instruction for writing. We discuss the researchers brand new study with 1st and 2nd graders, including the SRSD Plus approach, which adds instruction in handwriting, spelling, and oral language. Our guests share practical tips for improving handwriting fluency and research on SRSD Plus’s positive impact on early writing and student confidence, offering valuable insights for classroom teaching.ResourcesEnhancing Reading and Writing Skills through Systematically Integrated Instruction (with HOUSE graphic that  Young explains in the beginning of the podcast) The Science of Teaching Reading is Incomplete without the Science of Writing: A Randomized Control Trial of Integrated Teaching of Reading and Writing Yes, they can: Developing transcription skills and oral language in tandem with SRSD instruction on close reading of science text to write informative essays at grades 1 and 2  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, & Twitter.

Melissa & Lori Love Literacy™ is a podcast for teachers. The hosts are your classroom-next-door teacher friends turned podcasters learning with you. Episodes feature top literacy experts and teachers who are putting the science of reading into practice. Melissa & Lori bridge the gap between the latest research and your day-to-day teaching.  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, & Twitter.

From 5/10/24In 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. Stephanie recommends that special education resources should be blended with general education resources from the beginning, and students should receive intensive support as soon as it is needed, without having to go through a series of interventions and assessments. She also emphasizes the importance of evidence-aligned instruction and the need for team-based decision-making in the MTSS model.TakeawaysMTSS is a framework for school improvement that helps teachers provide support for students with various needsThe tiers in MTSS are prevention of reading failure, with tier one being primary prevention for all students, tier two providing extra support for students at higher risk, and tier three offering intensive and individualized support for struggling readersDifferentiate tier one instruction and provide targeted instruction based on screening and diagnostic dataAssessments in MTSS include screening assessments to identify students at risk, diagnostic assessments to determine specific instructional needs, and progress monitoring assessments to track student progress.Blend special education resources with general education resources from the beginning and provide intensive support as soon as it is needed.Focus on evidence-aligned instruction and team-based decision-making in the MTSS model.Resources Stephanie's Reading Science Academy Stephanie's MTSS Course Watch Stephanie discuss...  the importance of using universal screening data to reflect the effectiveness of Tier 1 instruction  and design core instruction the elements in a coordinated, comprehensive assessment systemwhy you should teach word recognition and language comprehension at the same time 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, & Twitter.