Melissa & Lori Love Literacy ™

Lorraine Griffith and Lindsay Kemeny, both seasoned educators, explore the transformative power of fluency in reading. They share effective strategies like partner reading and performance-based activities to boost fluency. Discover how integrating music and diverse texts can enhance student engagement and comprehension. They also discuss the benefits of using captions to support reading at home. Their insights highlight the critical link between fluency and understanding, promising significant growth in student reading skills.

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 tips for implementing Strive for Five in the classroom and engaging parents in the process. ResourcesStrive for Five Conversations by Tricia Zucker and Sonia CabellUsing Strive-for-Five Conversations to Strengthen Language Comprehension in Preschool through Grade OneAsking Questions is Just the First Step: Using Upward and Downward Scaffolds Going Nuts for Words: Recommendation for Teaching Young Students Academic VocabularyArticle on Teaching Together research: This article shows sending home materials scaffolds parent involvement and that the impact of rewards fades over time.Talking is Teaching Family Engagement Resources 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 Jul 15, 2022Dr. 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: 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.

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 practical strategies for teaching morphology, such as teaching the morphological principle and using activities like 'Make It Big' to build students' confidence in creating big words. She also emphasizes the need for explicit instruction in morphology from an early age and highlights the benefits of using cognates and word chains to support multilingual learners. TakeawaysThe book Big Words for Young Readers focuses on teaching young readers to decode and understand words with multiple syllables and morphemes.Syllables are sound units, while morphemes are the smallest units of sound that carry meaning in a word.Teaching morphemic concepts early on can help students distinguish the meaningful parts of words.There is no strict scope and sequence for teaching morphemes, but it is important to consider the frequency and applicability of different types of morphemes at each grade level. Teaching morphology is essential for developing reading comprehension and vocabulary skills in young readers.Strategies like teaching the morphological principle and using activities like 'Make It Big' can help students understand and create big words.Explicit instruction in morphology should be integrated into phonics instruction from an early age.Cognates and word chains can be effective tools for supporting multilingual learners in developing their morphological knowledge.Resources Big Words for Young Readers and the entire Scholastic Science of Reading in Practice book series! Monsters PI 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.

Heidi Anne Mesmer, a researcher specializing in decodable texts, joins the conversation to shed light on their essential role in literacy education. She discusses how understanding decodability can revolutionize classroom practices. From criteria for evaluating texts to balancing decodable practice with meaningful comprehension, listeners will gain insights on fostering effective reading skills. Mesmer emphasizes the importance of active engagement in early reading, and highlights the need for collaboration between researchers and educators to bridge theory and practice.

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. ResourcesConnect with Anna Geiger, AKA The Measured MomListen to Anna's podcast, Triple R Teaching  Read Anna's new book, Reach All Readers  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 Sep 21, 2020The 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 "data-driven" instruction?What are better ways to assess and track student progress? 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 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.

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. The speakers reflect on their own mistakes and the challenges in the field of literacy education.TakeawaysThe power of questions lies in their ability to provide insight into a student's comprehension, encourage precise thinking, and reveal the features of a text that stumped or aided comprehension.Close reading serves as a valuable technique for examining the features of complex text, developing vocabulary depth, and understanding the world through text.The debate around teaching comprehension strategies highlights the impact of high-pressure assessments and the need to prioritize meaningful instruction over test preparation. Comprehension strategies have limitations and may not be the most effective approach to reading comprehension.The overemphasis on reading strategies can be detrimental to students' engagement and understanding of reading.Foundational skills and the science of reading play a crucial role in improving reading comprehension.Reflecting on mistakes and being open to learning from them is essential for progress in literacy education. 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.

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 sense of community and supports social-emotional learning.ResourcesKnow Better, Do Better: Comprehension by David & Meredith Liben Know Better, Do Better by Meredith & David Liben  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.

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 Alouds for All Learners' by Molly Ness, which emphasizes the importance of language comprehension and intentional read alouds.  ResourcesMelissa & Lori Love Literacy Episode 193: Systems to Get Better Reading Results with Stephanie Stollar (podcast)Next STEPS in Literacy Instruction: Connecting Assessments to Effective Interventions by Susan Smartt and Deborah Glaser (book)Melissa & Lori Love Literacy Episode 139: Knowledge Matters with Barbara Davidson and Daniel Willingham (podcast)Why Don’t Students Like School? By Daniel Willingham (book)Melissa & Lori Love Literacy Episode 170: All About Read Alouds with Molly Ness (podcast)Read Alouds for All Learners: A Comprehensive Plan for Every Subject, Every Day, Grades PreK–8 by Molly Ness (book) 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.