Science of Reading: The Podcast

Doug Lemov, a former teacher and the chief knowledge officer at Teach Like a Champion, dives into the crucial connection between fluency and comprehension, especially in middle and secondary education. He emphasizes the importance of reading whole books to enhance understanding and cautions against relying solely on vocabulary context clues. Lemov argues for intentional teaching strategies, including expressive read-alouds and close reading, to combat disfluency in students. He highlights that deep empathic connection to texts can unlock profound comprehension.

In this special dyslexia-focused Essentials episode of Science of Reading: The Podcast, Susan Lambert pulls from past episodes to summarize everything you need to know about dyslexia, from experts Emily Lutrick, Ed.D.; Nadine Gaab, Ph.D.; Tim Odegard, Ph.D.; Sally Shaywitz, M.D.; and Francisco Usero-González, Ph.D. You'll also hear first-hand accounts from young people about their personal experiences with dyslexia, reading, and the education system. Even if you have little prior knowledge of dyslexia, you’ll walk away from this episode with a foundational understanding of the condition, including what it is, what causes it, how to identify it, the importance of early screening, how it is a continuum, methods for intervention, and more.Show notes:ResourcesAccess free high-quality resources at our brand new professional learning page: http://amplify.com/science-of-reading/professional-learning Download your Dyslexia Support Power PackJoin our community Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/scienceofreadingEpisode Timestamps00:27 Introduction to SoR: Essentials01:02 Susan’s personal connection with dyslexia02:53 Accounts from young people on their experience of dyslexia05:09 Defining dyslexia with Dr. Emily Lutrick06:53 Dyslexia as a reading disability with Dr. Nadine Gaab07:39 Three key characteristics of people with dyslexia with Dr. Tim Odegard09:42 Longitudinal study with Dr. Sally Shaywitz11:54 The causes of dyslexia13:09 Early identification and effective intervention15:22 Discrepancy model/Waiting to fail model16:35 How early is too early to screen for dyslexia18:37 How to know when a student is at risk for dyslexia21:54 Identifying risk factors in older students22:54 Decoding nonsense words24:27 The power of naming a struggle25:28 The importance of having a cohesive system in place26:43 Screening students in their home language with Dr. Francisco Paco Usero Gonzalez29:45 Dyslexia as a continuum33:41 Final thoughts from young people on dyslexia36:12 Preview of upcoming episode*Timestamps are approximate, rounded to nearest minute

Katie Pace Miles, Ph.D., a reading scientist and founder of The Reading Institute, shares insights on orthographic mapping as a key cognitive process in reading. She explains how it integrates spelling, pronunciation, and meaning but emphasizes it can't be directly taught. Practical strategies for developing good reading habits in young learners are highlighted, along with the critical role of spelling in comprehension. Katie also discusses effective interventions for struggling readers, stressing that persistent, structured practice can lead to success.

In this episode of Science of Reading: The Podcast, Susan Lambert is joined by Wesley Hoover, a psycholinguist at the University of Texas at Austin, to discuss the Simple View of Reading and how it can serve as the basis for our understanding of comprehension. Wesley digs into all the complexities of this model—which is only simple at a high level—including the meaning of language comprehension vs. reading comprehension, the impact of word recognition, and using the simple view to identify struggling students. He’ll even address the limitations of the simple view of reading, untangle common misconceptions, and give you tools for assessing the value of any model for reading that you might encounter.Show notes: Submit your questions on comprehension! Access free, high-quality resources at our brand-new, companion professional learning page: http://amplify.com/science-of-reading/professional-learning  Resources:Listen: Science of Reading Essentials: ComprehensionRead: The Primacy of Science in Communicating Advances in the Science of ReadingJoin our community Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/scienceofreadingConnect with Susan Lambert: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-lambert-edd-b1512761/Check out Season 2 of the Beyond My Years podcast at.amplify.com/bmy Quotes:"Language comprehension is unbounded… the knowledge of the world and being able to express the knowledge of the world in language—that's always a key difficulty you work on for your entire life.” —Wesley Hoover, Ph.D. “If you're a teacher thinking about language comprehension, whatever time you devote to helping people understand language, if you can be effective in doing that, you'll never waste a kid's time.” —Wesley Hoover, Ph.D. "To be a reader, you have to be good at two things: word recognition and language comprehension. Both of them are necessary components of reading, but neither one of them is sufficient on its own.”—Wesley Hoover, Ph.D. Episode timestamps*03:00 Introduction: Wesley Hoover and the simple view of reading06:00 What is the simple view of reading? 08:00 What is language comprehension?10:00 What is word recognition?11:00 Defining reading comprehension12:00 Dr. Gough’s big A-Ha! Moment15:00 Reading competency16:00 Misconceptions of the simple view of reading21:00 Changing the size of the boxes23:00 Extension of the simple view26:00 Using the simple view to identify kids that are struggling29:00 What the simple view does or does not address33:00 Navigating models of reading comprehension35:00 Is the simple view outdated?38:00 Why is comprehension worth exploring?41:00 Final advice*Timestamps are approximate, rounded to nearest minute

Podcast host Susan Lambert gives you a first look at Season 10 of Science of Reading: The Podcast. This season will focus on reading comprehension, taking a deep dive into what is ultimately the goal of every classroom: breaking down why comprehension matters and how to achieve it. Get a glimpse into the season’s different angles on comprehension, as well as the expert guests you can look forward to hearing from.Show notes:Access free, high-quality resources at our brand new, companion professional learning page: http://amplify.com/science-of-reading/professional-learning  Join our community Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/scienceofreadingConnect with Susan Lambert: www.linkedin.com/in/susan-lambert-b1512761/Trailer: Beyond My Years is back for Season 2!

In this crossover episode Susan Lambert joins host Ana Torres and Classroom Insider Eric Cross from sister podcast, Beyond My Years. Together, the trio dive into the idea that all educators contribute to—and thus must invest in—student literacy development, regardless of the content they teach. Throughout the conversation, they discuss how all teachers are literacy teachers, offer four simple tips for developing academic language in any classroom, and explore why Susan still doesn't feel like a "seasoned educator" despite over 30 years in education. Finally, Ana and Eric discuss what they learned and Eric shares his top three takeaways from Susan.Show notes:Subscribe to Beyond My Years https://at.amplify.com/bmyAccess free, high-quality resources at our brand new, companion professional learning page: http://amplify.com/science-of-reading/professional-learning  Connect with:Susan Lambert: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-lambert-edd-b1512761/Ana Torres: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anayansi-ana-torres-m-ed-26a10654/Eric Cross: https://www.ericcross.org/ Resources:Science of Reading: A New Teacher’s GuideScarborough’s Reading RopeThe Knowledge Gap by Natalie WexlerJoin our community Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/scienceofreadingFollow us on Instagram @amplify.education Quotes: “Reading and writing and understanding language is not just an English language arts teacher's responsibility. It's the responsibility of every educator to communicate their discipline and the words and the concepts from their discipline to their students.” —Susan Lambert“[The Science of Reading movement] is not being led by one person or another person. …  I'm part of a greater community, and to know that I play a certain role or part in that community actually gives me a lot of inspiration on days when it's really, really hard.” —Susan Lambert“Any teacher in a classroom, no matter what content area they teach, is teaching something about language.” —Susan Lambert“The more that we can sharpen our tools and our skillset to be those teachers of literacy, the faster we're going to see improvements in learning in our classrooms. They're not two separate things.” —Eric Cross

Amie Burkholder, a literacy coach and author of "Literacy Unlocked," joins the discussion to share actionable insights for educators. She addresses the evolution of the Science of Reading movement and the struggles teachers face in adopting research-based methods. Practical classroom activities, especially focused on phonemic awareness, are highlighted to enhance literacy instruction. Amie emphasizes the need for manageable changes and accessible resources, encouraging educators to create a supportive reading community.

Tim Shanahan, Distinguished Professor Emeritus and a renowned literacy expert, delves into his book, 'Leveled Reading, Leveled Lives.' He challenges the effectiveness of leveled reading, arguing it often holds students back rather than helping them. Shanahan advocates for explicit instruction and practical strategies teachers can implement to enhance reading outcomes. He highlights the importance of tackling complex sentence structures for better comprehension and stresses the need for a comprehensive approach to literacy that addresses diverse student needs.

Sharon Vaughn, a leading researcher and Executive Director at the Meadow Center for Preventing Educational Risk, joins expert Hugh Catts from Florida State University to dive deep into the complexities of reading comprehension. They discuss reframing comprehension not just as a skill but as a multifaceted outcome influenced by vocabulary and background knowledge. The conversation emphasizes the importance of asking the right questions, selecting appropriate texts, and understanding that reading serves a purpose beyond mere comprehension.

Anne Lucas, former curriculum director and now Associate VP at Amplify, shares her expertise on the intricate nature of reading comprehension. She discusses why comprehension can be challenging to teach and introduces her K-8 digital program designed to enhance these skills. Lucas highlights the importance of micro skills and connective words in improving understanding. She also emphasizes how personal background knowledge influences reading comprehension, offering insights that can boost student learning.