Episode 222 In this episode, teacher coach Margarita shares effective strategies for leveraging students' native languages to enhance their learning in the classroom. She discusses the importance of making cross-linguistic connections, structured routines like QSSSA for speaking, and vocabulary strategies that include cognates. She also explains writing techniques such as the APE method and reading comprehension strategies like STAR, all aimed at supporting emergent bilinguals in their academ...

Episode 221 This live podcast recording was part of the opening reception for the 2025 Literacy & Justice for All symposium in Oakland, CA on March 7 and 8. It is crucial to ensure every student becomes a proficient reader. In this live podcast, we’re diving into the amazing strides Oakland Unified School District is making with its bold literacy vision, the challenges they’re overcoming, and the innovative approaches transforming classrooms. We’re joined by two incredible guests: L...

Episode 156 Fifth-grade teacher Sean Morrisey joins us to discuss all things vocabulary! We discuss Tier 2 and 3 words and discuss how you can strategically select words to teach using research-based approaches. We also share the importance of continuously using words in daily language and ways to use data to measure improvement. Finally, we bridge the connection between vocabulary and fluency, demonstrating how it impacts performance. By the end of this episode, you'll fe...

Episode 220 In this podcast episode, you'll hear from: Kirsten Taylor, a first-grade teacher turned literacy coach in Washington, D.C., andKory Jensen, a fourth-grade teacher in Aurora, Colorado.Kirsten shares a powerful explicit vocabulary routine she uses with her students. She explains how to engage students in learning new words, assess their understanding, and extend vocabulary lessons beyond the initial teaching. Kory discusses the importance of morphology instruction. He shares p...

Episode 155 (from July 21, 2023) Curious about how words shape learning? Join us as we chat with linguist and author Lyn Stone about vocabulary, etymology, and their impact on literacy. Lyn shares practical strategies for teaching morphology and etymology, the importance of teacher knowledge, and great resources to build students' word awareness. We also dig into grammar and syntax—how they reflect thinking and why they matter for literacy. Plus, Lyn gives us a sneak peek at the new edition o...

In Episode 219, Blythe Anderson discusses the importance of vocabulary instruction, specifically through the use of vocabulary talk moves. These "talk moves" are designed to promote word learning and help teachers effectively teach new vocabulary. Blythe covers various types of vocabulary moves, their research backing, and practical examples of how teachers can implement them in the classroom - emphasizing the complexity of vocabulary learning as well as the need for repeated exposure a...

Episode 203 (from August 16, 2024) 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 impact of conversations on brain development. They also provide practical tips for implementing ...

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 fi...

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 Disord...

Episode 217 Have 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...

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 yo...

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 writersStev...

From July 22, 2022 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. What are the principles of The Writing Revolution? There are six: Students need explicit instruction in writing, beginning in the early elementary grades.Sentences are the building blo...

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 empow...

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 inst...

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 Rea...

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 uncon...

Phonics alone won’t solve the literacy crisis.Natalie Wexler's new book: Beyond the Science of Reading: Connecting Literacy Instruction to the Science of Learning advocates, which connects the science of reading to the broader science of learning.Key Points:The current reading crisis is fundamentally a learning crisis.Cognitive science principles, such as retrieval practice, should apply to all learning.Advocating for a knowledge-building curriculum supports all students, particularly those w...

From June 22, 2021In this episode, reading and fluency expert Tim Rasinski tells us all about effective fluency instruction! How does repeated reading build fluency instruction? Why does text difficulty level impact fluency practice? What do effective accuracy, automaticity, and expression sound like?Check out research, articles, and helpful materials located on Tim's website and follow Tim on Twitter @TimRasinski1. We also discuss this piece by Nell Duke. We answer your questions about teach...

Fluency is a crucial aspect of reading. It involves automaticity and the ability to connect different aspects of word knowledge.In this episode, Maryanne Wolf and Melissa Orkin discuss:the importance of fluency in readingthe factors that contribute to fluent readingthe need for an integrative approach to fluency instruction the POSSUM approach to building word knowledgeBig Takeaway: Fluency is essential for comprehension and has social-emotional implications for struggling readers. The P...