Building a Reader

How AI Is Helping Us Teach Students to Read—A Conversation About Flexibility, Creativity, and Student-Centered Support I had the chance to sit down with my friend Jacklyn for a powerful conversation about how artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the way we support students—especially when it comes to reading instruction. From reluctant readers to collaborative lesson planning, AI is helping e...

Are your students stuck in a reading rut? In this episode, we explore how expanding text formats—not just genres—can unlock engagement, reduce boredom, and create richer reading opportunities for all learners. Use your summer freedom to rethink what counts as reading and prep for a year of curiosity, creativity, and real growth. Ideal for K–5 teachers seeking responsive, student-centered literacy...

In this episode of Building a Reader, I'll share one powerful question every teacher should ask when making instructional decisions: “What evidence do you have?” Consider how your notes can help you to indicate one-off behaviors and patterns.

When a student struggles to read a word, it’s easy to jump to conclusions or offer surface-level solutions. But what if we paused and asked why—not just once, but five times? In this episode of Building a Reader, we explore the 5 Why’s strategy, a simple yet powerful tool borrowed from problem-solving frameworks, and show how it can be used by teachers to uncover the root causes behind students' r...

What do learning to read and playing basketball have in common? In this episode of Building a Reader, we explore how reading involves much more than just phonics and sight words—just like basketball involves more than shooting hoops. Discover how cognitive skills, practice, and strategy apply to both literacy development and athletic training. This analogy will help you understand the full co...

Are your students slowing down or stumbling when they encounter long, multisyllabic words? In this episode of Building a Reader, literacy consultant Jennifer unpacks what it really means when students struggle with reading fluency—especially with longer words. You'll learn how to recognize the signs that a student needs support. More importantly, you’ll walk away with a clear, step-by-step strateg...

As the school year wraps up, it's time to go beyond reading levels and reflect on what really matters: how our young readers have grown. In this episode of Building a Reader , Jennifer guides you through the three essential behaviors— integration, flexibility, and independence —that reveal deep, meaningful progress. You’ll learn what each behavior looks like in practice, how to spot...

I love scaffolds. They send students into action taking mode. If taught intentionally, they send the message, "You are the kind of kid who can figure this out." Help students to become action-takers with...  1. Letters 2. Words 3. Science processes or more.. Grab a sheet of paper and I'll share with you three steps to take to transfer the action taking over to your students . Cheers to transf...

Teaching kindergarteners can be confusing and old techniques of drill and skill and flashcards can be minimally effective. When teachers, Megan and Danielle, joined the Building Kindergarten Readers training and started using authentic texts they started to see growth - in the phonics/reading game . Listen as they tell us about the progression of learning they took their students on and how their...

In this episode we'll consider the mindset of the learners that you teach. Some of them seem to approach learning with an open mind and others do not.  Today we'll talk about the four categories that helped me to reconsider the students I was teaching and what I needed to do next. Join me as we consider 1. The knower 2. The NOT knower 3. The guesser 4. The believer, "I can figure it out." And...

I search for Where's Waldo by looking left to right, top to bottom - because I am a reader. I have reading eyes. Learning letters and words is hindered by the way a child looks and hears. If they look and hear randomly while doing phonics or learning a word they will not be taking in the information in a helpful way. In this episode I will share a new way to look at students - a playground way. I...