Melissa & Lori Love Literacy ® | Science of Reading for Teachers

Joey Hawkins & Diana Leddy of The Vermont Writing Collaborative share how educators can support students in creating and communicating their understanding through writing.  The three pillars for writing for understanding are:  Backward design (envision the final goal!) Build understanding (talking about text, writing about text, acting it out, and more!) Direct instruction (writing models, str...

Adam Tyner , Associate Director of Research at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, joins us to unpack his recent research findings on Social Studies Instruction and Reading Comprehension: Evidence from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study . A snapshot of this study is highlighted in EducationWeek's article, Does Social Studies Build Stronger Readers? A New Study Suggests So. We ask Adam about ...

How do primary teachers take a ' both and ' approach to literacy - building foundational skills for word recognition alongside knowledge and vocabulary for language comprehension? Jen & Sam, two primary teachers from Baltimore, share their experiences with Wit & Wisdom ELA (and the digital component, in Sync) as well as Geodes. How do high quality instructional materials (HQIM) i...

Melissa and Lori reflect on the highs and lows of 2020, and share who they'd like to pod with in 2021!  Join us to reflect and reset as we begin the new year.  Visit OUR WEBSITE to subscribe to our newsletter and podcast! https://www.literacypodcast.com/ Connect with Melissa & Lori: Twitter Instagram Facebook Today is a great day to start your own podcast... If you’re thinking about it, w...

Liz Hembling's daughter, Mia, attended a public elementary school. Liz noticed early on that she struggled terribly learning to read. In second grade, the school placed Mia in a remedial reading group, without communicating this to Liz. When Liz expressed her concerns, she was repeatedly assured that Mia was “on grade level” and “fine.” But... she wasn’t fine.  Liz knew there was something wr...

Tracy Heilman, Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment in Sioux City, NE, shares how her district shifted from a standards-driven, balanced literacy approach to Wit & Wisdom ELA. She's led the charge during COVID to transitioning both materials and mindsets to  facilitate access to high quality instruction.  Visit OUR WEBSITE to subscribe to our newsletter and podcast! https:/...

Episode 37  The article Placing Text at the Center of the Standards-Aligned ELA Classroom is a must-read — before or after you listen to this episode! Meredith Liben and Sue Pimentel join us to unpack the true intentions behind the Common Core State Standards and how they’ve sometimes been misinterpreted in practice. They share what they’ve observed in classrooms and schools — both when high-quali...

Kyair and Katie are just exceptional humans with the biggest hearts! Two fabulous teachers from Baltimore join us (again!) to chat about virtual school, share tips and tricks for virtual learning, the benefit of having HQIM during this unprecedented time, and how they'll support students' SEL needs.  Connect with them on Twitter: Kyair - @kyairb Katie - @kstoryscotti Visit OUR WEBSITE to...

Jared Myracle shares the process and focus on curriculum adoption and implementation during his time as CAO of Jackson-Madison County Schools, where he learned that "people want better, but they don't like different." He unpacks his latest post, Reading Assessments Need an Upgrade , to dissect how and why curriculum should drive assessment (not vice versa), what we can all learn fro...

Kristen Wynn (MDE State Literacy Director, K-12), Jill Webb Hoda (MDE Assistant State Literacy Coordinator, K-3), & Jessica Crosby-Pitchamootoo (Elementary Curriculum Lead Division 1, Jackson Public Schools), join Melissa & Lori to share the larger context of literacy in Mississippi, as well as why they decided to focus on high quality instructional materials - and HOW they did it! They ou...

Melissa has a conversation with Dr. Molly Ness, an associate professor in childhood  education at Fordham University’s Graduate School of Education about how to help parents support their students with reading at home, how to instill a love of reading, and the real challenges that face us all as parents right now! Learn more from Molly on her podcast: End Book Deserts Podcast or on her website: ww...

How is SEL embedded into high quality curricula? Hear from an expert: Chi Kim, CEO at Pure Edge, Inc. Chi shares what this looks, sounds, and feels like... intentional conversations around information gleaned from texts (have you heard the phrase 'mirrors & windows?'), strategies and resources to support student agency and action, and how we as educators can purposefully embed SEL be...

We had the opportunity to talk (again!) with Natalie Wexler about tips for effective remote learning (read her full article located here ), the current intersection of students' virtual learning and strategy-focused instruction (due to lack of knowledge-based, high quality curricula) and how parents are noticing! How can we teach strategies in context while building knowledge? Listen to find...

Listen as second grader Presley shares 'knowledge nuggets' about her virtual learning experience with Knowledge on the Go by Great Minds. In only seven short weeks of using a knowledge-based curriculum vs. isolated standards/strategy-based approaches, she is using strategies to access content in context effectively - and speaking and writing to share what she's learned. Her sweet vo...

Melissa and Lori chatted with Mark Feiring, the Executive Director of the Maryland Book Bank, to hear how the organization is supporting the community during this time. He shared some fabulous ideas - building partnerships with other community organizations such as The Baltimore Hunger Projects as well as community schools - and thinking outside of the box to get books into kids' and families...

Rachel Stack, CAO of Humanities at Great Minds, talks all things Knowledge on the Go, Great Minds' free, virtual, knowledge-building lessons led by teachers to support students, teachers, districts, and families in this time of quarantine. We discuss the role of knowledge-building in our new virtual learning world, and share successes - both big and small - to highlight the power of knowledge...

We talked with the fabulously candid Tim Shanahan about his recent blog post Prior Knowledge, or He Isn't Going to Pick on the Baseball Study that garnered much attention. Should we teach reading strategies? How important is building knowledge? What are reading skills vs. strategies? How frequent should strategy instruction occur in concert with knowledge building? He also weighs in on the cu...

Once again, Natalie Wexler has inspired a podcast episode! Today, Melissa and Lori discuss the new reality of many - schools are closed, and families and caregivers are wondering how to support their kids at home? Resources :  How to Engage Kids and Build Their Knowledge When Schools are Closed, Natalie Wexler Get FREE Knowledge On The Go with ELA, Math, and Science lessons taught by virtual teach...

Robin McClellan, is the Supervisor of Elementary Curriculum and Instruction for Sullivan County Public Schools in Sullivan County, TN, but even more importantly is a cheerleader for high-quality curricula (HQC) and a member of Curriculum Matters PLN. In Sullivan County, she spearheaded the implementation of high quality curricula across eleven elementary schools - in this podcast, she tells us all...

Ep. 22: Dr. Sonja Santelises joined us to discuss why she saw the urgent need for change in Baltimore City Public Schools, how she set and supported a clear literacy focus through the Blueprint for Success and high-quality curricula, and the ongoing next steps that prevail. She is witty and sharp, but most of all, we appreciate her vision and boundless energy in this admittedly difficult work.  Vi...

Today Emily Hanford joins Melissa and Lori to define the Science of Reading, addressing the current misinterpretation of the term and what it really means. She shares thoughts on teacher prep programs and where teachers get knowledge about what or how to teach, contemplates why teacher prep programs are not preparing teachers to teach kids how to read, and how curriculum plays a role in helping te...

David Liben's 'tell it like it is' style combined with his raw humor and literacy expertise make him an invaluable resource and information source on this podcast! He has worked with Student Achievement Partners (SAP) and synthesized research behind the CCSS. David discusses why old habits die hard, the impact of knowledge and vocabulary on comprehension, and why we've shifted...

In this episode, Karen Vaites and Janise Lane unpack a recent visit to see Wit & Wisdom's high quality curricula in action Baltimore City Public Schools. After the visit, Karen posted this blog . It's a must-read!  Visit OUR WEBSITE to subscribe to our newsletter and podcast! https://www.literacypodcast.com/ Connect with Melissa & Lori: Twitter Instagram Facebook Today is a great...

Kate Walsh, President, of National Council on Teacher Quality, joins us today to discuss her recent article, Getting at the root of the school to prison pipeline . She shares details about her visit to the Legacy Museum in Montgomery, Alabama, and how that inspired her to write this article.  A focus of NCTQ is whether or not the programs that prepare elementary teachers are making sure those aspi...

Join us as we talk with Angelique Jessup, Program Director & Ruth Farfel, Program Associate, at Campaign for Grade Level Reading in Baltimore, MD. Find out how grade level reading has collaborated with City Schools to support high-quality curricula implementation and how they engage and support families with building knowledge on curricular topics.  Follow Grade Level Reading on Instagram @bem...