Route2Reading

In this heartfelt episode, Amie Burkholder takes you behind the scenes of her new book, Literacy Unlocked. If you've ever felt overwhelmed by the nonstop buzz around the Science of Reading or unsure how to turn research into real-life instruction, this episode is for you. Amie walks through each chapter of the book, sharing how Literacy Unlocked bridges the gap between research and classroom pract...

Whether you're supporting readers in your classroom, after school, or during summer tutoring, intervention doesn't have to feel overwhelming. In this episode, I sit down with literacy coach and intervention specialist Shannon Moore, Ed. S., to talk about what actually makes intervention effective—both in school and out. We break down the core components of strong intervention systems, what to focu...

Episode Summary Small group time is where the most powerful reading growth can happen — but if you're feeling overwhelmed by what to use, how to organize it, or whether you have the "right stuff," this episode will give you clarity (and a deep breath). I've spent years trying all the things — leveled tubs, centers, flashcards, flip charts… you name it. But over time, I realized the most effective...

Episode Summary: In this episode, I'm joined by the incredible  Yvette Manns  — educator, certified dyslexia practitioner, and the creative mind behind the  Phonics Readalouds  series. If you've ever wished your phonics lessons could be more engaging and aligned with the science of reading, you're in for a treat. Yvette shares how her teaching experiences and structured literacy background led her...

Episode Summary: If you've ever had a student who reads "c...a...t..." and by the time they finish the sentence, they can't remember what it was about, this episode is for you! Today, we're diving into a super common (and totally normal!) stage of early reading: sound-by-sound decoding — why students get stuck there, and how to help them move into smoother, more confident word reading. You'll walk...

🎙  Episode Title:  Bridging MTSS and the Science of Reading with Stephanie Stollar & Sarah Brown 📚  Episode Summary: In this episode, I'm joined by the brilliant minds behind the upcoming book  MTSS for Reading Improvement  —  Stephanie Stollar  and  Sarah Brown . These two powerhouses bring decades of experience supporting schools in implementing the Science of Reading within an MTSS framework,...

Episode Summary: In today's episode, we're tackling one of the biggest transitions in early literacy—helping students move from writing individual letters to constructing full sentences. If you've ever wondered how to bridge the gap between handwriting and confident writing, this episode is for you! We'll walk through: ✅ How to transition from letter formation to writing words ✅ The role of phon...

Episode Summary: Handwriting often gets pushed aside, but it's a game-changer for literacy success. In this episode, we're diving into: ✔️ Why handwriting matters for reading and spelling ✔️ Research-backed strategies to build fluency ✔️ The 5 essential components of writing success ✔️ Simple, effective ways to fit handwriting into your day By the end of this episode, you'll have practical strateg...

All About Lisa Russo: Administrator in New York Public Schools at P.S. 152. Became a teacher in 2022 at P.S. 152 and taught for 13 years in a variety of grades. Pursued a masters and became assistant principal at P.S. 152 for seven years - the same school she grew up in! Now serves as the principal at P.S. 152.   You mention that you have former students who return as staff members or with their o...

Small group instruction: where the magic happens.   It's here where we get to see those long-awaited lightbulb moments.  But with so many  needs and so little time, it can feel overwhelming.  Today, we will help you simplify your planning, chat about why small groups are so important, and give you all the tools you need to make your small group instruction successful.   Why Small Groups Matter Sma...

LE Podcast #52  The Importance of Decodable Text with Elise Lovejoy   All About Elise Lovejoy: Former teacher and currently serves as an probono interventionist at a nearby school. Runs Express Readers, a foundational skills reading program as well as a decodable book series. Passionate about the science of reading. FULL SHOW NOTES HERE

LE Podcast #51  New Year, New Goals: Using Data to Reset and Plan for 2025   What's the most important question we can ask ourselves as teachers and reading specialists and coaches?  That's easy: How do we teach reading in a way so that we can reach every student and every need?  The answer may not be what you think!  It all starts with assessments.  Analyzing data we get from assessments can comp...

I want to share with you essential building blocks that can help your students move from letters to reading CVC words.  Before we begin, let's start with some vocabulary we'll use during these show notes today. Phonemic awareness - the ability to blend, segment, and manipulate phonemes.  This is oral and doesn't involve letters or print. Phonemes - our smallest units of sound. Alphabetic principle...

All About Anna Geiger: Author of Reach All Readers: Using the Science of Reading to Transform Your Literacy Instruction. Former teacher in 1st-4th grades. Currently serves educators through her website, www.themeasuredmom.com. Shares tons of hands-on lessons, thoughtful articles, and printable resources and has been doing so since 2013. Hosts a weekly podcast called Triple R Teaching and presents...

Podcast #48 - Yearlong Phonics Pacing Guide Show Notes You guys - it's here!  My Yearlong Phonics Pacing Guide for Grades K-2 is designed to help you plan and implement effective phonics instruction throughout the school year. Here,  we'll share tips on how to make the most of this invaluable resource in your classroom. Plan Ahead: Take Control of Your Phonics Instruction Ensure a smooth and succe...

All About Neena Saha: Neena earned her master's degree in educational neuroscience from Columbia and has a PhD in special education from Vanderbilt. Her doctoral work on decoding resulted in a patent and her research can be found in journals like The Journal for Learning Disabilities and The Reading and Writing Interdisciplinary Journal. Upon graduating, Neena founded Elemeno, which helps bridge t...

Scheduling literacy blocks and finding enough time in a day is an ever-present challenge in our classrooms.  How do we do it, and where do we start?  Today, we'll go over some of the challenges we face, what to do about them, and how we can get in the time we need to teach literacy.   The Challenges of Literacy Blocks Not enough time Teachers are interrupted many times a day with student needs, br...

All About Meghan Hein: Proudly been in education for 20 years with jobs as a 2nd grade teacher as well as a math coach. Eventually transitioned into a literacy intervention teacher and served there for 5 years. She's now back in the classroom using the skills and knowledge she learned as a literacy interventionist. FULL SHOW NOTES HERE

The Complexity of Letter Formation Letter formation is the foundation for literacy development. This is because practicing letter formation helps students with shapes and sounds of letters, which is important for foundational reading skills.   Students also need fine motor skills in order to accomplish appropriate letter formation.  Good letter formation needs good fine motor skills. Writing by ha...

The Birth of Alphabet Quest During the pandemic, I was asked to leave my literacy coaching role and teach kindergarten.  When I went back to the classroom, I discovered that we were in desperate need of speeding up and enriching how we learned our alphabet. My time in the classroom was what birthed a really fun and effective idea I had:  Alphabet Quest!  Alphabet Quest is the idea of teaching the...

All About Melanie Brethour: Full-time elementary resource teacher in Montreal, Canada and also a parent to a child with severe dyslexia. Passionate about dyslexia and the science of reading, specifically supporting parents through navigating the dyslexia journey. Her son was diagnosed with dyslexia at the age of nine.  This influenced her to learn more about dyslexia and how she could support both...

All About Megan & Laura from Developing Readers Academy: Both taught in the same intervention room at a school in Minnesota. After looking at their end-of-the-year data, they realized their students simply were not making progress. Megan and Laura then went through LETRS and Orton Gillingham training to sharpen their skills. After that, they devoured every single SOR training and resource they cou...

All About Jake Daggett: Began teaching in 2015 and mostly has taught in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade classrooms. Recently took a new role as Foundational Literacy Director at a school in Milwaukee. Loves sharing ideas about the science of reading, especially about how we can make it fun and engaging for students. Focuses on the rhythm and movement in literacy classrooms. FULL SHOW NOTES HERE

All About Wiley Blevins: Author, travel-lover, and expert in all things literacy. Comes from a history of grandparents who were illiterate - books were not a part of his everyday life.  It was these limitations that encouraged him to perform well in school and learn to read. When he began teaching, he didn't know how to teach reading, so he had to do his own mini studies in his classroom. This led...

Full Show Notes Here   All About Dr. Stollar: Former Vice President for Professional Learning at Acadience Learning Inc. Part-time assistant professor in the online Reading Science Program at Mount St. Joseph University. Founding member of a national alliance for supporting reading science in higher education. Support educators to learn about and implement the science of reading. Consults and help...