Stellar Teacher Podcast: A Podcast for Upper Elementary Teachers

If I’m being honest, there were a lot of things that I struggled with during my first few years of teaching, but nothing compared to knowing how to teach vocabulary effectively. In my first few years, I implemented several programs, but neither of them seemed to be the key to having my students know the word and use it correctly. Eventually, I figured out what I needed to do for vocabulary to fina...

You all know how much I love bringing on other literacy experts to share their knowledge with you, but today, you’re getting double the knowledge! In my first-ever double-guest episode, I have Melissa and Lori on, and we are talking about all things literacy. They recently wrote a book, answering 50 literacy questions that keep them, and others, up at night. So, in today’s episode, we’re previewin...

One of the reasons I love doing this podcast is because I get to share resources, information, and knowledge I’ve learned with you all. I know when I was a classroom teacher, I didn’t have the time to research and really dive into topics like I wanted to. But I get to do that now, and one of the topics I’ve learned so much about, and really one of my favorite topics, is syntax. So, in today’s epis...

When working with kids, part of the job is dealing with their behaviors. Just like adults, kids have good and bad days, experience emotions, get excited, and would rather partake in activities that interest them than do their school work. Learning to understand their behaviors and how to manage them in a productive way is the key to supporting them. To help with this, in today’s episode, I have gu...

Class discussions are a major part of our classrooms. We want our students engaged, talking, sharing, and interacting with their peers. In an ideal world, all of our students would willingly participate, they’d know exactly what they want to say, and conversations would be flowing throughout the day. However, we know that’s not the case. Many students are reluctant to share, are worried they’re go...

If you’ve been teaching literacy for a while, you know all about the balanced literacy approach to teaching reading. However, you also know that the approach is outdated and not effective in teaching students how to read. And no one knows this more than my guest, Anna Geiger. A former balanced literacy teacher herself, Anna eventually found her way to the science of reading. In today’s episode, sh...

I’m always reminded how much teachers struggle with this certain writing concept every time I do a workshop or talk with teachers about the struggles they’re facing in their classrooms. I shouldn’t be surprised, for I, too, never felt confident in my ability to teach this concept and, after doing my own research, realized I didn’t teach this to my students in the most effective way. If you haven’t...

We’ve made it to that time of year again when we begin to trickle in test prep throughout our instructional day in order to prepare our students for the end-of-year standardized test. Even though this test is inevitable, it doesn't mean the way we structure preparing for it has to be boring or monotonous. Instead, we want to provide our students with high energy and excitement revolving around tes...

Being literacy teachers, we know the importance of having good literacy skills and how they can positively impact our student’s learning and communication. And those teachers who don’t teach literacy tend not to make writing a focus in their classroom. However, according to my guest, Katie Novak, that’s the wrong attitude to have. In today’s episode, she shares her philosophy on literacy and how i...

Even though you’re almost three-quarters of the way done with school, it doesn't mean you can’t teach your students new skills or try new things in your classroom. One thing you’ve probably been doing all year is pulling small groups. And even though you’ve done this all year, it’s still important to implement new strategies or have your students work on new skills. I get a lot of questions involv...

Well, my friends, we’ve made it to the last pillar of reading, which is reading comprehension. While most would argue that reading comprehension is the most important pillar in a student’s success in reading, it’s actually the last one you should focus on. This is because students need a solid foundation in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, and vocabulary in order to focus on comprehension. To...

Everything that a literacy teacher does is to try and help their students be successful readers and writers, which is why, over the last month, we've been focusing on the five pillars of reading. And one of the big factors that contributes to reading is a strong vocabulary. It's no surprise that the way most of us were taught vocabulary when we were younger is not the most effective vocabulary ins...

We’ve really taken a deep dive into the five pillars of reading over the last few weeks. My goal is to provide you with accurate information and practical tips that you can apply in your classroom to improve your students’ reading. With each pillar, I’ve brought in guests who are experts in their field, and today is no different. Aylin Claahsen not only is a fluency expert, but she is also a close...

We are continuing our series on the 5 pillars of reading instruction with effective phonics instruction. If you teach upper elementary, you might be wondering how phonics fits into your literacy instruction, but I’m here to tell you it does. I love bringing on experts in the field to share their knowledge, which is exactly what I’m doing today. My guest on today’s episode, Savannah Campbell, is sh...

Last week, I gave an overview of the 5 pillars of reading, which gives us the foundation of reading. But today I’m doing my first deep dive into one of the pillars, which is phonemic awareness. Whether you’re like me, who learned about it in college, or someone who this is a new concept, I’ve got an expert today who’s going to share her wealth of knowledge on this topic. So, in today’s episode, gu...

I recently hosted a workshop on how to create a literacy block that fits everything you need in it because that’s a common challenge for most literacy teachers. But the one recurring question throughout the workshop was,  what does effective literacy look like?  Effective literacy is directly related to the 5 pillars of reading instruction, which is what this upcoming series is all about...

As we start the new year, I want to focus on ways that I can help you with anything your students might be struggling with and provide you with support, resources, and strategies. And today’s topic is something that I think all literacy elementary teachers will resonate with, which is how to help struggling readers in your classroom. While this can be an overwhelming idea because there are so many...

January can be the perfect opportunity to refocus and remind yourself to create a balance between your teacher life and your personal life. But as we all know, that's easier said than done! My first international guest on the podcast, Ashleigh Smith, is one half of the Aussie duo dedicated to helping teachers with the ups and downs of teacher life. In today's episode, she's sharing five secrets to...

Happy New Year, everyone! As we start the beginning of a new year, I want to help you feel successful in areas that you have identified as challenging or struggling concepts to teach. In a teacher survey, there was an overwhelming response to grammar and the many questions surrounding this concept. So, I wanted to start the year by giving you three grammar swaps that change your grammar instructio...

When coming back from break, we always prepare our lessons and activities and set goals for the semester ahead. However, something we don’t anticipate happens when students return to school: they often forget how to do school. This means they struggle with executing procedures and routines they once mastered before the break. So, instead of letting these misbehaviors slide, there’s something you c...

I’ve stressed many times on this podcast the importance of fostering a love of reading in your students. And while you may incorporate more read alouds and independent reading time, the effort might not result in positive change if you’re always reading from the same genre. This was a mistake I made early in my teaching career, so I want to make that correction for you right now. So, in today’s ep...

While the weeks between Thanksgiving and winter break can be full of fun holiday-themed activities, this can also be a great time to review and assess student learning of the content you covered in the first semester of school. As you gear up with the state assessments to come in the next few months, finding creative and fun ways to assess your students gets them in the mindset while also helping...

The weeks between Thanksgiving and winter break can be long and exhausting for both students and teachers. But if you can begin incorporating some fun reading activities, your students will be engaged and motivated during independent reading time up until winter break. To get your students interested and engaged in reading until winter break, I’m sharing five ideas that you can use in your classro...

As teachers, we look for ways to support all of our students and their academic needs through resources and strategies. And we all have students who are diagnosed, or most likely flying under the radar, who have dyslexia. If you’re anything like I was, I was unsure as to what I could do to support them. So, in today’s episode, I have guest Heather O’Donnell, who is sharing best practices to suppor...

We all know incorporating reading and making it a priority in the classroom is important, but it takes more than that to really change how a student feels about reading. In order for a student to identify as a reader, they need to be immersed in a culture of reading in which they find personal connections to the text. My guest on today’s episode, Ciera Harris, is sharing how to build a culture of...