The Reading Teacher's Playbook with Eva Mireles

Listen in as: I unpack the three most common time sucks and how to avoid them so that you are saving time in the long run. I talk about: -What time sucks are, how they fool us into thinking they are good for us and a plan for how to avoid them all together. They are: Going down the TPT rabbit whole without a clue of what we actually need or what we already have. Not knowing our grade level standar...

In This Episode We Discuss Many teachers think they need better time management, more productivity hacks, or stronger self-care routines. But often the real issue isn't a lack of effort. It's a lack of systems. In this Summer Reset replay, we're revisiting one of the most downloaded episodes of the podcast and exploring why systems—not willpower—are often the key to reducing stress, im...

In This Episode We Discuss Why student thinking—not compliance—became a central theme throughout Season 12 How read aloud, accountable talk, writing, and learning science all connect to helping learning stick The difference between understanding something during a lesson and actually learning it over time Why retrieval practice matters and how simple instructional moves can strengthen memory What...

Episode 137- Listen to this interview with  Lanesha Tabb as we talk about: 1. Closing the gap between student thinking and student writing 2. Using grammar and sentence-level instruction to improve writing quality 3. Keeping writing instruction meaningful, manageable, and engaging through the last day of school Stay in touch with Lanesha Tabb:  @lanesha_tabb on instagram If you’re ready to strengt...

Episode 136- Listen to this interview with Dr. Shane Saeed as we talk about: 1.The role forgetting plays in learning.  2. Familiar vs Known and the role it plays in student learning. 3.What retrieval strategies to use now as you wrap up the school year.  Stay in touch with Dr. Shane Saeed:  @drshanesaeed on everything If you’re ready to strengthen your instruction and design literacy lessons that...

Listen to this interview with Naomi O’Brien as we talk about: 1.What high expectations are as it relates to your literacy classroom. 2. How maintaining high expectations saves your sanity and keeps end of the year chaos at bay. 3.How to hold on to high expectations all the way through to the end of the school year.  4.What having high expectations looks like in your literacy classroom at the end o...

In This Episode We Discuss Why end-of-year classroom routines often fall apart after testingHow to maintain high expectations in your upper elementary literacy classroom through the last day of schoolThe connection between teacher expectations, student behavior, and student effortWhy structure and consistency matter more than “keeping students busy” during the post-testing seasonHow to cast a real...

In This Episode We Discuss Why most end-of-year classroom plans fall apartHow to move from reacting to intentionally designing the end of the school yearThe three patterns that lead to behavior shifts and loss of structure after testingWhy maintaining high expectations matters academically and behaviorally through the last day of schoolHow to keep learning, routines, and classroom community intact...

Listen to this interview with Dr. Pooja Agarwal as we talk about: 1.What’s actually happening when students aren’t holding on to what we have taught them from one day to the next.  2.How to think about retrieval strategies as design decisions. 3.How to use retrieval practice in order to simplify your lesson design.  4. One shift you can make this week to help learning stick during your literacy bl...

Episode 131  How to design read aloud lessons that build understanding—not just engagement The difference between read aloud that supplements vs. supplants your instruction Using read aloud to teach reading skills like character motivation and author’s craft How to connect knowledge building and accountable talk into one cohesive lesson Embedding learning science strategies like retrieval practice...

Episode 130 Show Notes Accountable Talk During Read Aloud: How to Move Beyond Turn and Talk to Real Thinking Why student talk doesn’t always lead to deeper thinking How to structure read aloud conversations to move beyond participation The role of explanation, listening, and idea-building in student learning How accountable talk supports comprehension and long-term retention Using simple, high-imp...

Episode 129 - Why Read Aloud Still Matters in Grades 3–5 Classrooms In this episode we talk about: Why read alouds still matter in your Upper Elementary literacy classrooms. How Read alouds support learning science,  How Read alouds support The Science of Teaching Reading.  Choose texts that build knowledge Pause for thinking, not just predictions Plan 2–3 intentional thinking stops instead of a l...

In this episode: Listen in as I interview Stacey Riedmiller of Literacy for Big Kids. We talk about the what, the why and the how of reading what your students are reading.  We talk about: 1 .What- What does it mean to read what your upper elementary students are reading? 2. Why- Why is reading what your upper elementary students are reading important? 3. H ow- How do we make reading what our uppe...

Listen to this interview with Dr. Pooja Aragawal as we talk about: 1.What’s actually happening when students aren’t holding on to what we have taught them from one day to the next.  2.How to think about retrieval strategies as design decisions. 3.How to use retrieval practice in order to simplify your lesson design.  4. One shift you can make this week to help learning stick during your literacy b...

Episode 127 In This Episode We Discuss How to incorporate science of learning strategies into your literacy block Using retrieval practice in reading lessons Why spaced practice improves student learning Turning learning objectives into student thinking opportunities Supporting metacognition during literacy instruction Applying research-based strategies without overwhelming your schedule Practical...

Episode 126 — Designing for Transfer in Reading Instruction Goal: The goal of this episode is to understand what you can do to help support student transfer of information through the application of knowledge in your upper elementary literacy classroom. We talk about:  1.How to get students to apply what they’ve learned in your classroom.  2. Recap of chapter 8 of Smart Teaching Stronger Learning ...

Episode 125 — What Really Drives Student Motivation? Goal: The goal of this episode is to understand what fuels student motivation in your upper elementary literacy classroom.  We talk about:  1.What really fuels student motivation.  2. Recap of chapter 7 of Smart Teaching Stronger Learning  3. Strategies that you can implement in your classroom today.  Links to resources mentioned in the podcast:...

Episode 124 — Teaching Students How to Take Charge of their Learning  Goal: The goal of this episode is to help you walk away with the what, the why and the how of getting your students to take charge of their learning.  We talk about:  1.The what, the why and the how of teaching students how to take charge of their own learning.  2. Recap of chapter 5 of Smart Teaching Stronger Learning  3. Strat...

Episode 123 :Designing Reading Lessons That Outlast the Pacing Guide Goal: The goal of this episode is to help you design literacy lessons that promote transfer and long-term learning — even when that means making intentional decisions beyond the pacing guide. We talk about:  1.Combining interleaving and concept mapping in your         literacy classroom.  2. Recap of chapter 4 and 6 of Smart Teac...

Goal: The goal of this episode is to help you walk away with tangible tools for helping students build connected meaning within and across texts.  We talk about:         1.Concept Mapping  2. Recap of chapter 6 of Smart Teaching Stronger Learning  3. Strategies that you can implement in your classroom today.  Links to resources mentioned in the podcast: Grab my free guide for keeping your mini les...

Episode 121 — Why- How Your Students Learn and  Practice Matters in your Upper Elementary Literacy Classroom? Goal: The goal of this episode is to help you walk away with tangible tools for choosing how to teach and practice literacy skills in your upper elementary literacy classroom. We talk about:         1.Blocked Practice vs Interleave Practice  2. Recap of chapter 4 of Smart Teaching Stronger...

Episode 120 — Why Learning That Lasts Often Feels Hard Goal: The goal of this episode is to help you understand why  learning that lasts requires productive struggle and how retrieval and spacing routines help learning stick beyond the lesson. We talk about: 1.Spaced Practice  2. Recap of chapter 3 of Smart Teaching Stronger Learning  3. Strategies that you can implement in your classroom today. ...

Episode 119: What Does It Mean for Learning to Stick? The goal of this episode is to help you walk away with an understanding of what retrieval practices are and how they help support student learning, in other words how to make learning stick. We talk about: 1.Retrieval Practice and how it helps learning stick.  2. Recap of chapter 1 of Smart Teaching Stronger Learning  3. Two retrieval strategie...

In this episode: We talk about what it means to be a self-led teacher and how being a self-led teacher can help shape your practice and improve student outcomes as an upper elementary literacy teacher. We also reveal our anchor text for quarter 1.  We talk about: 1.Self-leadership what it is, why it’s necessary and how I am poised to support you on this journey.  2. Why being research informed is...

In this episode: Listen in as I wrap up the top 5 most listened to episodes in 2025.  We talk about: The top 5 most listened to episodes of the podcast for 2025 and what you can look forward to from the podcast in quarter 1. Links to resources mentioned in the podcast: Grab my free guide for keeping your mini lesson mini  Book a discovery call for one on one coaching or school professional develop...