Episodes

In this episode, Dr. Marianne Rice joins Jake to discuss the different types of inferences and how teachers can support their students in generating inferences to enhance comprehension. For more information, be sure to check out literacy.io References: Rice, M., Wijekumar, K., Lambright, K., & Bristow, A. (2023). Inferencing in Reading Comprehension: Examining Variations in Definition, Instruction, and Assessment. Technology, Knowledge and Learning. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10758-023-09660-y Ri...

Utah Educators — let’s talk about fluency and comprehension! October 1 – Brigham City October 7 – Salt Lake City October 22 – St. George Make sure to sign up for both sessions Fluency: https://usbe.midaseducation.com/professional-development/courses/course/64621 Comprehension: https://usbe.midaseducation.com/professional-development/courses/course/64623 All sessions are free of charge and 7 relicensure hours will be credited for the full day. A big thanks to the Utah State Board of Education f...

In this episode, Drs. Tricia Zucker and Sonia Cabell join Jake to discuss their “Strive-for-Five Conversations” strategy for promoting oral language development through simple, serve and return style conversations in the classroom. References: Strive-for-Five Conversations, by Tricia Zucker & Sonia Cabell Cabell, S. Q., & Zucker, T. A. (2023). Using Strive‐for‐Five Conversations to Strengthen Language Comprehension in Preschool through Grade One. The Reading Teacher. https://doi.org/10.1002/t...

In this episode Dr. Jake Downs joins us to talk about his research on Synchronous Paired Oral Reading techniques. Guest hosted by Dr. Chase Young. Reference: Downs, J., & Mohr, K. A. J. (2024). A Multilevel Meta-Analysis of Synchronous Paired Oral Reading Techniques in Elementary Classrooms. Literacy Research and Instruction, 0(0), 1–28. https://doi.org/10.1080/19388071.2024.2319654 Downs, J., Mohr, K., & Young, C. (2023). A historical narrative review of paired oral reading practices in eleme...

Melissa Loftus and Lori Sappington join us on the show to discuss their recent book entitled “The Literacy 50: Real-World Answers to Questions About Reading That Keep You Up at Night” available through Scholastic. In this episode we discuss Melissa and Lori’s experiences in the classroom, what led them to start a podcast, and what they’ve learned in over 200 episodes of the Melissa and Lori Love Literacy Podcast. So many great thoughts in this episode that you won’t want to miss! After you are...

My guests for this episode are here to discuss the role of dispositions, motivation, and agency within the classroom. Their names are Dr. Margaret Vaughn and Dr. Dixie Massey. Dr. Margaret Vaughn is a professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning at Washington State University and Dr. Dixie Massey teaches at Seattle Pacific University. They are the authors of Overcoming Reading Challenges Kindergarten Through Middle School recently published by Peter Lang Press.

My guest today is here to talk to use about reading profiles and how to use them in your classroom. Her name is Dr. Louise Spear-Swerling and she is a Professor Emerita in the Department of Special Education at the Southern Connecticut State University. In this episode we talk about her recent book The Structured Literacy Planner published by Guildford Press.

You’ve probably heard about syntax. Maybe you’ve seen a slide in a presentation that showed a strand of rope labeled as syntax. Or perhaps you learned about sentence structure in school and completed assignments where you had to diagram sentences. But do we really know what syntax is, why it matters, and how to teach it? My guests today are here teach us about syntax. Their names are Dr. Rachel Knecht and Dr. Dianna Townsend. Rachel Knecht is a doctoral candidate at the University of Nevada-Ren...

Teaching reading comprehension is a challenging task. There are many different aspects to teaching reading comprehension and doing it well is a feat. My guests for this episode are here to help us teach reading comprehension better. Their names are Kristin Conradi Smith, Tamara Williams, and Ellen Frackelton. In this episode we cover what the NRP reported about reading strategies, where the implementation of that research went awry, frameworks for the thinking about productive text comprehensio...

What is the relationship between teachers’ knowledge, belief, self-efficacy, and instructional practice? My guest today studied 34 rural teachers to learn more. Her name is Dr. Karen Kehoe and she is the Director of Dyslexia Services at the Tennessee Center for the Study and Treatment of Dyslexia at Middle Tennessee State University. In this episode we discuss what the sample of teacher knew about teaching reading, how confident they felt about teaching reading, and the evidence-based practices ...

The last few years, it seems everyone’s been talking about phonemic awareness – what works best, how to teach it right, and even how much of it students really need. Today, I’ve got two experts with me, Dr. Florina Erbeli and Dr. Marianne Rice, and they’ve been digging deep into these questions and more. Dr. Erbeli is an assistant professor at Texas A&M University, and Dr. Marianne Rice just completed her PhD there. In this episode, we’re breaking down the findings from two recent meta-analyses ...

Welcome to another episode of TLP! In this episode, we discuss assessments— their cost, time, and accuracy. Two guests, Dr. Courtenay Barrett and Dr. Adrea Truckenmiller, partnered with a school to explore these questions. Dr. Barrett is an assistant professor in the school psychology program at Michigan State University, and Dr. Truckenmiller is an associate professor in special education at Michigan State, recently published a journal article comparing the costs and accuracy of different readi...

2023 was a great year here at TLP. I am looking forward to an even better 2024. To kick things off I’ve prepared a special episode where I discuss my New Year’s resolution–thinking like a scientist. In this episode I describe what thinking like a scientist means, why it matters, and the three other frames of thought that often conflict with scientific thinking. I also provide examples of two prominent researchers–Dr. Nell Duke and Dr. Holly Lane–thinking like scientists. Link to Adam Grant on t...

Dr. Evan Ortlieb joins us to discuss the 2023 edition of the What’s Hot in Literacy survey. This survey was started by Dr. Jack Cassidy in 1997 and is now conducted by Dr. Ortlieb and Dr. Stephanie Grote-Garcia. In this episode we discuss what was hot, what is recieving increased interest, and should be hot. Dr. Evan Ortlieb is dean of the College of Education and Human Sciences at South Dakota State University. He also co-edited a recent volume entitled, Disciplinary Literacies: Unpacking Rese...

Dr. Dana Robertson joins us to discuss his chapter “Explicit Instruction” in the book “Principles of Effective Literacy Instruction.” We discuss his evolution of thought around explicit instruction, how to balance engagement and being explicit, and discuss the how explicit instruction relates to the gradual release of responsibility. We would love it if you consider sharing this episode from a colleague who would benefit and rate/review the show wherever you find this podcast. Reference: Rober...

Dr. Molly Ness joins us to discuss her recent book ‘Read Alouds for All Learners: A Comprehensive Plan for Every Subject, Every Day, Grades PreK–8.’ In this episode we discuss the benefits, common misconceptions, steps for conducting a read aloud in your classroom and much more. Reference: Ness, M. (2023). Read Alouds for All Learners: A Comprehensive Plan for Every Subject, Every Day, Grades PreK–8. Solution Tree.

Dr. Margaret Vaughn and Dr. Seth Parsons join us to discuss their recent book “Accelerating Learning Recovery for All Students: Core Principles for Getting Literacy Growth Back on Track.” We discuss a range of topics including schoolwide action teams, MTSS, partnering with communities, and much more. I always learn a great deal from these two scholars, this is an episode you won’t want to miss! Reference: Vaughn, M., & Parsons, S. A. (2023). Accelerating Learning Recovery for All Students: Cor...

Welcome to a new school year! I hope your summer was fantastic. In this episode I share what I’ve been up to, a bit of history about the podcast, and where the show is going. Be sure to check it out!

Dr. Young-Suk Grace Kim joins us on this episode to discuss the Direct and Indirect Effects Model of Reading (DIER). DIER builds on and adds to other models of reading (i.e., SVR or Scarborough’s Rope). It encompasses a wide range of factors, including morphological awareness, text reading fluency, and higher-order cognitions, all integrated into a single framework. Additionally, the DIER model sheds light on the interrelations among these component skills, emphasizing hierarchical, interactive,...

In this episode of TLP, I am thrilled to have Dr. Shayne Piasta on the show. Dr. Piasta is a listener-favorite from Episode 37 and is joining us to discuss alphabet instruction. Our conversation comes from an excellent chapter she wrote in the newly-released Handbook on the Science of Early Literacy (Cabell et al., 2023). If you enjoyed her insights from Episode 37 on early literacy, you won’t want to miss this interview. Dr. Piasta is is Professor of Reading and Literacy in Early and Middle Ch...

Welcome to the show! In March 2022, the IES released a practice guide for teachers entitled “Providing Reading Interventions for Students in Grades 4-9” In this episode, I interview four of the panelists who wrote this guide–Dr. Deborah Reed, Dr. Jade Wexler, Dr. Kimberly St. Martin, and Dr. Joe Dimino. This episode is jam-packed of takeaways for your classroom and make sure to check out the guide, available in the show notes. Link to IES Practice Guide: https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/Docs/Pract...

Thanks for a great 2022! Looking forward to TLP in 2023! In this episode, I talk about alignment between preschool writing standards and early elementary writing standards in state that adopted the Common Core. My guest is Laura Tortorelli who is an assistant professor in the Department of Teacher Education at Michigan State University. Highlights include insight into how preschool are early writing standards are organized, what practices these standards emphasize, and what it all means for ins...

Welcome to another episode of TLP! This is a fantastic episode where Dr. Danielle Colenbrander breaks down for us irregular words and what we know about these words from research. Dr. Colenbrander is a post-doctoral research fellow at Macquarie University and the lead author of two recent articles we discuss in the episode. A big thanks to my new co-producer, Patrick Wells who helped make this episode possible. If you find value in the show we would appreciate a donation to keep things runnin...

This is a great interview that covers a lot of ground. We discuss teacher content/pedagogical knowledge, phonological awareness instruction, and phonics instruction, why it all matters, and what it means for instruction. My guests are Dr. Shayne Piasta from the Ohio State University and Dr. Alida Hudson from Texas A&M University A big thanks to my new co-producer, Patrick Wells who helped make this episode possible. If you find value in the show we would appreciate a donation to keep things ru...