Hi Literacy Lovers! This week we wanted to offer you all a chance to listen to one of our favorite episodes from when we just started the podcast. The absolutely incredible and inspirational Emily Hanford drops a TON of information in this episode, so it&apos;s worth another listen if it&apos;s been a while. We hope you get as much from our conversation with her as we did! We will back next Friday with a brand new episode for you all.  [From Feb 10, 2020] 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 teachers who do not know the science of reading.Visit OUR WEBSITE to subscribe to our newsletter and podcast! https://www.literacypodcast.com/Connect with Melissa & Lori:TwitterInstagramFacebook

Melissa and Lori Love Literacy

[Listen Again] Ep. 23: Emily Hanford Epically Defines the Science of Reading

We are honored to talk with two early grade veteran teachers from Vista Peak Exploratory in Aurora, CO. Vista Peak is in Year 4 of Great Minds’ Wit & Wisdom ELA, Geodes, and Wilson Language Fundations… the trifecta! April Evans, grade 1, and Danielle Hunter, grade 3, discuss the transition from piecemeal, low quality curricula materials to high quality materials that focus on building both skills and knowledge. They share how their materials support engagement and excitement in creating a classroom community of learners. What does the literacy block look like in grades 1 and 3? How are knowledge and skills aligned through grade bands? Listen to find out. Decodable Readers Protocol from Student Achievement Partners Visit OUR WEBSITE to subscribe to our newsletter and podcast! https://www.literacypodcast.com/Connect with Melissa & Lori:TwitterInstagramFacebook

Ep 92: Talking About the Literacy Block with Two Early Elementary Teachers

David Liben joins us again to discuss how to improve reading for older students. How can teachers help older students with unfinished literacy learning? How can teachers address foundational skills and fluency for older readers? Are decodables appropriate for older students? What is the role of independent reading? What is a volume of reading? Where does knowledge building fit? Listen and learn about these topics and more with one of our favorite literacy friends! David’s Course: Improving Reading for Older StudentsDavid & Meredith Liben’s Graphic Novel for Kids: How we read David’s blogs on Volume of Reading one and two Visit OUR WEBSITE to subscribe to our newsletter and podcast! https://www.literacypodcast.com/Connect with Melissa & Lori:TwitterInstagramFacebook

Ep. 91: Part 2: Improving Reading for Older Students with David Liben

Ep. 90: Part 1: Improving Reading for Older Students with David Liben

In this episode, Melissa and Lori connect with James Dobson, an educator who has been teaching for more than a decade in Australia. He has worked as a classroom teacher,  lead teacher,  literacy learning specialist, and principal. We discuss his blog post titled Laying the Foundations, One Teacher’s Journey. James illuminates his journey with the science of reading on his blog, Laying the Foundations. His posts are magic! Follow James on Twitter, too. Visit OUR WEBSITE to subscribe to our newsletter and podcast! https://www.literacypodcast.com/Connect with Melissa & Lori:TwitterInstagramFacebook

Ep. 89: Australian Teacher Lays the Foundations with Reading Science

One of our listener&apos;s questions prompted Melissa & Lori to have a conversation about complex texts and ways students can access them. What does the research say? What are practical ways to apply it? How could this look in the classroom? The first part of this episode illuminates a conversation with Melissa & Lori in response to Kris’s text complexity Q&A. The second part is a rerelease of David Liben’s episode, where he discusses why old habits die hard, the impact of knowledge and vocabulary on comprehension, and why we’ve shifted away from leveled text for core instruction.Visit OUR WEBSITE to subscribe to our newsletter and podcast! https://www.literacypodcast.com/Connect with Melissa & Lori:TwitterInstagramFacebook

Ep. 88: Complex Texts in the Classroom

In today’s episode, Kate Winn, a teacher, freelance writer and TV guest, and wife and mom to two girls, joins us on the podcast to share how after 20 years of teaching, she learned about the science of reading! She wrote this piece for Today’s Parent, titled I’m a kindergarten teacher and the way I’ve been teaching reading is wrong. How does she implement evidence-based practices in her classroom? Kate shares what she’s doing differently in her classroom to teach using reading science, what she’s learned along the way, and must-read book recommendations for teachers. Kate launched This Mom Loves in 2010 - find her tv segments, podcast, and more! Connect with Kate on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Resources discussed during this episode: Nancy Young’s Ladder of Reading Embedded mnemonics - link to Shanahan’s blog Visit OUR WEBSITE to subscribe to our newsletter and podcast! Connect with Melissa & Lori:TwitterInstagramFacebook

Ep. 87: "I'm a Kindergarten Teacher, and the Way I've Been Teaching Reading is Wrong"

Today we talk with National Council on Teacher Quality’s Hannah Putman, Managing Director/Research, who penned a piece titled Getting Districts and Teacher Prep on the Same Page on Reading Pays Off. This research from CALDER sparked Hannah’s piece. She shared there is a disconnect in what teachers are learning in preparation programs and evidence-based literacy practices used in schools. If you’re an educator who has felt slighted by your schooling, you’re not alone! If you’re looking to learn more about what states can do to support a revamp of quality teacher prep programming, check out these accessible Action Guides put forth by NCTQ.  Other resources mentioned: Will the Science of Reading Catch On in Teacher Prep? North Carolina&apos;s new reading mandate makes weary teachers spend long hours learningVisit OUR WEBSITE to subscribe to our newsletter and podcast! https://www.literacypodcast.com/Connect with Melissa & Lori:TwitterInstagramFacebook

Ep. 86: Getting Districts and Teacher Prep on the Same Page

Jenn David-Lang is truly a Mastermind! Her strategic, structured, and supportive virtual Professional Learning Communities help school leaders grapple and tackle lots of difficult topics, ranging from How can leaders support student engagement during a pandemic? to How can leaders create space for teacher wellbeing? Check out her Mastermind PLC paper where she outlines critical structures for leader learning. She begins and ends each session with reflection, because as John Dewey once said, “We don’t learn by doing, we learn by reflecting on doing.”Jenn also founded THE MAIN IDEA in 2007, because she witnessed too many school leaders who were so busy with the day to day responsibilities of running their schools that they had no time for their own professional development. Through THE MAIN IDEA, educators have access to the most current and powerful ideas in education to serve as strong instructional leaders. Admittedly, we are totally obsessed with this! Jenn is also a special guest and co-host on the podcast The School Leadership Show! Visit OUR WEBSITE to subscribe to our newsletter and podcast! https://www.literacypodcast.com/Connect with Melissa & Lori:TwitterInstagramFacebook

Ep. 85: Connecting Educators Across the World

It’s GIVING TUESDAY, and if you’re a Literacy Lover like us, then what better way to show your literacy love than to donate to The Truth About Reading documentary? We caught up with the team for a second podcast to react to the teaser and hear about the journey they’ve taken since we last spoke with them. And, be sure to follow The Truth About Reading on Facebook to stay up to date with the latest information on all things documentary-related! If you’re interested in hearing more about the documentary, register for an update on December 2nd at 2pm EST with Producer/Director Nick Nanton. Note: This session is for Executive Producer level donors. Visit OUR WEBSITE to subscribe to our newsletter and podcast! https://www.literacypodcast.com/Connect with Melissa & Lori:TwitterInstagramFacebook

Ep. 84: The Truth About Reading Documentary Team - BACK AGAIN!

Natalie Wexler once said that parents are the sleeping giants in this reading science movement. The parents in Minneapolis Public Schools are awake and ready! They are passionate, informed advocates who developed a coalition of families willing to speak out and say, “Our kids deserve access to structured literacy. Less than 50% of students read at grade level.” Thus, the MPS Academics Advocacy Group was born. Recently, the superintendent of schools, a proponent of balanced literacy approaches, almost lost his job over the state of literacy in Minneapolis. Read more about it and watch it here. However, the article that caught our attention was posted in The 74, titled A New Kind of Curriculum Night: Armed With Protest Signs and Data, Diverse Group of Minneapolis Parents Demands Better Reading Instruction for Their Kids. Listen to learn about what’s happening in the Minneapolis Public School system for students and families. Visit OUR WEBSITE to subscribe to our newsletter and podcast! https://www.literacypodcast.com/Connect with Melissa & Lori:TwitterInstagramFacebook

Ep. 82: [CLEAN] Minneapolis Public School Parents: Accepting Nothing Less Than Evidence-Based Reading in Schools

In today’s episode, we talk with special educator Katie Overstreet, who responded to a social media post with unwavering belief in her students and a can-do attitude. Her response stood out to us for so many reasons… such as the tangible ways she removes barriers for her students and her use of scaffolding techniques to support access to rigorous texts and tasks. Katie’s candid conversation illuminates the transition to high quality instructional materials and why teachers and students can ‘trust the process.’Visit OUR WEBSITE to subscribe to our newsletter and podcast! https://www.literacypodcast.com/Connect with Melissa & Lori:TwitterInstagramFacebook

Ep. 83: Special Educator Discusses High Quality Instructional Materials in the Special Education Classroom

Ep. 82: Minneapolis Public School Parents: Accepting Nothing Less Than Evidence-Based Reading in Schools

Sheeba Jacob’s blog post caught our attention when she wrote, “While I could see myself in some of these books because of universal experiences like grief and love, limiting the reading experience to a few specific voices subconsciously taught me that only certain voices mattered.” Two things are true: Texts are at the core of literacy instruction with our students, and the world is our school. How can we engage students by helping them see themselves and the world through texts? Sheeba’s Achieve the Core blog post, titled Helping Our Students See Themselves and the World Through the Books They Read in Our Classrooms: The impact of text selection on students, shares tips that educators can consider and implement. A few tips include  “...a) getting to know who they [students] are and what they care about, b) providing them mirrors of who they are and windows into other worlds through the literature they read, and c) engaging them in conversations about the world around them and the events impacting humanity. Ask them what they want to read about, allow them to question injustices occurring throughout the world, have them write autobiographies about their lives, celebrate their stories and larger histories, make their identities come alive in class the way schools should do for students.” Additional resource mentioned: Facing History in OurselvesSheeba’s Spotify EP Let the Magic In Visit OUR WEBSITE to subscribe to our newsletter and podcast! https://www.literacypodcast.com/Connect with Melissa & Lori:TwitterInstagramFacebook

Ep. 81: Thinking About Reading as Mirrors and Windows

In this episode, Lindsay Kemeny, 2nd grade teacher, gives a deep dive into her evidence-based, small group instruction time. Her journey to the science of reading was necessary and life altering. It led her to clarity on structured, systematic approaches to teaching reading. She discusses informal and formal assessments, how she uses data to determine small groups, and center options for practicing reading and writing. Her best advice? KEEP. IT. SIMPLE! After reading this recent blog by Tim Shanahan, we couldn’t resist asking her about sound walls and how her students use them in her classroom. She shares, “The sound wall is not the main event in my classroom… structured literacy is the main event. The sound wall is a reflection of what’s happening in the classroom.” We discussed the following resources: Epic Books Lindsay’s blog post Sink or Swim: The Appearance of ReadingLinnea Ehri’s work, such as this research The Reading League Visit OUR WEBSITE to subscribe to our newsletter and podcast! https://www.literacypodcast.com/Connect with Melissa & Lori:TwitterInstagramFacebook

Ep. 80: A Primary Teacher's Perspective on Science of Reading, Small Group Instruction, and Use of Sound Walls

Hi teacher friends! We are Melissa and Lori, two literacy educators in Baltimore. Our purpose is to bring teachers together in a positive way to share successes and struggles with Wit and Wisdom curriculum implementation. We are SO excited to talk with you!

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Melissa and Lori Love Literacy

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