Episode 263

In this episode, we sit down with Stephanie Stollar and Kate Winn to talk about their book, Reading Assessment Done Right, and why more assessment data hasn't necessarily meant better outcomes for students. Stephanie and Kate explain how matching one strong, evidence-based tool to each purpose, screening, diagnostic, progress monitoring, and outcomes, can simplify a system without losing anything that matters.

We discuss why running records may be costing schools more time than they're worth, how a screener works like a thermometer to flag risk rather than diagnose it, and why oral reading fluency can serve as a reliable stand-in for comprehension in the early grades. Stephanie and Kate also talk through how to use screening data to have honest, sometimes uncomfortable conversations about tier one instruction at the classroom, grade, and school level.

This conversation offers a clear way to think about assessment: not as a compliance task, but as information that should change what happens in the classroom.

Resources

• Reading Assessment Done Right book study materials
• Hear more from Kate on the Reading Road Trip podcast and meet her on Instagram
• Learn with Stephanie at Stephanie Stollar Consulting
• Enter to win a free copy of Reading Assessment Done Right

Looking for more literacy support and resources? Explore all of our podcast episodes, free listening guides, and classroom tools at literacypodcast.com.

Interested in bringing Melissa & Lori Love Literacy to your school or event? Email us at literacypodcast@greatminds.org.

Episode 207 from Oct 11 2024

Imagine facing not only the struggles of growing up in a challenging environment, but also battling a learning difference that went undiagnosed for years.

Hear the inspiring story of Ameer Baraka as he discusses his book: Undiagnosed: The Ugly Side of Dyslexia.

Ameer will discuss:

• How he grew up in New Orleans, facing unimaginable obstacles
• His experiences with being misunderstood and how it impacted his life
• How he transformed his life by reclaiming his education while incarcerated
• How he is now dedicated to helping others recognize their potential

By the end of this episode, you'll see how Ameer’s journey not only sheds light on the challenges of dyslexia but also highlights the incredible strength it takes to overcome adversity.

Want to Learn More?

• Undiagnosed: The Ugly Side of Dyslexia by Ameer Baraka

Looking for more literacy support and resources? Explore all of our podcast episodes, free listening guides, and classroom tools at literacypodcast.com.

Interested in bringing Melissa & Lori Love Literacy to your school or event? Email us at literacypodcast@greatminds.org.

Episode 262

In this episode, we sit down with Nancy Blair and Pat Roberts, co-founders of AIM Academy and the AIM Institute for Learning & Research, to talk about how a school built on research came to be. Nancy and Pat share the story of meeting as parents of newly diagnosed daughters, and how that friendship grew into a non-profit school and a research institute that is celebrating its 20th year.

We discuss the early warning signs of dyslexia that too many families are told to wait out, why oral language and vocabulary deserve attention well before kindergarten, and how AIM's classrooms shifted over the years toward a fully integrated literacy model. Nancy and Pat also talk about AIM's ongoing partnership with literacy researchers, their free annual research symposium, and a forthcoming book meant to help any school or teacher follow a similar path.

This conversation is a fitting way to open Dyslexia Awareness Month, and a reminder of how much faster research and classroom practice can move when they move together.

Resources

• Learn more about AIM Academy and see their list of dyslexia warning signs and red flags
• Learn more about AIM's March Research to Practice Symposium:The Impact of Language on Reading and Writing. Registration is open for this free event!
• AIM is hosting, as part of our Road to Symposium events, a free Dyslexia Awareness Month webinar on Wednesday, October 21 with Dr. Shelly Gray and Dr. RJ Risueno who created a Dyslexia and DLD Screener Questionnaire for pediatricians.
• "Understanding Dyslexia: How Early Intervention Can Change Lives"
• Podcast Episode: "The Relationship Between Phonics and Language Comprehension" with Tiffany Hogan
• Podcast Episode:"Building Fluency with POSSUM" with Maryanne Wolf and Melissa Orkin

Looking for more literacy support and resources? Explore all of our podcast episodes, free listening guides, and classroom tools at literacypodcast.com.

Interested in bringing Melissa & Lori Love Literacy to your school or event? Email us at literacypodcast@greatminds.org.

Episode 100 from April 1, 2022

Over time, the chronic trauma of not being successful with reading wears down many students. It has devastating effects. In our official 100th episode, Dr. Steven Dykstra discusses trauma and reading. He explains the connection between not being taught to read using evidence-based practices and the subsequent, unnecessary trauma this causes in children’s lives. This is a pervasive problem happening everywhere.

Dr. Steven Dykstra is a psychologist, advocate, and troublemaker in the reading world. His passion for reading comes from the recognition that the thousands of children he has served often pay the highest price for our failures and mistakes.

Resources:

• Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
• NAEP Report Card: Reading
• Teaching Reading is Rocket Science by Louisa Moats

Looking for more literacy support and resources? Explore all of our podcast episodes, free listening guides, and classroom tools at literacypodcast.com.

Interested in bringing Melissa & Lori Love Literacy to your school or event? Email us at literacypodcast@greatminds.org.

Episode 261

In this episode, Caitlin Lucas shares innovative routines for kindergarten literacy instruction, emphasizing consistency and active participation to build foundational skills. Caitlin also uses sign language as part of her routines and shares easy ways teachers can use it too.

Resources

• Maximizing Instructional Time Through Routines and Rehearsal

Looking for more literacy support and resources? Explore all of our podcast episodes, free listening guides, and classroom tools at literacypodcast.com.

Interested in bringing Melissa & Lori Love Literacy to your school or event? Email us at literacypodcast@greatminds.org.

In this episode, we talk with Julia Lindsey about her book, Reading Above the Fray: Reliable, Research-Based Routines for Developing Decoding Skills. Julia shares why decoding is one of the most important skills we can help students develop and how research-based instructional routines can make that learning more efficient, effective, and joyful.

Together, we explore the foundational skills that support decoding, the role of purposeful practice, and how consistent routines help students know what to expect as they build confidence with sounds, words, and increasingly complex texts.

Decoding isn't the end goal of reading! It's the gateway. When students develop strong decoding skills, they gain the independence needed to tackle new words, access meaning, and fully engage with reading.

Whether you're a classroom teacher, literacy coach, interventionist, or school leader, this conversation is packed with practical, research-based ideas you can put into practice right away.

Looking for more literacy support and resources? Explore all of our podcast episodes, free listening guides, and classroom tools at literacypodcast.com.

Interested in bringing Melissa & Lori Love Literacy to your school or event? Email us at literacypodcast@greatminds.org.

Episode 260

In this episode, Wiley Blevins shares practical strategies for differentiating phonics instruction in both whole group and small group settings. We explore high impact routines, effective use of decodable texts, and how to meet diverse student needs efficiently.

Wiley walks us through how to design routines that are expansive enough to serve everyone in whole group, while using small group for the high-intensity, targeted practice that takes kids further faster. Differentiation does not have to happen only in small group. It can live right inside the phonics routines you are already using every day.

Resources

• Differentiating Phonics Instruction for Maximum Impact by Wiley Blevins

Looking for more literacy support and resources? Explore all of our podcast episodes, free listening guides, and classroom tools at literacypodcast.com.

Interested in bringing Melissa & Lori Love Literacy to your school or event? Email us at literacypodcast@greatminds.org.

Episode 259

In this episode, we’re joined once again by literacy researcher and educator Brennan Chandler for a practical, teacher-friendly conversation all about spelling routines that support students as spellers and writers. Brennan walks us through a sequence of short, research-based routines including

• Sound Check
• Pattern Power Up,
• Word Workout
• Heart Word Heroes
• Sentence Sprint
• Spell Streak

Free scripts and printables for all six routines are here: Spell Squad

We talk about how these routines build from sounds to patterns to words to sentences, helping students move toward applying spelling knowledge in authentic writing.

Throughout the episode, Brennan shares clear examples teachers can try right away, along with ideas for scaffolding instruction, providing immediate feedback, and making spelling practice more engaging and meaningful for students. We also discuss the importance of cumulative review, sentence-level practice, and transfer into real writing, especially for students who continue to need spelling support in upper elementary and beyond.

Resources

• Free scripts and printables for all six routines are here: Spell Squad
• Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS) Brennan references Fuchs’ peer-assisted learning work.
• Anita Archer’s instructional routines
• How to Teach Students to Read Irregular Words with Danielle Colenbrander & Katie Pace Miles Podcast episode featuring Danielle Colenbrander discussion heart words.
• Follow Brennan Chandler

Looking for more literacy support and resources? Explore all of our podcast episodes, free listening guides, and classroom tools at literacypodcast.com.

Interested in bringing Melissa & Lori Love Literacy to your school or event? Email us at literacypodcast@greatminds.org.