How much do you know about dyslexia?  We start this episode with a true or false quiz.  Check it out and see how much you know.  Then keep listening to learn more.

References:

"Overcoming Dyslexia" by Dr. Sally Shaywitz
International Dyslexia Association- https://dyslexiaida.org/

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In this episode we tell we give a basic, easy to understand explanation of what is happening inside a person's brain when they learn to read.    We are not brain scientists but sometimes learning from brain scientist can be a little difficult to understand.  But, it is important to understand what it going on in kids' heads so we can be patient and understanding as we help them learn how to read.  So, enjoy this simplified explanation.

Resources:

"The Brain Song" by Laura Leavitt
"Overcoming Dyslexia" by Sally Shaywitz
"Letrs Manual Vol. 1" by Louisa C. Moats and Carole A. Tolman
The International Phonetic Alphabet from http://www.accentbase.com/ipa.html

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How do kids learn vocabulary and comprehension?   In this episode we explore the different levels of word knowledge, how kids learn words, the different types or tiers of words and how do you choose what words to teach kids? We also talk about some of the reasons kids may struggle with comprehension.  We've also included another clip of 3-year-old Bea and her mother from Episode 6 in case you missed that back then.

References:
Letrs Manual Vol. 2 by Louisa A. Moats and Carol A. Tolman
Bea & her mother

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In this episode we talk all things fluency!  How do you help kids become fluent in reading? If kids do poorly on a fluency test, what do you do?  Should you encourage kids to read as fast as they can?  

References:
"Reading Above the Fray" by Julia B. Lindsey
Quote by Jan Hasbrouck
"The Megabook of Fluency" by Timothy V. Rasinski and Melissa Cheesman Smith

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In this episode we talk about sight words, or what is better named high-frequency words.  We discuss how they are often taught and how we think they should be taught.  And we do a fun word sort to figure out which ones are decodable, not yet decodable, partially decodable or not decodable at all. 

References:

Fry word list
Dolch word list
"Reading Above the Fray" by Julia B. Lindsey

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In this episode we discuss the three different ways you can and should read with kids:  reading to them, reading with them, and listening to them read.  

Resources include:
"Active View of Reading" Model by Duke and Cartwright, 2021
"Hop on Pop" by Dr. Seuss
"Bob Books" by Bobby Maslen and Lynn Kertell
"Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See?" by Bill Martin, Jr.

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This is one of our favorite episodes!  We had so much fun recording it as we experimented with singing using only vowels and only consonants and consequently had a great conversation about the importance of vowels and the challenges of teaching them.  

References:
Letrs Manual Volume 1 pg. 119 by Louisa C. Moats and Carol A. Tolman
"Not So Lazy Schwa" by Yvette Manns

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In this episode we discuss the following three big questions surrounding the teaching of letters and sounds:

1.  Shoud we teach the names of letters first, sounds first, or teach them at the same time?
2.  How fast should we teach the letters and sounds?
3.  How should we handle the complexities of English in connecting sounds to letters?

References used:
"Multisensory Teaching of Basic Language Skills" by Judith R. Birsh and Suzanne Carreker
"Reading Above the Fray" by Julia B. Lindsey
"Teach More- Faster!" by Madeline Hunter
Melissa and Lori Love Literacy podcast episode 189 with Julie VanLier talking about EBLI principles.
https://literacypodcast.com/podcast?podcast=Buzzsprout-14638480
"I Love Lucy" Language Episode https://youtu.be/uZV40f0cXF4?si=6xlli4jQG5zTTW0o

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Do you know the difference between phonemic awareness and phonics?  Do you know how important phonemic awareness is for setting the stage for reading?  Do you know how to teach phonemic awareness?  In this episode we talk about all these things.  

References used:
National Reading Panel nichd.nih.gov
"Reading Above the Fray" by Julia Lindsey
"Hop on Pop" by Dr. Seuss
"Runny Babbit" by Shel Silverstein

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In this episode we go through some studies that show how talking to kids might just be the most important thing you can do for their academic and professional success.  We have a special guest appearance by 3-year-old Bea and her mom to show a great example of how talking to children can look.  It's amazing!

References Used in this episode:
"The Read-a-Loud Handbook" by Jim Trelease
Letrs Manual Volume 2 by Louisa C. Moats and Carol A. Tolman
"Multisensory Teaching of Basic Language Skills" by Judith R. Birsch and Suzanne Carreker
"Talking on the Go" by Dorothy P. Dougherty and Diane R. Paul

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