Melissa & Lori Love Literacy ® | Science of Reading for Teachers

If you’ve ever wondered how to help your students decode longer words, this episode is for you! We’re joined by literacy researcher and professor Devin Kearns to talk all about teaching multisyllabic words.

Many phonics programs focus on single-syllable words, but what happens when students hit big words and get stuck? Devin unpacks the research behind why that happens and what we can do instead. We talk about:

• flexible decoding strategies,
• when and how to teach syllables and morphemes,
• and what “set for variability” really looks like in the classroom (spoiler: it’s not guessing!).

You’ll walk away with practical, research-backed ideas to help your students read longer words with confidence.

Devin M. Kearns, Ph.D., is the Goodnight Distinguished Professor in Early Literacy at NC State, where he studies early reading and collaborates with experts in psychology, cognitive science, and neuroscience to explore the brain basis of reading.

RESOURCES

• Helping Students With Dyslexia Read Long Words: Using Syllables and Morphemes by Devin M. Kearns and Victoria M. Whaley
• Following the Rules in an Unruly WritingSystem: The Cognitive Science ofLearning to Read Englishby Devin M. Kearns and Matthew J. Cooper Borkenhagen
• Syllable Division: New Data that Can Inform Intervention by Joanne Marttila Pierson, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
• On Eating Elephants and Teaching Syllabication by Tim Shanahan

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

Connect with us! Email us at [email protected].

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 [email protected].

Episode 255

Experts Don Compton & Laura Steacy explore the complexities of multisyllabic word reading and the decoding challenges older readers encounter, especially those with dyslexia. They discuss how readers navigate complex words using different decoding strategies, the role of morphology and “set for variability” in reading development, and how tools like the DELP database help predict word difficulty. The episode offers practical insights into supporting literacy development and improving instruction for struggling readers.

Resources 

• D-ELP Tool 
• FCRR Student Center Activities 

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 [email protected].

Episode 254

In this episode, we sit down with kindergarten teacher Anjanette McNeely to take a close look at one powerful instructional routine: word chaining.

Anjanette walks us through exactly what word chaining looks like in her classroom, from the materials she uses to the language she says, and explains why this routine is such an effective way to build both phonemic awareness and phonics at the same time.

We also explore how word chaining supports orthographic mapping, why connecting sounds to print matters, and how small instructional shifts, like continuous blending and interleaving, can have a big impact on student learning.

Whether you're new to word chaining or looking to refine your practice, this episode offers practical ideas you can try right away.

Resources

• Word Chaining: An Efficient and Effective Alternative to Oral Phonemic Awareness by Anjanette McNeely: Blog post about word chaining and a video of Anjanette's classroom in action 
• Word Chaining: A Simple Routine for Reading and Spelling (printable) You can see a picture of Anjanette's word chaining tray here
• Word Chains for Decoding and Encoding Practice: An overview on how to make and use word chains to teach decoding and encoding (from UFLI) 
• 44 Phonemes (video): Learn how to pronounce the 44 phonemes in the English alphabet (from Rollins Center for Language and Literacy)

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 [email protected].

We’re revisiting this episode with Matt Burns because it offers one of the clearest explanations of phonemic awareness and how it fits into reading instruction.

In this conversation, Matt helps unpack what the research actually says and what that means for what we prioritize in the classroom. He explains why phonemic awareness is not a standalone precursor to reading, but develops alongside it, and why decoding should take center stage as students move into the upper elementary grades.

If you’ve ever felt unsure about how phonemic awareness fits into your instruction, or what to focus on as students progress, this episode brings clarity and practical direction.

Resources

• Phonemic Awareness, Research, Misconceptions, and Fads with Dr. Matt Burns
• They Say You Can Do Phonemic Awareness Instruction “In the Dark”, But Should You? A Critical Evaluation of the Trend Toward Advanced Phonemic Awareness Training
• RIP to Advanced Phonemic Awareness | Shanahan on Literacy
• Phonemic Awareness with Letters YouTube video, Matt Burns
• Matt Burns YouTube Channel 
• National Reading Panel Report 
• Elkonin Boxes, Reading Rockets
• Florida Center for Reading Research 
• UFLI Foundations 
• Ep. 159: Back to School: Science of Reading or Snake Oil with Holly Lane 
• Road to the Code, Book 
• IES Practice Guides 
• Empirical Analysis of Drill Ratio Research: Refining the Instructional Level for Drill Tasks, Matt Burns (meta-analysis)

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 [email protected].

Episode 253

In this episode, we talk with Marianne Rice about key findings from a Tennessee report examining how well early literacy materials align with research on phonemic awareness and early reading instruction. Marianne walks us through five essential practices that can help teachers make the most of their instructional time: 

• focusing on phoneme-level work
• using articulatory gestures
• connecting phonemic awareness to print
• being mindful of instructional time
• prioritizing blending and segmenting.

Throughout the conversation, Marianne shares practical ways teachers can evaluate and adjust their current curriculum without starting from scratch. 

The big takeaway: small instructional shifts, especially connecting sounds to print and focusing on blending and segmenting, can have a big impact on helping students become strong readers and spellers.

Resources

•  Kindergarten and First-Grade HQIM Alignment with Research on Code-Focused Instruction: Tennessee Early Literacy Report (referenced in the episode)
• 5 Focus Areas for Phonemic Awareness (printable)
• 44 Phonemes (video): Learn how to pronounce the 44 phonemes in the English alphabet (from Rollins Center for Language and Literacy)
• Word Chains for Decoding and Encoding Practice: An overview on how to make and use word chains to teach decoding and encoding (from UFLI) 
• What Works Clearinghouse Guide: Foundational Skills to Support Reading for Understanding in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade
• Phonemic Awareness: A Meta-Analysis for Planning (need ILA access)  
  
  

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 [email protected].

Episode 252

What actually happens when students encounter a complex text?

In this episode, we’re joined by Luke Morin to discuss his article "Wading Into the Deep End: What Reading Actually Requires When the Text Gets Hard." Luke shares a powerful classroom moment where students applied reading strategies before tackling a tough text and still couldn’t make sense of a single sentence. That experience led him to rethink what it really means to teach reading.

In this conversation, we explore:

• Why using strategies doesn’t guarantee understanding
• How text complexity is shaped by the interaction between text, reader, and task
• What collective close reading looks like in practice
• How to provide “lily pad” supports without rescuing students

Luke challenges the idea that comprehension can be reduced to checklists or isolated skills. Instead, he offers a vision of instruction that prepares students to wade into deep water with support, intention, and growing independence.

RESOURCES

• "Wading Into the Deep End: What Reading Actually Requires When the Text Gets Hard" by Luke Morin
• "A Lily Pad, in Practice" (Collective Close Reading Sample)
• "Why Mastery Doesn't Matter" by Luke Morin 
• "The Surprising Power of the Humble Worksheet" by Luke Morin

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 [email protected].

Episode 139

As we continue our focus on comprehension this month, we’re revisiting one of our most essential conversations.

In this episode, we explore a foundational truth about reading: comprehension depends on knowledge.

We’re joined by cognitive scientist Daniel Willingham, who explains why background knowledge is one of the strongest drivers of reading comprehension and why strategies alone can’t compensate for gaps in knowledge.

We also talk with Barbara Davidson, Executive Director of the Knowledge Matters Campaign, about the role strong, knowledge-building curriculum plays in helping students access complex text.

Whether this is your first listen or a return, this episode remains foundational.

Resources

• Knowledge Matters Campaign website 
• Books by Daniel Willingham
• Reading Rockets Q&A with Daniel Willingham

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 [email protected].

Episode 251

One of the most consistent findings in reading research is this: how much you know determines how far you can go as a reader.

In this episode, we’re joined by Kelly Gallagher, author of To Read Stuff, You Have to Know Stuff, to explore why knowledge is central to comprehension and what that means for classroom instruction.

Kelly helps us rethink the long-standing emphasis on isolated reading strategies and instead focus on building knowledge at multiple levels: word, sentence, passage, article, and book.

Kelly offers clear examples and practical thinking that will help you reflect on how knowledge is built over time and how we can design instruction that goes deeper, not just wider.

RESOURCES

• To Read Stuff, You Have To Know Stuff by Kelly Gallagher
• Kelly Gallagher’s Article of the Week 

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 [email protected].

Episode 251

In this episode, we’re joined by Tim Rasinski, Melissa Cheesman, and Savannah Campbell, authors of The Megabook of Vocabulary, to talk about practical, classroom-ready strategies that actually work. We dig into the biggest misconceptions about vocabulary instruction, where vocabulary words should come from, how many exposures a word truly needs, and how to move words from simple recognition to confident use in speaking and writing.

You’ll hear about:

• Why morphology and generative vocabulary are more powerful than weekly word lists
• How Word Ladders build decoding, spelling patterns, and vocabulary simultaneously
• How to integrate fluency and vocabulary through repeated reading, Readers’ Theater, and performance-based routines
• What “deep processing” really means—and why it makes words stick long term

This conversation bridges research and practice, showing how vocabulary connects to decoding, fluency, and comprehension in meaningful ways. If you’re looking for high-impact routines that support all learners. This episode will leave you with actionable ideas you can use right away.

Vocabulary doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. It can be powerful, generative, and deeply connected to everything else we teach.

Resources 

• Megabook of Vocabulary (Free Printable Resource aligned to this episode!) 
• Megabook of Vocabulary (Book) 
• Tim Rasinski's Website + Resources

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 [email protected].

What does the research really say about effective vocabulary instruction—and how can we translate it into daily classroom practice?

In this episode, we’re joined by literacy expert Blythe Anderson to unpack vocabulary moves grounded in research that make a measurable difference for students. From intentional word selection to meaningful student talk, Blythe shares practical, classroom-ready strategies that help educators move beyond “word of the week” and into instruction that builds deep, lasting word knowledge.

Together, we explore:

• Why explicit vocabulary instruction matters
• How to choose the right words to teach
• The role of discussion and student engagement
• Practical routines that strengthen word learning across content areas
• How to ensure vocabulary sticks for long-term comprehension

Whether you’re a classroom teacher, instructional coach, or school leader, this conversation will leave you with concrete, research-backed practices you can implement immediately.

Tune in to learn how small, intentional shifts in vocabulary instruction can lead to big gains in student word learning and comprehension.

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 [email protected].