Reading to Succeed with Elizabeth Morphis

Lea Anne Borders is the founder of Bookelicious, a digital tool that connects kids’ interests to books that they may enjoy reading. She joins me on today's episode to talk about the features of Bookelicous and we discuss how it can be used by teachers and parents to help children find books that they are interested in reading.

This is a great tool to explore - especially at the start of the summer - so that kids can find books they want to read.

Check out Bookelicious: https://www.bookelicious.com

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In today's episode, New York Times Bestselling Author, Jen Calonita comes on to discuss her books as well as why she loves writing for the middle grade and young adult kids. She shares why it is so important to meet kids where they are and why connecting to kids' interests - at any age - is so important to get and keep kids reading.

Jen is the author of many books, including The Lost Legend series, 12 to 22, The VIP series, and Isle of Ever. She has written many other books as well. And, in the fall her book, The Taylors will be released.

To check out more of Jen's work, please check out her website: https://www.jencalonitaonline.com/books/middle-grade-books/

You can also find her on Instagram @jencalonita

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We are back with the second half of my conversation with Susan! Susan is the author of The Swirl Method: Supporting Multilingual Learners as They Speak, Write, Interact, Read, and Listen. This week, Susan is taking us through her strategies to support multilingual learners with interacting, reading, and listening. She offers excellent resources in each area - so please check them out!

This is the second part of a two-part episode. Please make sure you check out the previous episode to learn more about Susan's work. Today's episode addresses interacting, reading, and writing.

Please check out Susan's work:

The SWIRL Method: https://www.solutiontree.com/swirl-method.html
Susan Katz's Website: https://susankatzbooks.com/

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The Swirl Method: Supporting Multilingual Learners as They Speak, Write, Interact, Read, and Listen, written by Susan Katz addresses how we can support children who are multilingual learners. In this amazing resource, Susan identifies specific strategies in each area: speaking, writing, interacting, reading, and listening - that can be used in the literacy classroom to help learners thrive.

This is a two-part episode. Today's episode addresses speaking and writing.

Please check out Susan's work:

The SWIRL Method: https://www.solutiontree.com/swirl-method.html
Susan Katz's Website: https://susankatzbooks.com/

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Brian Jordan is a former professional football and baseball player. He played football for the Atlanta Falcons and he played baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Texas Rangers.

Brian believes that all kids need to learn to read. He has written a number of children's books, such as I Told You I Can Play!, Overcoming the Fear of Baseball, and Time-Out for Bullies.

Brian is passionate about getting kids reading. In our conversation, she shares the background about his books and shares how he is partnering with schools to get kids reading.

Check out more about Brian Jordan here: https://www.brianjordanfoundation.com/

Check out Brian's Reading Challenge here: https://www.brianjordanfoundation.com/bjf-reading-challenge.html

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It's National Library Week!

It's a great week to get involved and support your local library. Libraries are a reflection of the community they serve. You can check out new books and see what other events are happening at your library this week.

On today's episode, American Library Association's President-Elect Sam Helmick joins me. We discuss what is happening with libraries at the moment. We also discuss National Library Week and how and why you should check-out your library this week.

Sam also discusses the upcoming National Conference which is taking place this coming June in Philadelphia. As always, it will be an engaging event.

We finish with Sam talking about how parents and teachers can support students with reading as we are heading into the summer months.

Links Mentioned:

American Library Association: https://www.ala.org/

Stand Up for Libraries: https://www.ala.org/advocacy/show-up-for-our-libraries

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How can movement be included in learning to read? In today's episode, Elizabeth speaks with Stefanie Hohl, the creator of ABC See, Hear, Do, which is a multi-sensory approach to learning to read. Stefanie believes in getting kids moving when reading and she shares many ideas about how this can be done.

In this episode, we discuss:

- What a multi-sensory approach to literacy is?

- How active kids can be supported when they are learning to read,

- Ideas to get kids moving during literacy instruction, and

- The books that Stefanie has as a part of her program.

You can find more about Stefanie's work here: https://www.abcseeheardo.com/?srsltid=AfmBOop4Jrr5HTfGQ_e-1zFq-dvpWS1sPFXocDG6moDas31lcvzGLQkk

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Is handwriting important now that kids have access to technology and devices in school? Many parents are concerned about their children's penmanship. Should handwriting be taught in schools? The answer to these questions is yes. Handwriting should be taught in school (and so should cursive writing).

Dr. Cheryl Lundy Swift is the Professional Learning Director at Learning Without Tears - the program that includes Handwriting Without Tears. She is on today's episode to talk about the role of handwriting in a literacy curriculum.

In this episode, Dr. Swift shares:

- the connection between reading and writing

- how handwriting can be included in instruction - in just 10 minutes a day!

- how digital literacy is supported by handwriting instruction

- lots of resources to support elementary aged readers and writers (many of which are free)!

Check out the resources at Learning Without Tears: https://www.lwtears.com/solutions/technology?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAlbW-BhCMARIsADnwasqc0J1mxY6zpLM5m6IyolNcneSUY2J7-qjd8xqPZsOGwp5ZsTYncagaAqhqEALw_wcB

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What behaviors signal that kids are frustrated when they are reading?

This week's episode focuses on three behaviors that can signal that kids may be frustrated when reading. The behaviors include:

- Hanging onto one detail from the book

- Looking for a distraction

- Not having books that kids want to read

Elizabeth explains these behaviors and offers some suggestions about how we as teachers (and parents) can support our elementary and early middle schoolers with reading.

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The start of the new year brought a lot of questions about reading responses. It seems like teachers started assigning reading responses at the start of 2025. A question I kept getting is, "Do reading responses really help?"

The short answer is yes, reading responses can help kids better understand what they read.

Today's episode starts with the point of reading responses and what the research says about reading responses. I give tips for teachers to consider when assigning reading responses and suggestions for parents to support their kids at home.

The episode ends with a book recommendation for more independent readers in the upper elementary to early middle school grades. It's a wake up in the future book - similar to 13 Going on 30!

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