Dr. Cherish Sarmiento joins the show to talk about how fifth and eighth grade students use academic language in their writing. Importantly, we learn that words with seven or more letters may be one way to quickly identify academic words.

Reference:

Sarmiento, C. M., Truckenmiller, A. J., Cho, E., & Wang, H. (2024). Academic language use in middle school informational writing. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 00, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjep.12724

In this episode, Jake is joined by Dr. Blythe Anderson to discuss her research with vocabulary instruction strategies.

References:

Anderson, B. E. (2024). Vocabulary Talk Moves: Using Language to Promote Word Learning. The Reading Teacher, 77(4), 439–452. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.2263

Anderson, B. E., Wright, T. S., & Gotwals, A. W. (2023). Teachers’ Vocabulary Talk in Early-Elementary Science Instruction. Journal of Literacy Research, 55(1), 75–100. https://doi.org/10.1177/1086296X231163117

In this episode, Dr. Marianne Rice joins Jake to discuss the different types of inferences and how teachers can support their students in generating inferences to enhance comprehension. For more information, be sure to check out literacy.io

References:

Utah Educators — let’s talk about fluency and comprehension!
October 1 – Brigham City
October 7 – Salt Lake City
October 22 – St. George

Make sure to sign up for both sessions
Fluency: https://usbe.midaseducation.com/professional-development/courses/course/64621
Comprehension: https://usbe.midaseducation.com/professional-development/courses/course/64623
All sessions are free of charge and 7 relicensure hours will be credited for the full day.

A big thanks to the Utah State Board of Education for facilitating these sessions.

In this episode, Drs. Tricia Zucker and Sonia Cabell join Jake to discuss their “Strive-for-Five Conversations” strategy for promoting oral language development through simple, serve and return style conversations in the classroom.

References:

Strive-for-Five Conversations, by Tricia Zucker & Sonia Cabell

Cabell, S. Q., & Zucker, T. A. (2023). Using Strive‐for‐Five Conversations to Strengthen Language Comprehension in Preschool through Grade One. The Reading Teacher. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.2266

‌Zucker, T. A., Cabell, S. Q., Oh, Y., & Wang, X. (2020). Asking Questions Is Just the First Step: Using Upward and Downward Scaffolds. The Reading Teacher, 74(3), 275–283. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1943

‌Zucker, T. A., Cabell, S. Q., & Pico, D. L. (2021). Going Nuts for Words: Recommendations for Teaching Young Students Academic Vocabulary. The Reading Teacher, 74(5). https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1967

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In this episode Dr. Jake Downs joins us to talk about his research on Synchronous Paired Oral Reading techniques. Guest hosted by Dr. Chase Young.

Reference:

Downs, J., & Mohr, K. A. J. (2024). A Multilevel Meta-Analysis of Synchronous Paired Oral Reading Techniques in Elementary Classrooms. Literacy Research and Instruction, 0(0), 1–28. https://doi.org/10.1080/19388071.2024.2319654

Downs, J., Mohr, K., & Young, C. (2023). A historical narrative review of paired oral reading practices in elementary classrooms. Journal of Research in Reading, 46(1), 42–63. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9817.12413

Downs, J. D. (2021). A Multilevel Meta-Analysis of Paired Oral Reading Methods in Elementary Classrooms [Ph.D., Utah State University]. https://www.proquest.com/docview/2566075613/abstract/467966ECF20D4340PQ/1

Melissa Loftus and Lori Sappington join us on the show to discuss their recent book entitled “The Literacy 50: Real-World Answers to Questions About Reading That Keep You Up at Night” available through Scholastic.

In this episode we discuss Melissa and Lori’s experiences in the classroom, what led them to start a podcast, and what they’ve learned in over 200 episodes of the Melissa and Lori Love Literacy Podcast.

So many great thoughts in this episode that you won’t want to miss! After you are done listening make sure to check out the Melissa and Lori Love Literacy podcast and their book “The Literacy 50.”

My guests for this episode are here to discuss the role of dispositions, motivation, and agency within the classroom. Their names are Dr. Margaret Vaughn and Dr. Dixie Massey. Dr. Margaret Vaughn is a professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning at Washington State University and Dr. Dixie Massey teaches at Seattle Pacific University. They are the authors of Overcoming Reading Challenges Kindergarten Through Middle School recently published by Peter Lang Press.

My guest today is here to talk to use about reading profiles and how to use them in your classroom. Her name is Dr. Louise Spear-Swerling and she is a Professor Emerita in the Department of Special Education at the Southern Connecticut State University. In this episode we talk about her recent book The Structured Literacy Planner published by Guildford Press.

You’ve probably heard about syntax. Maybe you’ve seen a slide in a presentation that showed a strand of rope labeled as syntax. Or perhaps you learned about sentence structure in school and completed assignments where you had to diagram sentences. But do we really know what syntax is, why it matters, and how to teach it?

My guests today are here teach us about syntax. Their names are Dr. Rachel Knecht and Dr. Dianna Townsend. Rachel Knecht is a doctoral candidate at the University of Nevada-Reno. Her research focuses on supporting adolescents’ reading comprehension, particularly through metalinguistic development. Dianna Townsend is Professor of Literacy Studies in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Nevada-Reno. Dr. Townsend researches the academic language development of adolescent students, specifically focusing on vocabulary, comprehension, and disciplinary texts.

Plenty of take aways in this episode!

Text Discussed in Episode:

A famed pharaoh of the new period was Amenhotep IV, who triggered a religious revolution. Before Amenhotep’s rule, Egypt was a polytheistic society that believed in many gods, the most important named Amon. But, Amenhotep believed only in Aton, the sun god. Belief in only one god (monotheism) was a radical notion. To show his devotion to Aton, the pharaoh changed his name to Akenhaton (“he who is loyal to Aton”). Akenhaton moved his capital from Thebes, where Amon was worshiped, to Tell el Amanrna.

References

Knecht, R., Larson, L., & Townsend, D. (2023). Exploring teacher and student knowledge of sentence-level language features. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 66(6), 344–354. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaal.1290

Townsend, D., Knecht, R., Lupo, S., Chen, L.-T., & Barrios, V. S. (2023). A mixed-methods investigation of third and sixth graders’ academic sentence knowledge. Journal of World Languages, 9(3), 333–370. https://doi.org/10.1515/jwl-2023-0022