Please write a short impact statement for Jake’s USU review packet (and thank you!): https://forms.gle/QcUs8ciMcAy2yG6L6

In this episode, host Jake Downs welcomes guest Dr. Freddy Hebert, a renowned literacy researcher, CEO/Founder of TextProject. The conversation covers topics such as the importance of automaticity, the core vocabulary, reading volume, and shifts in text complexity over the decades. They also dive into how teachers can better support students’ reading proficiency, particularly in early grades, and discuss actionable strategies for educators. The episode concludes with reflections on the current state and future of reading research and instruction.

Link to TopicReads at TextProject: https://textproject.org/teachers/free-texts/topicreads-primary/

Link to figures mentioned by Dr. Hiebert: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1m36jgp8Dt055UrdEa73IQAFES7PPemc_/view

Figure 1 shows the reading accuracy by percentile in grades 1-8. Figure 2 shows the ratio of rare words from core reading programs 1957-2014.

Episode Overview
01:51 Welcome to the Teaching Literacy Podcast
02:28 Introduction to Reading Automaticity
03:36 Defining and Understanding Reading Automaticity
08:10 Core Vocabulary and Its Importance
11:28 Challenges with Rare Words and Proper Names
19:29 Implications for Teaching and Curriculum Design
31:00 Introduction to TextProject.org
31:21 The Importance of Reading Volume
32:19 Engaging Students with Texts
33:15 Statistical Learning and Vocabulary
39:56 Challenges in Reading Programs
46:15 Third Grade Reading Emphasis
48:58 Complexities of English Orthography
54:26 Optimism in Reading Research
56:29 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Jake interviews Dr. Steve Graham of the Mary Lou Fulton College for Teaching and Learning Innovation at Arizona State University

Please write a short impact statement for Jake’s USU review packet (and thank you!): https://forms.gle/QcUs8ciMcAy2yG6L6

Dr. Phil Capin joins the show to discuss 40 years of reading comprehension instruction.

References:

Capin, P., Dahl-Leonard, K., Hall, C., Yoon, N. Y., Cho, E., Chatzoglou, E., Reiley, S., Walker, M., Shanahan, E., Andress, T., & Vaughn, S. (2024). Reading Comprehension Instruction: Evaluating Our Progress Since Durkin’s Seminal Study. Scientific Studies of Reading, 1–30. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888438.2024.2418582

What Works Clearinghouse Practice Guides Mentioned by Dr. Capin

Improving Adolescent Literacy: Effective Classroom and Intervention Practices: Kamil, M. L., Borman, G. D., Dole, J., Kral, C. C., Salinger, T., & Torgesen, J. (2008). Improving adolescent literacy: Effective classroom and intervention practices: A practice Guide (NCEE #2008-4027). National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. Available at https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/docs/practiceguide/adlit_pg_082608.pdf

Improving Reading Comprehension in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade: Shanahan, T., Callison, K., Carriere, C., Duke, N. K., Pearson, P. D., Schatschneider, C., & Torgesen, J. (2010). Improving reading comprehension in kindergarten through 3rd grade: A practice guide. National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. Available at https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED512029.pdf

Foundational Skills to Support Reading for Understanding in Grades K–3: Foorman, B., Beyler, N., Borradaile, K., Coyne, M., Denton, C. A., Dimino, J., Furgeson, J., Hayes, L., Henke, J., Justice, L., Keating, B., Lewis, W., Sattar, S., Streke, A., Wagner, R., & Wissel, S. (2016). Foundational skills to support reading for understanding in kindergarten through 3rd grade (NCEE 2016-4008). National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE), Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. Available at https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/Docs/practiceGuide/wwc_foundationalreading_040717.pdf

Providing Reading Interventions for Students in Grades 4–9: Vaughn, S., Gersten, R., Dimino, J., Taylor, M. J., Newman-Gonchar, R., Krowka, S., Kieffer, M. J., McKeown, M., Reed, D., Sanchez, M., St. Martin, K., Wexler, J., Morgan, S., Yañez, A., & Jayanthi, M. (2022). Providing reading interventions for students in grades 4–9 (WWC 2022007). National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE), Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. Available at https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/WWC/Docs/PracticeGuide/WWC-practice-guide-reading-intervention-full-text.pdf

Jake Downs talks with Dr. Blythe Anderson and Dr. John Strong about effective summer tutoring programs to prevent the summer slide in elementary reading. They discuss strategies such as small-group tutoring, differentiated instruction, and interactive read-alouds, based on multi-year research that shows significant gains in vocabulary, reading fluency, and foundational skills. The episode emphasizes the importance of data-driven decision-making and continuous improvement in summer programs, with implications for school-year instruction.

02:07 Understanding the Summer Slide
02:54 Research on Summer School Programs
07:00 Designing Effective Summer Tutoring Programs
08:46 Training and Implementation of Tutors
12:16 Session Format and Instructional Strategies
18:31 Assessment and Differentiation
27:21 Year Three Results and Findings
42:25 Program Evolution Over the Years
48:48 Big Lessons Learned from Summer School Programs
58:52 Final Thoughts and Optimism for Literacy Research

Host Dr. Jake Downs is joined by Dr. Katherine O’Donnell, an Assistant Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Utah, to discuss her research on student outcomes in states following the implementation of science of reading legislation.

03:02 Historical Context: Reading First Era
09:37 Mississippi’s Science of Reading Legislation
17:02 Comparative Analysis of State Outcomes
29:08 Impact on Special Education and ELL Students
34:58 Implementation Takes Time
39:48 Why Did the ‘Advanced’ Category on NAEP balloon?
42:56 NAEP SOR Outcomes as ‘Matthew Effects’
48:26 Jake’s Take Capitalizing on Advantages

Dr. Danielle Colenbrander joins the show to discuss the benefits of morphology instruction with students.

Reference:
Colenbrander, D., Von Hagen, A., Kohnen, S., Wegener, S., Ko, K., Beyersmann, E., Behzadnia, A., Parrila, R., & Castles, A. (2024). The Effects of Morphological Instruction on Literacy Outcomes for Children in English-Speaking Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Educational Psychology Review, 36(4), 119. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-024-09953-3

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.