Episode 247

Small-group instruction can feel powerful and overwhelming at the same time. Questions about grouping, time, routines, and impact come up constantly.

In this episode, we’re joined by Julia Lindsey, author of Small Groups, Big Results, to talk about what actually makes small-group instruction work. Julia helps break down small groups into manageable, intentional practices that don’t require more time or complexity, just clearer purpose.

In this conversation, we discuss:

• Why small groups don’t need to be long to have a big impact
• How flexible, needs-based grouping supports student growth
• The role of immediate, specific feedback in small-group reading
• Practical routines teachers can use right away
• How small-group instruction connects to Tier 1 teaching

Whether you’re new to small groups or looking to refine your approach, Julia offers clarity, research, and realistic guidance.

RESOURCES

• Small-Group Instruction Listening Guide
• Small Groups, Big Results: Evidence-Based Routines to Get Every Child Reading by Julia Lindsey 
• Reading Above the Fray: Reliable, Research-Based Routines for Developing Decoding Skills by Julia Lindsey
• Other podcast episodes with Julia Lindsey: 
  • Science of Reading Part 1: Decodable Texts, Sound Walls, & the Aim of Early Literacy
  • Science of Reading Part 2: Decodable Texts, Sound Walls, & the Aim of Early Literacy
  • Research-Based Routines for Developing Decoding Skills with Julia Lindsey
• Readers' Theater: Easy, Effective, & Fun! with Chase Young
• UFLI Foundations Toolbox 
• FCRR Student Center Activities

We answer your questions about teaching reading in The Literacy 50-A Q&A Handbook for Teachers: Real-World Answers to Questions About Reading That Keep You Up at Night.

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Episode 246

Fluency looks different across grade levels, but it always matters.

In this special mashup episode, Melissa and Lori bring together voices from seven classroom teachers, spanning first grade through eighth grade, to show how fluency comes to life in real classrooms. Each teacher shares a best practice they use to support accuracy, automaticity, and expression, always grounded in meaningful reading.

You’ll hear about a range of approaches, including:

• Songs, shared reading, and read-alouds in early grades
• Partner reading routines that build accountability and support
• Performance-based practices like Readers’ Theater
• Using oral reading as assessment and feedback
• Structuring small groups to support different fluency needs

This episode is full of practical ideas, classroom insight, and teacher wisdom, whether you’re teaching in the primary grades or supporting older readers.

Resources: 

• Check out our Fluency Listening Guide for links to all of the episodes! 
• Featured Episodes: 
  • First Steps to Fluency: How Young Learners Become Independent Readers with Virginia Quinn-Mooney 
  • Improving Student Reading Growth in Months with Fluency Instruction and Practice with Lorraine Griffith and Lindsay Kemeny 
  • A Classroom Fluency Protocol That Works with Aaron Grossman
  • Baltimore Secondary Literacy Teachers Talk Fluency with Tanisha Dasmunshi, Emily Jaskowski, and Emery Uwimana 
• Watch Virginia Teach Fluency in this video 
• Let’s bring back the magic of song by Tim Rasinski
• Lindsay Kemeny YouTube
• Partner Reading with Paragraph Shrinking
• 3 Phases for Fluency by Aaron Grossman
• Tim Rasinski's Multidimensional Fluency Rubric
• Aaron's website: Just Two

We answer your questions about teaching reading in The Literacy 50-A Q&A Handbook for Teachers: Real-World Answers to Questions About Reading That Keep You Up at Night.

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Episode 245

In this episode, Melissa and Lori are joined by researchers Jake Downs and Chase Young to discuss Read Like Us, a research-backed fluency routine designed to help students reread challenging texts with purpose. Jake and Chase share the findings from their recent study, explain how the routine works in real classrooms, and explore why fluency grows when students have multiple supported opportunities to read connected text.

The conversation unpacks:

• what makes Read Like Us different from traditional repeated reading approaches,
• how wide reading fits alongside repeated reading,
• and why text choice plays such a critical role in fluency development.

You’ll also hear why the study showed especially strong results for fourth-grade readers and how teachers can think about applying this work across grade levels.

This episode offers both a clear explanation of the research and practical insights teachers can use as they plan fluency instruction that supports real reading where skills come together in text. 

Resources:

• Grab your Read Like UsTexts 
• Research Article: "Promoting Fluency Through Challenge: Repeated Reading With Texts of Varying Complexity"
• Fluency Listening Guide

Contact Chase Young at https://lfcreading.com/podcast with your questions!

We answer your questions about teaching reading in The Literacy 50-A Q&A Handbook for Teachers: Real-World Answers to Questions About Reading That Keep You Up at Night.

Grab free resources and episode alerts! Sign up for our email list at literacypodcast.com.

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Episode 244 

Lindsay Kemeny shares her insights on effectively managing a literacy block in a primary classroom. She discusses her daily schedule, emphasizing the importance of routines in phonics instruction, close reading strategies, and writing lessons. Lindsay also highlights the importance of small group instruction for differentiation and explains how to manage center work for students! She encourages teachers to focus on progress rather than perfection, sharing practical tips and strategies for enhancing literacy instruction.

Lindsay's Book, Rock Your Literacy Block, is available now! 

We answer your questions about teaching reading in The Literacy 50-A Q&A Handbook for Teachers: Real-World Answers to Questions About Reading That Keep You Up at Night.

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Episode 243

Jamey Peavler discusses the importance of recognizing the varied learning needs of students in all grades! She emphasizes the distinction between comprehension and word recognition skills, advocating for differentiated instruction to better support each student's unique learning journey.

Key Takeaways

• Word recognition and comprehension can develop at different rates.
• Differentiated instruction is essential for meeting diverse learning needs.
• Teachers should empower themselves to adapt their teaching methods.
• Effective teaching requires awareness of students' varying skill levels.
• Teachers play a crucial role in bridging the gap between comprehension and skill.

We answer your questions about teaching reading in The Literacy 50-A Q&A Handbook for Teachers: Real-World Answers to Questions About Reading That Keep You Up at Night.

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Episode 242

In this episode, Carl Hendrick emphasizes the critical role of timely feedback in the educational process, highlighting how immediate responses to misconceptions can significantly enhance student learning. He discusses the challenges teachers face in providing effective feedback and the importance of checking for understanding, interleaving, and retrieval practice to ensure that students grasp the material being taught.

Check out this resource we made just for you to accompany the content in this episode! Evidence-Based Practices to Make Learning Stick One-Pager 

Key Takeaways

• Timely feedback is crucial for effective learning.
• The closer the feedback loop, the more powerful the learning.
• Checking for understanding can significantly improve teaching effectiveness.
• Understanding checks guide instructional decisions.

We answer your questions about teaching reading in The Literacy 50-A Q&A Handbook for Teachers: Real-World Answers to Questions About Reading That Keep You Up at Night.

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Episode 241

Nancy Hennessy and Julia Salamone discuss the often-overlooked topic of syntax and its critical role in reading comprehension. With Melissa & Lori, they discuss the architecture of sentences, the importance of understanding parts of speech, and the interconnectedness of syntax and meaning. The conversation highlights effective teaching strategies, the challenges posed by complex sentences, and the necessity of integrating background knowledge for comprehension. Nancy and Julia share practical instructional moves, emphasizing the need for explicit instruction and cognitive preparation to enhance students' understanding of sentence structures.

Takeaways

• Syntax is the architecture of a sentence. It is essential for understanding sentence structure and meaning.
• Explicit instruction is necessary for effective learning of syntax.
• Teaching grammar needs to focus on meaning, not just labeling.
• Engaging students with authentic texts improves comprehension.
• Integrating background knowledge is crucial for comprehension.

Resources 

• Tips & Tools: Sentences (resource sheet) 
  
  

We answer your questions about teaching reading in The Literacy 50-A Q&A Handbook for Teachers: Real-World Answers to Questions About Reading That Keep You Up at Night.

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Episode 240

Primary teacher Meghan Hein shares how she keeps the text front and center of learning. She discusses the shift from a skills-based focus to an approach where meaning-making drives instruction. The conversation highlights practical strategies for teachers to build knowledge through texts and create a more authentic learning experience. Meghan's insights reflect a commitment to continuous learning and adapting teaching practices to better serve students' needs.

✨ You’ll definitely want to listen to the podcast that inspired this conversation! Episode 37 with Sue Pimentel and Meredith Liben dives into their article Placing Text at the Center of the Standards-Aligned ELA Classroom.

Takeaways

• Shifting from skill-based to meaning-making instruction is crucial.
• Building knowledge through texts is essential for comprehension.
• Teachers must empower themselves through continuous learning.
• Curriculum should support, not dictate, teaching practices.
• Understanding the intent behind texts enriches the learning experience.
• Interleaving skills and content enhances understanding.
• Students thrive when they connect learning to real-world contexts.

Resources 

• Refreshed Companion Episode with Meredith Liben & Sue Pimentel (podcast)
• Placing Text at the Center of the Standards-Aligned ELA Classroom (article) 
• Teacher Meghan Hein on Instagram (you might know her as always more to learn!)

We answer your questions about teaching reading in The Literacy 50-A Q&A Handbook for Teachers: Real-World Answers to Questions About Reading That Keep You Up at Night.

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Episode 37 

The article Placing Text at the Center of the Standards-Aligned ELA Classroom is a must-read — before or after you listen to this episode!

Meredith Liben and Sue Pimentel join us to unpack the true intentions behind the Common Core State Standards and how they’ve sometimes been misinterpreted in practice. They share what they’ve observed in classrooms and schools — both when high-quality instructional materials (HQIM) are in place and when they’re not.

We also ask them some tough (and important!) questions:

• What does this mean for assessment, especially “data-driven” instruction?
• What are better ways to assess and track student progress?

Meredith and Sue are smart, funny, and incredibly relatable — you’ll love this conversation. It’s truly a must-listen episode!

📖 Read the article that inspired this episode:
 Placing Text at the Center of the Standards-Aligned ELA Classroom

• Introduction to Poetry - Billy Collins poem Meredith mentions 
• Placing Text at the Center of the Standards-Aligned ELA Classroom 

We answer your questions about teaching reading in The Literacy 50-A Q&A Handbook for Teachers: Real-World Answers to Questions About Reading That Keep You Up at Night.

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Episode 239 

Experts Doug Lemov, Colleen Driggs, and Erica Woolway join Melissa & Lori to tackle one of the biggest questions in teaching today: What happened to reading whole books in school? From the pull of digital distractions to the rise of skill-focused instruction, they explore why diving into full texts matters more than ever. You’ll hear inspiring ideas for making books come alive in the classroom, the magic of read-alouds, and the power of close reading. Plus, each guest reveals their favorite book to teach. Reading entire books ignites curiosity, builds stamina, and so much more.

Resources

• The Teach Like A Champion Guide to the Science of Reading (book)
• Teach Like A Champion (Website - Resources, Workshops, Blogs, & More!)
• Close Reading: Uncover Deeper Meaning (blog)
• The Indispensable Power of [Full] Books  (blog)
• Melissa & Lori Podcast Knowledge & Comprehension (Daniel Willingham & Barbara Davidson)

We answer your questions about teaching reading in The Literacy 50-A Q&A Handbook for Teachers: Real-World Answers to Questions About Reading That Keep You Up at Night.

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Episode 238 

What if the “secret sauce” to reading big words isn’t just syllables, but also morphemes? In this episode, Melissa Orkin and Alex Osburn share why morphology is essential, especially in grades 3–6, and how it bridges word reading, vocabulary, and comprehension.

They dig into practical strategies for teaching morphology, from explicit routines to vocabulary activities like the Frayer model, and show how to weave it all into real texts so students connect meaning to print in powerful ways. You’ll hear how morphology instruction can be integrated with content areas, supported by oral language practice, and used to spark stronger engagement and deeper learning.

Resources Mentioned

• Video of the Lesson highlighted in the episode. From Morphology Anthology: Volume 3, Lesson 3: The Secret Lives of Rainforest Insects.
• Book: The Structured Literacy Playbook: Preplanned Lessons for Building Phonics and Fluency Skills 

We answer your questions about teaching reading in The Literacy 50-A Q&A Handbook for Teachers: Real-World Answers to Questions About Reading That Keep You Up at Night.

Grab free resources and episode alerts! Sign up for our email list at literacypodcast.com.

Join our community on Facebook, and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter.