The science of reading is a frequent topic of conversation and source of policy reform, with new mandates for curriculum and instruction coming online in dozens of states this year. But it’s not just for literacy teachers, history educator Amy Rosenkrans notes in this episode of the History Matters Podcast.

In conversation with host Ebony McKiver, Amy says the science of reading has “reinforced what I've been thinking about over the past 25 years of my career” and stresses the importance of knowledge and vocabulary, alongside the excitement that studying history brings to the classroom.

“Content is almost everything in social studies,” she says. “In order for students to understand reading, in order for them to write about it, in order for them to talk about it, they need to know and understand what the content is.”

Amy explains that social studies naturally strengthens literacy by exposing students to diverse texts, building vocabulary, and providing the background knowledge necessary for comprehension. Rather than treating content as secondary to inquiry or reading strategies, she emphasizes that historical knowledge is the foundation that allows students to read, write, discuss, and investigate meaningful questions.

She also highlights the power of connecting history to place. By exploring local landmarks, school names, parks, and historic sites, students discover that major events like the American Revolution or the War of 1812 are part of their own communities. These authentic connections spark curiosity, deepen understanding, and inspire further inquiry. Amy also stresses that discussion-based learning—including Socratic seminars, debates, and evidence-based conversations—helps students develop critical thinking, evaluate sources, and engage respectfully with differing perspectives. (At Knowledge Matters, we couldn't agree more, especially because these rich discussions also build oracy and language skills for the growing population of multilingual students in American public schools.)

Social studies should be one of the most exciting parts of the school day. When teachers provide rich historical content, engaging primary sources, and meaningful context, they cultivate not only stronger readers but also curious learners and thoughtful citizens who are prepared to participate in civic life.

This podcast is produced by Knowledge Matters on behalf of the History Matters Campaign. Follow Knowledge Matters on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter/X. Search #historymatters to join the conversation.

Production by Tressa Versteeg. Original music and sound engineering by Aidan Shea.

Kentucky recently announced it is developing a statewide knowledge-building K-8 social studies curriculum. Teachers in the Bluegrass State have already been making the transition to follow the science of reading, to positive effect, but leaders know that literacy development doesn’t just happen in English language arts. Rich content in social studies is a big part of the puzzle.

In this episode, host Barbara Davidson discusses the importance of content knowledge with Micki Marinelli, the Chief Academic Officer at the Kentucky Department of Education.

“It's so easy for us to feel like it’s the ELA teachers that have ownership over literacy strategies and instruction. But I think that we're seeing more and more—and that what's so important for us to acknowledge—is that we are all teachers of literacy,” Micki says.

Kentucky’s approach to literacy is rooted in the science of reading, with a strong emphasis on building students’ background knowledge alongside foundational reading skills. Micki argues that literacy cannot be separated from science and social studies, particularly in the elementary grades. While these subjects are often marginalized, they provide the knowledge students need to read, write, and think critically across disciplines.

Statewide investments in professional learning and high-quality instruction guides have helped educators recognize knowledge building as an essential component of reading comprehension. As a result, students are engaging in richer discussions, recalling meaningful content, and sharing what they have learned with their families.

The state’s broader strategy has also included developing curriculum guidance, creating resource evaluation tools, and involving teachers in curriculum selection. Early results are promising: districts with higher rates of science of reading training are seeing improvements in reading proficiency. Ultimately, Micki emphasizes that literacy is every educator’s responsibility and that strong reading skills, grounded in knowledge-rich instruction, prepare students not only for academic success but for meaningful opportunities throughout their lives.

This podcast is produced by Knowledge Matters on behalf of the History Matters Campaign. Follow Knowledge Matters on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter/X. Search #historymatters to join the conversation.

Production by Tressa Versteeg. Original music and sound engineering by Aidan Shea.

Resources:

• “KDE Unveils New Social Studies Curriculum During Superintendent’s Webcast,” Kentucky Teacher, a publication of the Kentucky Department of Education. July 2026.

Literacy and history go hand-in-glove. And when educators experience the multiplier effect of evidence-based, knowledge-building instruction in these subjects, they are moved to prioritize instructional time for both. In this episode, host Barbara Davidson speaks with a New Jersey educator whose district has experienced this firsthand: Anthony Fitzpatrick, Assistant Superintendent for the Delsea Regional and Elk Township School Districts. 

Anthony argues that history is far more than a standalone subject—it is the foundation for literacy, critical thinking, and informed civic participation. Drawing on his district's experience implementing a knowledge-rich literacy curriculum, he describes how educators saw how much reading comprehension depends on students' background knowledge. The district established a dedicated daily history block where students engage with complex historical texts, primary sources, discussion, and content-rich writing. This "double dose" of literacy and social studies strengthens vocabulary, deepens comprehension, and helps students build lasting knowledge.

Throughout the conversation, Anthony challenges the misconception that children must first learn to read before they can read to learn. Instead, he explains that reading skills and knowledge-building develop together. By studying history through rich narratives and multiple perspectives, students become more engaged readers, ask better questions, and develop the background knowledge needed to tackle increasingly complex texts.

Barbara and Anthony also discuss the importance of high-quality curriculum, teacher preparation, and professional learning in supporting this work. The episode concludes with a call for educators to reject the false choice between literacy instruction and content knowledge, arguing that history provides the meaningful context that builds stronger readers, more thoughtful learners, and engaged citizens capable of participating in a healthy democracy.

This podcast is produced by Knowledge Matters on behalf of the History Matters Campaign. Follow Knowledge Matters on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter/X. Search #historymatters to join the conversation.

Production by Tressa Versteeg. Original music and sound engineering by Aidan Shea.

Resources:

By Anthony Fitzpatrick:

• The Evolving Science of Reading: Building a Continuum from Foundations to Fluent Thinking. Inedvation. 2026.
• “Finding Time for History: How Building Knowledge in ELA Fueled Our Passion for the Past,” Knowledge Matters. 2025.
• Text InSPECtion on the Core: Close Reading Strategies for Unlocking Informational Text. Inedvation. 2015.

Wolf, Maryanne. Reader, Come Home: The Reading Brain in a Digital World. Harper, 2018. 

Social studies is an essential component of literacy, because it allows students to build the knowledge and vocabulary they’ll need to comprehend increasingly complex texts. In this episode, host Kyair Butts is joined by guest Melissa Loftus, a former teacher, curriculum developer, and co-host of the Melissa & Lori Love Literacy podcast. She explains why phonics alone is essential but not enough, and that even very young children can “read to learn” through content-rich children’s books and read-alouds of more complex texts. 

“What they know about the world is going to help them comprehend what they read,” Melissa says. “Social studies is learning about the world. It's the exact knowledge, vocabulary that complex texts are going to assume that they know.”

Reading comprehension depends not only on decoding words but also on knowing enough about the world to make sense of what authors assume readers already understand. Effective literacy instruction balances foundational reading skills with opportunities to build knowledge through rich content. Social studies content is especially potent, because it builds vocabulary, knowledge, and familiarity with important information and ideas, and also nurtures students' natural curiosity about the world. Research shows that spending more time on social studies accelerates literacy more than extra time in English language arts. 

Melissa compares the role of content knowledge in reading with being in a familiar environment. Walking through your hometown, you can notice details, ask questions, and pick up on nuances. In a completely unfamiliar place, your brain is working hard just to get from point A to point B. She and Kyair discuss how history, geography, and civics also build confidence, encourage participation, and help create more equitable learning opportunities by giving all students access to shared knowledge. They conclude that history should not be sacrificed due to scheduling pressures, but instead integrated throughout the school day, helping students become stronger readers, informed citizens, and lifelong learners.

This podcast is produced by Knowledge Matters on behalf of the History Matters Campaign. Follow Knowledge Matters on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter/X. Search #historymatters to join the conversation.

Production by Tressa Versteeg. Original music and sound engineering by Aidan Shea.

Resources:

• Adam Tyner and Sarah Kabourek. Social Studies Instruction and Reading Comprehension: Evidence from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study. Washington D.C.: Thomas B. Fordham Institute (September 2020).
• Loftus, Melissa, and Lori Sappington. The Literacy 50–A Q&A Handbook for Teachers: Real-World Answers to Questions About Reading That Keep You Up at Night. Scholastic Teaching Solutions, 2024.
• Melissa & Lori Love Literacy Podcast

Season 2 of the History Matters Podcast begins with a fascinating conversation between a cognitive scientist and middle-school teacher about the powerful connection between social studies, literacy, and learning.

Today’s guest is Dr. Cynthia Nebel, the Director of Learning Services and an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience at St. Louis University School of Medicine. She’s also an active collaborator with The Learning Scientists, which is dedicated to bridging research and practice to improve educational and organizational outcomes. The episode is hosted by Kyair Butts, an award-winning Baltimore middle-school teacher, former Goyen Fellow, curriculum coach, and contributor to Knowledge Matters.

Cindy explains that background knowledge is one of the strongest predictors of reading comprehension. She highlights classic studies on baseball and chess, showing that readers with relevant knowledge process information more efficiently because they can organize and connect new ideas rather than treating them as isolated facts.

She argues that reading comprehension is not simply a matter of decoding or general reading ability; it also depends on having the context necessary to make sense of what is being read. History, geography, civics, and other content-rich subjects provide the knowledge and vocabulary students need to understand increasingly complex texts. Kyair reflects on how familiarity with historical events enriches experiences with books, films, and cultural references, illustrating how background knowledge deepens engagement.

The discussion also explores the reciprocal relationship between literacy and content learning. Reading strengthens students’ understanding of academic subjects, while subject-area instruction makes reading more meaningful and accessible. This connection is often overlooked because literacy researchers and social studies educators tend to work in separate fields, despite their shared goals.

Educators have an ethical responsibility to intentionally build students’ background knowledge. By providing all students with rich content and historical context, schools enable them to think critically, participate fully in civic life, and engage confidently with complex texts and ideas.

This podcast is produced by Knowledge Matters on behalf of the History Matters Campaign. Follow Knowledge Matters on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter/X. Search #historymatters to join the conversation.

Production by Tressa Versteeg. Original music and sound engineering by Aidan Shea.

Resources:

• The Learning Scientists
• Chase, W. G., & Simon, H. A. (1973). Perception in chess. Cognitive psychology, 4(1), 55-81.

What kinds of history instruction build content knowledge and civic awareness? Why is social studies content such a power player when it comes to literacy? How can schools make time for these critical learning opportunities? 

In Season 2 of the History Matters Podcast, hosts Kyair Butts, Barbara Davidson, and Ebony McKiver explore these questions in dynamic conversations with educators, experts, and leaders working to bring rich history lessons into the classroom. 

In six fast-paced episodes, “Connecting History to the Classroom” examines why strong history instruction is uniquely well-suited to support literacy and civic engagement and how schools and systems are implementing content-rich history right now. Join Kyair, Barbara, and Ebony as they bring listeners inside the classroom and the brain, with insights from literacy experts, cognitive scientists, education leaders, and curriculum writers.

This podcast is produced by Knowledge Matters on behalf of the History Matters Campaign. Follow Knowledge Matters on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter/X. Search #historymatters to join the conversation.

Production by Tressa Versteeg. Original music and sound engineering by Aidan Shea.

Welcome to a special edition of the Knowledge Matters Podcast. 

This episode is a special bonus—an audio recording of our recent webinar, Literacy and the Science of Learning. It is a dynamic, hourlong conversation between three exciting experts in the field: Dylan Wiliam, Doug Lemov, and Natalie Wexler, facilitated by Kristen McQuillan of StandardsWork.

In this webinar, the panel responds to listener questions based on the podcast season that shares the same title. They explore what happens in the brain when students read and write and why that matters for teaching and learning. We found the conversation so fascinating, we wanted to make it available in as many formats as possible.

Nearly 800 people joined the original webinar, representing more than 45 states and 40 countries. Listeners praised a “brilliant discussion” by “my edu-heroes” and described it as “excellent virtual PD.”

Resources mentioned in this webinar:

• Knowledge Matters Review Tool: A Guide for Evaluating K-8 Curriculum
• Knowledge Matters Season 3 Podcast
• “Reading Whole Books and Miracles in Education” by Natalie Wexler

You can watch this webinar as a video recording, as well as the rest of our webinars on our website. 

In addition, new “Literacy and the Science of Learning” study guides are available for download. In these user-friendly guides, Dylan goes deep on cognitive load and how to boost long-term memory, Doug discusses fluency and the value in reading whole books, and Natalie dives into the power of writing to support comprehension, knowledge retention, and critical thinking. These guides ask big questions while also addressing practical concerns, with clear takeaways for teachers.

Stay in the loop! Sign up for our newsletter to find out about the next webinar.

Original music and sound engineering by Aidan Shea.

Thirteen colonies rose up, rebelled against an Empire, and won their independence. These unlikely victors built a new nation on democratic principles that inspired similar movements around the world.

How should we tell the story of our nation’s founding? Guests Sarah Botstein and David Schmidt, who co-directed The American Revolution with Ken Burns, explain how chronology and characters shape their longform PBS documentaries and accompanying curriculum materials, in a bonus episode of the History Matters Podcast.

“We always work chronologically. We don’t work thematically. And I think when teaching history, I have been fairly convinced that that’s the way to do it,” says Botstein. “When you teach thematically, you silo things. When you work chronologically, you show the complexity, the nuance, unbelievable heroism, the ways people do great things and terrible things all at once, particularly in the story of a war.”

Children are “capable of understanding these complex stories,” Schmidt says. “I think you can trust children’s intelligence a little more than we often do.”

The filmmakers describe the important role that characters play in keeping learners and viewers engaged. Their series follows George Washington and other leaders, as well as a native community in the Shenandoah Valley, young soldiers who volunteered for the fight, and Betsy Ambler of Yorktown, Virginia, who ages from 10 to 18 during the war.

“She lived much of her life as a refugee and her town was completely destroyed by that war. She never witnessed a battle, but she was impacted by the war every day,” Schmidt says. “These are people who are not dissimilar from you and me.”

“If you are following stories of these other people, you’re worried about what George Washington might do, because you are worried about them,” Botstein says. “It makes students understand why history matters. We’re all impacted by decisions that leaders make and by world events—small, medium, and large.”

They also discuss how visual artifacts like paintings and maps are especially engaging for young students and can help them understand a history story from different points of view.

“It’s really important when teaching history to show a variety of perspectives,” Botstein says. “To have empathy and openness and generosity, to try to understand why people did good things and why people did bad things, and how we can be optimistic in learning about history to make a better future, and make better on the promises that the revolution tried to inspire.”

This podcast is produced by the Knowledge Matters and StandardsWork, on behalf of the History Matters Campaign. Follow the History Matters Campaign on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter/X. Search #historymatters to join the conversation.

Production by Tressa Versteeg. Original music and sound engineering by Aidan Shea.

In Thermopolis, Wyoming, second-grade students love learning about the War of 1812, from the swashbuckling sea battles off the coast of Louisiana to the bombardment at Maryland’s Fort McHenry that inspired the “Star-Spangled Banner”—engaging lessons that build knowledge alongside literary and historical thinking skills.

This type of learning is powered by a strong, coherent curriculum that ensures learning connects from unit to unit and year to year, says teacher Laura Stam, a 2024–25 Goyen Literacy Fellow who writes about the sciences of reading and learning on her Substack, The Knowledge Exchange. “As soon as we start teaching it, teachers talk about how excited their students are,” she says.

In this final episode of the first season of the History Matters Podcast, Stam also explains that such curriculum helps bridge gaps in elementary teachers’ historical content knowledge. In elementary classrooms, building content expertise is a challenge because “we’re teaching all of the subjects,” she says. Strong curriculum is a sound starting point for teachers to build the knowledge they need to confidently teach history. And rather than curating content, teachers can focus on delivering instruction and connecting history lessons to art and culture.

“A really good curriculum brings in not just that history, but brings in all of the cultural pieces attached to it, the art and the poetry and the music that really enrich that knowledge,” she says. “If a really good curriculum has all those pieces built in for you, you just get to be the expert and deliver that, be the artist that delivers that for your students without having to curate it all yourself.”

Stam also describes how her students’ curiosity about historical topics extends beyond classroom instruction. Parents have shared stories of students connecting family vacations to history lessons about the Underground Railroad, for example, and Stam has overheard young students debating the relative merits of living in modern times versus the ancient Indus Valley Civilization while watching a local basketball game.

“They’ll go home and they want to explore their own interests,” she says. “They are getting books and looking on the Internet and finding out more information on their own topics that may not necessarily be what we learned in school. It’s interesting. It’s inspiring to know that they can learn about these things on their own. That’s the end goal, right? We want to teach them to be their own learners.”

This podcast is produced by the Knowledge Matters and StandardsWork, on behalf of the History Matters Campaign. Follow the History Matters Campaign on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter/X. Search #historymatters to join the conversation.

Production by Tressa Versteeg. Original music and sound engineering by Aidan Shea.

Many teachers build history lessons on primary sources like letters and legal documents. But without context and historical thinking skills, students can’t make much meaning from them, say guests Jon Bassett and Gary Shiffman, co-founders of the Four Question Method for history instruction.

“Primary sources, for us, are ways to practice doing what historians do. 8th graders aren't historians, 12th graders aren't historians. So it’s the silly mistake that says, we need to do exactly what the experts do so that we become experts. We actually need to do what the experts did before they were experts so that they became experts, which means learn a lot of stories,” Shiffman says.

“One of our slogans is ‘Story First’. And everything flows from that,” Bassett tells host Barbara Davidson.

In the Four Question Method, history is taught as a series of narratives and events are explored in a coherent, chronological way. Question One is simply, “What happened?” In other words, what’s the story? Question Two is “What were they thinking?” and helps students understand and interpret the perspectives of people involved in the story.

Question Three is “Why then and there?” which targets explanation as a skill. For example, students studying the American Revolution can contrast the Canadian colonies, which stayed with Great Britain, with the 13 colonies that went to war. 

“That asks kids to think in a more sophisticated way about the specific story and say, ‘Wow, stories like this, they happen sometimes and not others. Why then? Why there?’” Shiffman says.

Question Four is “What do we think about that?” and develops judgment, which Shiffman defines as “the capacity to generalize from your specific reaction to a case and to say, ‘Hold on. What are the general features of this case? And how can I make a rule to guide my own behavior in the world so that I know when to support the revolution and when not to?’ ” 

Bassett and Shiffman describe visiting a Tennessee classroom using a 4QM elementary history unit where students were learning about the decision of a Lakota Sioux leader to surrender the U.S. Army.

“The kids in the room, they knew a lot. They knew the story, they knew about this guy, and they got to deliberate toward judgment about whether Chief Joseph made the right choice or not. They can do that in fourth and fifth grade, absolutely,” Shiffman says.

This podcast is produced by the Knowledge Matters and StandardsWork, on behalf of the History Matters Campaign. Follow the History Matters Campaign on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter/X. Search #historymatters to join the conversation.

Production by Tressa Versteeg. Original music and sound engineering by Aidan Shea.

What do teachers need to successfully teach high-quality history lessons in elementary school?

A strong curriculum is a great start, but teachers also need aligned professional learning and time to dig in and build the content knowledge that supports confident instruction, says guest Courtney Dumas. In this episode, she explains how her organization, Edu20/20, is supporting Louisiana educators as they implement the state’s content-rich Bayou Bridges elementary social studies curriculum.

Effective professional learning for social studies instruction is rooted in curriculum, but it doesn’t just cover how the curriculum works, she says. Dumas and Edu20/20 discuss specific content in detail and then lead model lessons where teachers pretend to be fifth graders, which allows them to experience the curriculum as their students will.

“Professional learning in social studies is different because the No. 1 thing is the content,” she says. “In Ouachita, we talked about their grade level, their specific content, their specific units, their specific assessments. And then we had them experience a lesson as a student. And that was kind of where the magic happens.”

Dumas also stresses the importance of giving teachers time to study history content together. Many elementary teachers are generalists, so building historical content knowledge is an important aspect of effective professional learning in social studies, she notes.

“We set lots of high expectations for curriculum, but sometimes we don’t give teachers the time and space to meet those expectations,” she says. “You’d be surprised how many people don’t know basic history. . . It is so important that we give teachers the time and space to interact with that content.”

Dumas sees a bright future for elementary history instruction, because “people are understanding the importance of it and how it complements literacy,” she says. 

“We think that by giving more time to ELA, that’s going to be the answer. But really, social studies is ELA,” she says. “It’s going to make them better writers, better readers, better citizens. That’s what we want.”

This podcast is produced by the Knowledge Matters and StandardsWork, on behalf of the History Matters Campaign. Follow the History Matters Campaign on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter/X. Search #historymatters to join the conversation.

Production by Tressa Versteeg. Original music and sound engineering by Aidan Shea.