In episode 69 of the Teaching Literacy Podcast, host Jake Downs speaks with Dr. Kay Wijekumar, Houston Endowed Chair in the Department of Teaching and Learning and Culture at Texas A&M University. They discuss the importance of teaching students to generate rather than find the main idea in texts, detailing Dr. Wijekumar’s evidence-based KAT framework […]
Dr. Adrea Truckenmiller and Dr. Eunsoo Cho discuss building a strategic assessment system in literacy education. They cover how to use data to inform reading instruction, the difference between screeners, diagnostics, curriculum based measures, and computer adaptive tests, and the importance of reliability in assessments. Common pitfalls like over-testing and teaching to the test are […]
Guest host Dr. Kristin Conradi Smith interviews Dr. Jake Downs about the ‘secret soup’ of highly effective K-2 teacher teams. Link to Jake’s Study: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/15/2/259 Downs, J., Martz, K., & Mohr, K. (2025). Exploring the Instructional Effectiveness of High-Growth K-2 Teacher Teams in Foundational Reading. Education Sciences, 15(2), https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15020259 Link to ULEAD Report: https://schools.utah.gov/ulead/uleadfiles/reports/ipr/Instructional%20Clarity%20Early%20Lit%20IPR.pdf Please […]
Melissa and Lori invited Jake to discuss Synchronous Paired Oral Reading Techniques (SPORT) — Listen to the episode here! Please write a short impact statement for Jake’s USU review packet (and thank you!): https://forms.gle/QcUs8ciMcAy2yG6L6
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. […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 Era09:37 Mississippi’s Science of Reading Legislation17:02 Comparative Analysis of State Outcomes29:08 Impact […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 CityOctober 7 – Salt Lake CityOctober 22 – St. George Make sure to sign up for both sessionsFluency: https://usbe.midaseducation.com/professional-development/courses/course/64621Comprehension: https://usbe.midaseducation.com/professional-development/courses/course/64623All sessions are free of charge and 7 relicensure hours will be credited for the full day. A big thanks to the Utah State […]
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 […]
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., […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]