Stay ConnectedIn each episode of Reading Road Trip from IDA Ontario, host and classroom teacher Kate Winn explores evidence-based literacy instruction with a fabulous guest. From researchers and authors to educators and advocates, they’re all sharing practical ideas that can be implemented now in your class, school or district!
New episodes dropping each Monday across the summer.
Copyright: © 2023 Reading Road Trip IDA Ontario
Season 3 wraps up with a jam-packed episode featuring Dr. Amanda VanDerHeyden. Kate and Amanda have a wide-ranging conversation about the science of learning and human behaviour - how do children learn new things? From the instructional hierarchy to incremental rehearsal, don't miss this fabulous episode!
Show Notes:
Curious about Amanda's insights into Kindergarten math instruction? Take a peek at the links she shared:
This week Kate is joined by Dr. Amanda Nickerson for a candid conversation about supporting gifted and highly advanced readers. Don't miss this episode that highlights the value of advanced decoding and spelling instruction for skilled readers!
Dr. Andrea Fraser joins Kate to chat about her systems change journey: first in a board central team role, shifting her district's literacy instruction to structured literacy, and then preparing preservice teachers to teach with a structured literacy approach. Tune in to hear her insights on bridging the gap between research and practice at the district level and in higher education!
The Basics of Decoding and Spelling Instruction is a low-cost, asynchronous online course offered by IDA Ontario. Students in Canadian education, EA, or SLP programs, as well as educators working in First Nation schools, can receive free access here.
IDA Ontario partners with Dyslexia Canada to develop ONlit.org, a free website designed to support educators with the revised Ontario Language curriculum. Don't miss the most recent resource - a free embedded picture mnemonic set!
Kate welcomes Dr. Marc Joanisse for a discussion about the neurobiology of dyslexia and other comorbid disorders, including ADHD and DLD.
Dr Marc Joanisse is a professor at the University of Western Ontario in the Department of Psychology and the Western Institute for Neuroscience. His research examines the cognitive and brain basis of reading dyslexia and developmental language disability in children, as well as typical reading and language and development. His research team at the Language Reading and Cognitive Neuroscience Lab uses a multimodal approach, including eye tracking, EEG and MRI. His research in dyslexia focuses on better understanding the links between poor reading and spoken language and phonology, and the comorbidities of dyslexia with other kinds of learning disorders like DLD and ADHD.
Stay up to date on research and upcoming studies from Marc's lab:
Language, Reading and Cognitive Neuroscience Lab Facebook page and website
Curious about evidence-based instruction for older readers? This week, Kate welcomes Dr. Heidi Anne Mesmer to discuss strategies for helping older readers decode big words and tackle complex texts, focusing on syntactic features like connectives and anaphora to improve text comprehension.
Heidi Anne is the author of several great books, including Big Words for Young Readers: Teaching Kids in Grades K to 5 to Decode - and Understand - Words with Multiple Syllables and Morphemes, and Teaching Skills for Complex Text: Deepening Close Reading in the Classroom. Kate and Heidi Anne also discussed a new article, Time in Text: Differentiating Instruction for Intermediate Students Struggling with Word Recognition.
Find Heidi Anne on twitter at @haemesmer.
Dr. Claude Goldenberg joins us this week. Don't miss this engaging conversation about reading instruction for multilingual students - and keep listening to the end to learn about Claude's real-life road trips inspired by a John Steinbeck book!
Claude is the Nomelini and Olivier professor of education emeritus at Stanford University. A native of Argentina, his areas of research and publication centred on promoting academic achievement among language minority students, particularly those from Spanish-speaking backgrounds.
In the episode, Claude mentioned his work on the National Literacy Panel, an article in Reading Research Quarterly, and his own road trip adventures inspired by John Steinbeck's Travels with Charley:
Kate welcomes Meredith and David Liben for a candid conversation on reading comprehension. The Libens walk through effective instruction to help students understand what they read - from close reading to structured journals, they share practical tips to support comprehension!
The Libens are the authors of Know Better Do Better: Teaching the Foundations So Every Child Can Read, and the newly released Know Better, Do Better: Comprehension: Fueling the Reading Brain With Knowledge, Vocabulary, and Rich Language.
Kate mentions the Matthew effect, a phenomenon coined by Dr. Keith Stanovich where good readers enjoy reading, read more, and develop stronger reading skills. Struggling readers avoid reading, making the gap between skilled and weak readers widen over time. Access this influential paper here.
The Read Aloud Project, mentioned by David, is a repository of lesson plans for rich read alouds of complex books.
Join us this week for a chat with parent educator Maya Payne Smart. Kate and Maya walk through clear, actionable steps to empower parents to support their child's language and literacy development.
Maya is the author of Reading for Our Lives: A Literacy Action Plan from Birth to Six. It is excellent - well-researched, clear, and parent-friendly - and even a great read for teachers, too!
Eager to learn more? Maya's website is a treasure trove of resources for parents and educators. From book recommendations to tips to build language and literacy, don't miss it.
Maya recommended the picture books The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read and An Inconvenient Alphabet: Ben Franklin & Noah Webster's Spelling Revolution.
This week, Kate welcomes fellow podcaster Anna Geiger from The Measured Mom. As two teachers who have shifted from balanced literacy to structured literacy, this episode is filled with candid discussion as Kate and Anna highlight the biggest surprises they encountered along the way!
Anna is the CEO of The Measured Mom, host of Triple R Teaching, and the author of the soon-to-be released book, Reach All Readers: Using the Science of Reading to Transform Your Literacy Instruction.
Show Notes:
Season 3 of Reading Road Trip kicks off with a candid conversation between literacy greats: Dr. Anita Archer and Dr. Sonia Cabell.
Anita and Sonia recorded this episode at the 2024 Literacy & Learning Conference. Their conversation is both thoughtful and lighthearted - we hope you will enjoy!
Show Notes:
Sonia is a co-author of the new book Strive-for-Five Conversations: A Framework That Gets Kids Talking to Accelerate Their Language Comprehension and Literacy
Anita is a co-author of the legendary text Explicit Instruction: Effective and Efficient Teaching
All About Words: Increasing Vocabulary in the Common Core Classroom by Tanya Wright and Susan Neuman is a book both Sonia and Anita discussed
Anita mentioned the research on Direct Instruction. This is summarized in the book All Students Can Succeed: A Half Century of Research on the Effectiveness of Direct Instruction
Kate brought up a document Anita wrote on scaffolding reading comprehension
Check out Kate's new home office setup - complete with a set of Archerisms!
Buckle up - Reading Road Trip is back for a third season!
Join classroom teacher Kate Winn for a jam-packed season featuring fabulous guests. From researchers and authors to educators and advocates, they're all sharing practical ideas that can be implemented now in your class, school, board or district!
Season 2 of Reading Road Trip closes out with a conversation with Dr. Jennifer Buckingham. Kate and Jennifer dig into reading science - what do teachers really need to know? From syllable types to comprehension strategies, linguistic terms to cognitive science, this episode distinguishes between what is a "need to know" and what is "nice to know."
Dr. Jennifer Buckingham is the director of strategy and senior research fellow at MultiLit, and is the founder and director of the Five from Five Literacy Project.
Show Notes:
In this week's episode, Kate chats with Dr. Steve Graham about all things writing. Dr. Graham highlights the importance of handwriting and spelling, and unpacks evidence-based strategy instruction to build strong writers.
Show Notes:
Kate chats with Dr. Jack Fletcher this week, unpacking all things dyslexia: Risk factors and prevention, dyslexia vs dysteachia, instructional tips, wait-to-fail, and dyslexia myths and misconceptions.
Show Notes:
Learn more about some of the articles Jack mentioned:
Kate chats with Clara Fiorentini this week. Tune in to explore novels in the classroom: how class novel studies fit into structured literacy, how complex text can be scaffolded, using "read-alikes" to choose texts, and avoiding the perils of "extractitis" - don't miss this thoughtful conversation about chapter books!
Clara is the president of the Literacy Association of Ireland and a lecturer in initial teacher education at Marino Institute of Education. She is wrapping up her Ph.D. research on current trends in Irish preschool literacy practice. Catch Clara at her blog, on Instagram, and on Twitter.
Show Notes:
This week Kate talks to Kristin Conradi Smith, Tammy Williams, and Ellen Frackelton about research-based comprehension strategies for the classroom, including considerations for text selection and preparation, common pitfalls to avoid and “use it tomorrow” ideas. Bottom line: no more strategy of the week!
Show Notes:
In this week's episode, Kate welcomes Kareem Weaver for a candid conversation about the role of literacy in equity, and some myths and misconceptions as strive for the goal of literacy for all.
Kareem Weaver is a co-founder and executive director of FULCRUM and is also the Oakland NAACP's Second Vice President and Chair of its Education Committee. Kareem's advocacy is featured in the film The Right to Read. Mr. Weaver was an award-winning teacher and administrator. He has undergraduate degrees from Morehouse College and a Master's in Clinical Community Psychology from the University of South Carolina. Mr. Weaver believes in the potential of all students, the brotherhood of man, and the importance of service above self.
This week, Kate chats with Dr. Deb Glaser about the second edition of Next STEPS for Literacy Instruction, co-authored with Dr. Susan Smartt. Kate and Deb unpack how to use valid and reliable assessments to shape effective literacy instructions, particularly through the Next STEPS framework: Set-up, Teach, Engage, Practice, and Show You Know.
Deb's knowledge and experience in structured literacy is both broad and deep: she is the author of the Reading Teacher's Top Ten Tools online course, Morpheme Magic, and Morphemes for Little Ones.
Show Notes:
The second edition of Next STEPS for Literacy Instruction is now available! ONlit.org has created a slide deck in both English and French to support schools, districts and boards to use this excellent text for a book study.
Small group instruction is a powerful tool to support stronger literacy outcomes. Deb mentioned the research of Dr. Barbara Foorman and Dr. Joe Torgesen - read more here.
IDA Ontario is a registered charity, and we depend on your donations to support our programs, including Reading Road Trip. Please consider donating to support this work.
Kate welcomes Catherine Shawana, a member of Wiikwemkoong unceded territory, for a candid discussion about her First Nation school's journey from balanced literacy to structured literacy, as well as a broader conversation about First Nations education. Catherine's passions are rooted in the foundation of building Anishnawbek identity and establishing a connection to Indigenous ways of knowing, doing and being. She believes this strength-based identity work is necessary for all students to develop a positive sense of identity and to understand. We all have a community of stories waiting to be told and heard.
Show Notes:
Catherine mentioned that the Right to Read report contains not only recommendations for improving practice in Ontario, but also a historical context of First Nations, Métis and Inuit experiences. Read more here.
Throughout the episode, Catherine referenced several past IDA Ontario webinars and workshops:
Catherine "binge listened" to the Amplify Science of Reading podcast, hosted by Susan Lambert.
Kate mentioned Dr. Rudine Sims Bishops' metaphor of 'mirrors, windows and sliding doors' - see the paper where she originally coined the phrase, as well as a more recent video of her discussing diversity in books and the authors who write them
IDA Ontario is a registered charity, and we depend on your donations to support our programs, including Reading Road Trip. Please consider donating to support this work.
This week, Kate is joined by Nancy Chapel Eberhardt to discuss all things syntax. A key element of language comprehension, equipping students with an understanding of syntax is key to supporting strong reading and writing skills! Take a listen to learn more about how syntax develops and how to best teach this domain of language.
Nancy Chapel Eberhardt is the coauthor of Sortegories 3.0, a web-based app designed to provide practice for essential early literacy skills. She serves as a member of the International Dyslexia Association's Perspectives on Language and Literacy editorial board and is a board member of the Reading League Connecticut chapter.
Show Notes:
Nancy is a wealth of knowledge! Here are links to the fantastic resources she mentions in this episode:
IDA Ontario is a registered charity, and we depend on your donations to support our programs, including Reading Road Trip. Please consider donating to support this work.
Season 2 of Reading Road Trip kicks off with Emily Hanford! Join Kate Winn to get the inside scoop on Emily's reporting work on the science of reading, including the incredibly popular podcast Sold a Story. Emily unpacks her journey into reporting on literacy instruction, how Sold a Story was made, and how she responds to critics.
Show Notes:
Emily's articles and podcasts through APM Reports have shone a light on reading instruction, and have catalyzed conversations and changes to literacy instruction across the world:
Kate and Emily discuss Sold a Story, the incredibly popular podcast Emily created with Christopher Peak. If you haven't yet listened, check out the six episodes and two bonus episodes.
Kate also mentions a webinar series about structured literacy in kindergarten from Emily Moorhead, an Ontario kindergarten teacher and IDA Ontario volunteer. Take a look at the first, second and third parts of the recordings.
IDA Ontario is a registered charity, and we depend on your donations to support our programs, including Reading Road Trip. Please consider donating to support this work.
Buckle up - Reading Road Trip is back for a second season!
Join classroom teacher Kate Winn for a jam-packed season featuring fabulous guests. From researchers and authors to educators and advocates, they're all sharing practical ideas that can be implemented now in your class, school, board or district!
In the Season 1 finale, you get to ask the questions! Kate Winn and Una Malcolm answer listener questions, sharing their thoughts on sound spelling walls to structured literacy in older grades. Stay tuned to the end for the answer to the most common question - will there be a Season 2 of Reading Road Trip?
Show Notes:
In the spirit of Truth and Reconciliation, we hope to amplify the work of an Indigenous artist in each episode by recommending a picture book. This week's book recommendation is Shi-shi-etko, written by Nicola Campbell and illustrated by Kim LaFave. It is available at GoodMinds, a First Nations family-owned bookstore passionate about Indigenous education.
Kate wrote a free lesson plan, featuring explicit instruction of Tier 2 vocabulary words. Find the lesson plan here.
Dr. Stephanie Stollar and Concha Wyatt hosted a helpful webinar that unpacks options for structured literacy training.
The International Dyslexia Association has a rigorous accreditation process, and maintains a list of accredited teacher training programs.
IDA also has the Knowledge and Practice Standards for Teachers of Reading, which highlight all things educators should know and be able to do to ensure all children receive evidence-based structured literacy instruction.
Kate uses the Letter Form Assessment, from Dr. Karen Ray, which can be found here.
Kate hosts Diana Burchell for a conversation about language learners. Is structured literacy appropriate for multilingual learners? Can early screening and intervention support students in French Immersion? What does research tell us about the language and literacy development of refugees from Syria?
Diana is a former high school French Immersion teacher, and is now a doctoral candidate in Developmental Psychology and Education at the University of Toronto. She can be found on Twitter and at her website.
Show Notes:
Diana works in the Multilingualism and Literacy Lab, led by Dr. Becky Chen, and will soon be working in the Multilingual Families Lab at the University of Alberta led by Dr. Andrea MacLeod.
Take a look at the list Kate compiled of the chapter books she read to her class at snacktime to build vocabulary.
In the spirit of Truth and Reconciliation, we are amplifying the work of an Indigenous creator in every episode. This week’s pick is the picture book When We Were Alone by David A. Robertson, illustrated by Julie Flett.
Are you an educator listening to Reading Road Trip with your colleagues? Use our Podcast Discussion Guide to support your discussions.
This week, Kate is joined by Dr. Carolyn Strom for a conversation about the reading brain. What are the neural underpinnings of how students learn to read? How can research in this field help us in the classroom?
Carolyn is a clinical assistant professor of Early Childhood Literacy at NYU's Steinhardt School of Culture Education and Human Development. Her work is focused on bridging the divide between scientific research and instructional practices. You can find her on Twitter and at her website.
Show Notes:
Carolyn's A Tale of Three Cities is an analogy that helps clarify the neural circuitry involved in language and literacy. For a visual representation, take a look at the diagram.
In the spirit of Truth and Reconciliation, we are amplifying the work of an Indigenous creator in every episode. This week’s pick is the picture book The Sharing Circle by Theresa (Corky) Larsen-Jonasson, illustrated by Jessica Von Innerebner.
Are you an educator listening to Reading Road Trip with your colleagues? Use our Podcast Discussion Guide to support your discussions.
Kate welcomes Dr. Daryl Michel for a candid discussion on literacy coaching and PD. As we look to the beginning of a new school year, and as many systems plan structured literacy teacher PD, how can we create meaningful professional learning opportunities that lead to strong student and teacher outcomes?
Dr. Daryl Michel is the founder of Be A Change, LLC, and a lifelong educator who is passionate about engaging with others to learn, teach, and inspire while appreciating and advocating for voices and perspectives to be heard. Find Daryl on Twitter or at his website.
Daryl’s book, Student-Focused Coaching, co-authored with Jan Hasbrouck, is a fantastic resource for instructional coaches, but also for all educators focused on supporting the learning of colleagues.
The book outlines the three main coaching roles—Facilitator, Collaborative Problem-Solver, and Teacher/Learner—and provides tools to build strong professional relationships with all educators. It covers various aspects of coaching, including improving communication, setting and achieving goals, utilizing data in an MTSS model, and supporting administrators. The book also includes practical materials for coaches, such as worksheets, checklists, and self-assessment tools.
In the spirit of Truth and Reconciliation, we are amplifying the work of an Indigenous creator in every episode. This week’s pick is the picture book Birdsong, written and illustrated by Julie Flett.
Are you an educator listening to Reading Road Trip with your colleagues? Use our Podcast Discussion Guide to support your discussions.
This week, Kate and guest Renata Archie dive into early reading screening: what is it, why is it needed, and most importantly, how it can inform instruction. Renata is a doctoral student in reading science, and an Academic Intervention Services Coordinator for New York City Department of Education where she supports educators and leaders with assessment, data analysis, and instruction. Renata can be found on Twitter.
In the spirit of Truth and Reconciliation, we are amplifying the work of an Indigenous creator in every episode. This week’s pick is the picture book Be a Good Ancestor, written by Leona and Gabrielle Prince, and illustrated by Carla Joseph.
Are you an educator listening to Reading Road Trip with your colleagues? Use our Podcast Discussion Guide to support any discussion
Dr. Jan Hasbrouck joins the podcast this week, sharing her wealth of knowledge and experience on reading fluency. Together, Kate and Jan unpack fluency - what is it, how educators can provide instruction that supports reading fluency, and common misconceptions. You can find Jan on her website and Twitter page.
Jan has written several excellent books, including Student-Focused Coaching and Conquering Dyslexia.
Curious about oral reading rate? Jan and her colleague Dr. Gerald Tindal published oral reading rate norms for student in grades 1 to 6.
Jan mentioned a recent study by White et al. (2021) that investigated the link between oral reading rate and comprehension on the NAEP assessment.
In the spirit of Truth and Reconciliation, we are amplifying the work of an Indigenous creator in every episode. This week’s pick is the picture book Awâsis and the World-Famous Bannock, written by Dallas Hunt, and illustrated by Amanda Strong.
Are you an educator listening to Reading Road Trip with your colleagues? Use our Podcast Discussion Guide to support any discussion
This week, Kate has a conversation with Lindsay Kemeny, a primary teacher from Utah and author of the brand-new book 7 Mighty Moves: Research-Backed, Classroom-Tested Strategies to Ensure K-To-3 Reading Success. You can find Lindsay on her website, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
Lindsay’s book, 7 Mighty Moves: Research-Backed, Classroom-Tested Strategies to Ensure K-to-3 Reading Success, is a must-read!
Lindsay and Kate have both used a partner reading and paragraph shrinking instructional routine for classwide fluency and comprehension building. Lindsay’s webinar for PaTTAN gives a nice overview of this research-backed strategy.
In the spirit of Truth and Reconciliation, we are amplifying the work of an Indigenous creator in every episode. This week’s pick is the picture book Dancing With Our Ancestors, written by Sara Florence Davidson and Robert Davidson, and illustrated by Janine Gibbons.
Are you an educator listening to Reading Road Trip with your colleagues? Use our Podcast Discussion Guide to support any discussion
Kate is joined by Dr. Holly Lane, professor and researcher at the University of Florida, and creator of the UFLI Foundations program. Together, Kate and Holly unpack some of the considerations for teaching foundational word reading and spelling skills.
Dr. Holly Lane is the Director of the University of Florida Literacy Institute (UFLI), an associate professor of special education, and co-author of the UFLI Foundations program. Holly's research focuses on effective practices for reading instruction and intervention. Holly can be found on Twitter.
UFLI Foundations is a systematic and explicit phonics program. With a scope and sequence for kindergarten to grade 2 students, the program is carefully designed to support educators in providing effective early reading and spelling instruction. The program is composed of a manual (available from Canadian, American, and Australian vendors) as well as free online lesson resources.
Are you a UFLI user? Join the UFLI Foundations Community group on Facebook!
In the spirit of Truth and Reconciliation, we are amplifying the work of an Indigenous creator in every episode. This week’s pick is the picture book Oolichan Moon, written by Samantha Beynon and illustrated by Lucy Trimble.
Are you an educator listening to Reading Road Trip with your colleagues? Use our Podcast Discussion Guide to support any discussion.
Kate Winn welcomes Dr. Sonia Cabell for a candid discussion about five key research-based elements of early language and literacy instruction for young children.
Dr. Sonia Cabell is an Associate Professor of Education at Florida State University and the Florida Center for Reading Research. Sonia's research focuses on early language and literacy instruction for young children, particularly as a preventative approach to support equity in future reading and writing. You can find Sonia on Twitter.
Sonia’s Books:
The Rising Star Scaffolding Guide, written by Sonia and her co-authors, is a great resource for Kate in her classroom as she supports young writers.
The Florida Center for Reading Research is a treasure trove of free resources for educators.
Kate hosted a phenomenal webinar for IDA Ontario, Structured Literacy in Kindergarten: 5 Key Changes That Made All My Students Readers. Curious how Kate did it? Catch the webinar recording and materials.
In the spirit of Truth and Reconciliation, we are amplifying the work of an Indigenous creator in every episode. This week’s pick is the picture book It’s a Mitig by Bridget George.
Are you an educator listening to Reading Road Trip with your colleagues? Use our Podcast Discussion Guide to support any discussion.
In the premiere, Kate is joined by Lyn Stone, a linguist and author. Lyn busts common reading myths and misconceptions, advocating for evidence-based structured literacy for all students.
About Lyn:
Lyn Stone is a linguist, educator, author and founder of Lifelong Literacy. Her books, courses, and presentations unpack the structure of language, supporting educators to improve student reading and writing outcomes with evidence-based practices. Lyn can be found on her website, Twitter, and Facebook.
Lyn’s Books:
Reading for Life - the 21 Days of Writing Challenge Kate mentioned can be found in this book.
In the spirit of Truth and Reconciliation, we are amplifying the work of an Indigenous creator in every episode. This week’s pick is the picture book You Hold Me Up, written by Monique Gray Smith and illustrated by Danielle Daniel.
Are you an educator listening to Reading Road Trip with your colleagues? Use our Podcast Discussion Guide to support any conversations with co-workers!
Kate Winn and IDA Ontario's President, Una Malcolm, introduce IDA Ontario's new podcast Reading Road Trip, premiering July 3rd, 2023.
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