Science of Reading: The Podcast

Latest Episodes:

S4-07: Linguistic Variety and Dialects: Difference, not error: Julie Washington Oct 06, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, Susan Lambert is joined by Dr. Julie Washington to discuss linguistic variety and dialects as difference, not error, and how to best support all students as they learn to read. Dr. Washington, professor in the School of Education at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) and a speech-language pathologist, offers practical advice for educators teaching reading to children who don’t use general American English and discusses how to do so in a way that respects students' community languages and dialects. She reminds educators that students rise or fall to the expectations set for them, and encourages educators to remember that if they embrace language variety as something that needs to be understood and incorporated into developing successful readers, they will develop successful readers.

Quotes:
“Teachers need to know about the language variety that their students are speaking.” —Dr. Julie Washington

“Educating yourself as a teacher and recognizing where there is variety and difference and not error is critical for how you'll respond to it.” —Dr. Julie Washington

Show Notes:

Teaching Reading to African American Children by Julie A. Washington and Mark S. Seidenberg
Cultivating Genius: An Equity Framework for Culturally and Historically Responsive Literacy by Gholdy Muhammad

Episode timestamps*
02:00 Introduction: Who is Julie Washington?
07:30 Linguistic variety and the simple view of reading
11:02 Understanding General American English
16:00 Challenges faced by high density dialect users
31:00 Addressing the fourth grade reading benchmark and NAEP data
35:00 Introduction to the Julie Washington’s article with Mark Seidenberg
8:00 Key Recommendations for teachers from the article
41:00 Expanding children’s knowledge before school
47:00 Constructive Responses to dialects in the classroom
54:00 Final thoughts and encouragement for educators
*Timestamps are approximate, rounded to nearest minute

S4-06: Educator voices: Personal journeys through the Science of Reading Sep 22, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, Susan Lambert joins elementary educator Lindsay Kemeny for a conversation about her journey of discovery with the Science of Reading. A current second grade teacher with ten years of experience in elementary education, Lindsay Kemeny has been published in the Reading League Journal and spoken alongside literacy experts like Emily Hanford. In this episode, Lindsay discusses how she processed her shock and guilt at realizing she’d never been taught how to properly teach reading. She also discusses the journey she took as a mother and an educator when her son was diagnosed with severe dyslexia alongside depression, and how that inspired her to dive into what is needed for good literacy instruction and what students with learning disabilities need. Listeners will also hear stories from additional educators from across the country about how the Science of Reading has transformed their classrooms.
Show Notes:

The Learning Spark blog

Sink or Swim: The Appearance of Reading by Lindsay Kemeny

Quotes:
“The ability to read is so tightly connected to our self-esteem.” —Lindsay Kemeny

“I love the phrase we have in the Science of Reading community: Know better, do better.” —Lindsay Kemeny
Content Warning:

CW // depression, suicide

This episode includes discussion of depression and suicidal thoughts, specifically as it impacts students with learning disabilities. This is a very sensitive but important topic that impacts educators, parents, and students alike. It is also a pivotal part of today’s guest’s story. We understand that not everyone is in a place to listen to today’s episode and we look forward to having you with us next week.

If you or a loved one is struggling with depression or suicidal thoughts please call the national suicide prevention hotline at 1-800-273-8255. For additional resources, please visit: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/

S4-05: Reading as Liberation: Sue Pimentel Sep 08, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, Sue Pimentel—co-founder of the nonprofit StandardWorks, founding partner of Student Achievement Partners, and lead author of the Common Core State Standards for ELA—joins Susan Lambert to discuss her new report "Reading as Liberation—An Examination of the Research Base." Sharing key insights, she expands on her findings about personalization, literacy accelerators, and implementation, as well as how mutual respect between student and teacher is key to reading success.
Quote:
“Reading is power. In our society, in our culture, it is about power and freedom when you learn how to read.” - Sue Pimentel
Resources:
Reading as Liberation—An Examination of the Research Base by Sue Pimentel, Meredith Liben, and Student Achievement Partners
Announcements:
Looking to adopt the Science of Reading in your classroom or district? We have all the tools to help you make the shift at scienceofreading.amplify.com

Announcing the inaugural Science of Reading Star Awards! Nominate a Science of Reading champion in your district for a chance to win $500. https://amplify.com/sor-star-awards/

S4-04: Learning to Read Digitally vs. in Print: Dr. Lauren Trakhman & Dr. Patricia Alexander Aug 25, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, Susan Lambert sits down with Lauren Trakhman and Patricia Alexander, professors from the Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology within the College of Education at the University of Maryland, College Park, to discuss their research on the effectiveness of teaching reading in print vs. digitally. Their conversation explores the ways in which teaching reading in print remains vital even in a digital world. Drs. Trakhman and Alexander also explain why it's important to avoid making assumptions about students' abilities to use technology and how that can be a detriment to reading success. Lastly, they discuss strategies for using technology to boost children's foundational skills.
Quotes:
“Rule one is: no teacher at any level should assume that their students are digital natives.” - Dr. Patricia Alexander
“As we saw in this pandemic, reading digitally is not going anywhere ... and, in fact, is what made learning even a possibility the past year and a half.” - Dr. Lauren Trakhman
Resources:
Lauren Trakhman Bio and research

Patricia A. Alexander Bio and research
Announcements:
Looking to adopt the Science of Reading in your classroom or district? We have all the tools to help you make the shift at scienceofreading.amplify.com

Announcing the inaugural Science of Reading Star Awards! Nominate a Science of Reading champion in your district for a chance to win $500. https://amplify.com/sor-star-awards/

S4-03: Learning disabilities and their emotional impact: Dr. Sheila Clonan Aug 11, 2021

Show notes

This episode features Dr. Sheila Clonan discussing her work with identifying learning disabilities (particularly dyslexia) in children. Dr. Clonan also explores the mental and emotional effects of learning to read with dyslexia and how it impacts behavior and self-concept, providing two insightful analogies that illustrate what it feels like for students who aren’t given explicit instruction but are still expected to know how to read. She then ends the episode with practical advice for educators and parents on how to support and encourage children.
Quotes:
“Find your child's interests or your student's interests and strengths and pursue those and give them opportunities to let those feed their soul.”

“I don’t think there’s anyone who goes into teaching, not caring about children and not wanting what’s best for children.”

Show Notes:

Dyslexia by Sally E. Shaywitz

International Dyslexia Association Fact Sheets
Want to discuss the episode? Join our Facebook group Science of Reading: The Community.

S4-02: Ensuring literacy success for all: Dr. Tracy Weeden Jul 28, 2021

Show notes

Dr. Tracy Weeden, CEO and President of the Neuhaus Education Center, joins host Susan Lambert to discuss ensuring literacy success for all. She shares what it means to be a literacy ally, what the ‘COVID Chrysalis’ is, and how teachers need to bridge the gap between the language students learn in school and the language they bring from home.
Quote:

“Quality of life and literacy are intrinsically tied to one another.”

Resources:
Want to discuss the episode? Join our Facebook group Science of Reading: The Community.

S4-01: Applying the Science of Reading at any grade level: Laura Cusack Jul 14, 2021

Show notes

Kicking off our new season, Susan Lambert hosts this special episode with Laura Cusack, Executive Director of K–8 ELA Strategy at Amplify. This dynamic duo sheds light on the pandemic’s effects on literacy achievement and strategizes how to make up for lost foundational skills while keeping students moving forward in grade-level learning. They also urge educators to make it a point to honor the diverse experience of their students during reading instruction.

Quotes:

“It’s all about growing and learning.”

“When we get that diversity of kids in the classroom, we have to honor all of their experiences.”

Resources:
The Reading Comprehension Blueprint by Nancy Hennessy

Speech to Print by Louisa Moats

Amplify Science of Reading Handbook (Primers #1 and #2)

Science of Reading: The Podcast w/ Louisa Moats Episode

Science of Reading: The Podcast w/ Nancy Hennessy Episode

Science of Reading: The Podcast w/ Laurence Holt Episode
Want to discuss the episode? Join our Facebook group Science of Reading: The Community.

S3-13. Deconstructing the Rope: A look back at Season 3 Jun 30, 2021

Show notes

Join your host, Susan Lambert, as she recaps Deconstructing the Rope, our series for season 3 of Science of Reading: The Podcast. She highlights the special guests we’ve had this season such as Louisa Moats, Bruce McCandliss, and Sonia Cabell and shares their expert insights on Scarborough’s Reading Rope. From vocabulary to word and sight recognition, tune into this special episode and cement this knowledge in your Science of Reading journey.
Want to discuss the episode? Join our Facebook group Science of Reading: The Community.

S3-12. Fostering accessible instruction for all: DeJunne’ Clark Jackson Jun 16, 2021

Show notes

Join DeJunne’ Clark Jackson, vice president of program development for the Center for Development and Learning, as she talks about delivering instruction all students can access. She also urges listeners to foster better experiences for educators and students. Finally, she speaks on the connection between the Science of Reading and dyslexia.
Quotes:
“The intersection of the Science of Reading and dyslexia is that the Science of Reading is the foundation for what dyslexia therapy is built upon.”
“Access is the core and focus of equity. Bias is the major barrier of diversity. Inclusion is the ultimate goal.”
Resources:
Center for Development and Learning

Plain Talk Conference
Want to discuss the episode? Join our Facebook group Science of Reading: The Community.

S3-11. Continuously improving literacy instruction: Alana Mangham Jun 02, 2021

Show notes

Join Alana Mangham, literacy specialist for the Center for Development and Learning, as she shares her pathway from educator to changemaker in the Science of Reading field. She’ll also highlight her successful four-part literacy plan and urge you to question your instructional practices to better foster reading achievement in children today.
Quotes:

“The power in not being an expert to start out with is that we grow together.”

“We need to give teachers credit, but we need to get to work. We have things to do.

Resources:

Center for Development and Learning

Growing Reading Brains

Plain Talk Conference

Narrowing the Third Grade Reading Gap | EAB

Want to discuss the episode? Join our Facebook group Science of Reading: The Community.