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Stellar Teacher Podcast: A Podcast for Upper Elementary Teachers

Welcome to The Stellar Teacher Podcast! We believe teaching literacy is a skill. It takes time, practice, and support to become the literacy teacher you want to be. This podcast will help you level up your literacy instruction, build your confidence, and make a meaningful impact with your students—all while having a little fun along the way!

Hosted by Sara Marye and The Stellar Teacher team, this podcast brings together literacy specialists and educators who are passionate about helping upper elementary teachers feel more confident and effective in their literacy instruction. Together, we’re committed to sharing high-quality, no-fluff strategies, resources, and ideas that are practical, research-informed, and easy to bring into your classroom.

Each week, Sara, the Stellar Teacher team, and special guests share their knowledge, tips, and practical strategies to help you strengthen your literacy instruction and support your students in becoming confident, capable readers and writers.

For printable and digital literacy resources, head to stellarteacher.com. Connect with us on Instagram @thestellarteachercompany.

Copyright: © Copyright 2024 Sara Marye, Literacy Teacher, Elementary Teacher

Latest Episodes:

206. 3 Ways to Improve Students’ Sentence Writing Jul 08, 2024

Show notes

A common misconception upper elementary teachers often make with sentence writing is that students don’t need to practice or develop this skill. Since teachers are so focused on the end result of a five-paragraph essay, sentence writing is often ignored or not prioritized. However, that’s not benefiting students and their academic success at all. Instead, this foundational skill needs to be incorporated daily into their literacy block. In today’s episode, I’m sharing 3 ways to improve student sentence writing and why it directly impacts academic success.

Grab my Sentence Writing Routine Sample here!

Sign up for my FREE private podcast, the Confident Writer Systems Series, here!

Get on the waitlist to join The Stellar Literacy Collective here!

Check out my Free Literacy Workshop, The Time Crunch Cure: Create a Literacy Block That Fits it All In and Achieves More

To check out all of the resources from this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.stellarteacher.com/episode206.

205. 3 Ways You Can Organize Your Classroom Library (SOR Summer Series Part 5) Jul 04, 2024

Show notes

In this episode, we shift our focus from instructional strategies to an often overlooked yet crucial aspect of literacy instruction: the classroom environment, specifically the classroom library. While effective teaching practices are essential, how we organize our learning spaces can significantly impact our students' reading experiences and development. As the new school year approaches, I want to share ideas for organizing your classroom library in ways that align with the science of reading.

I used to organize my library by reading levels, but now I understand that this limits students' reading choices and does not support their growth or love for reading. Instead of doing this in your classroom this year, try organizing it by genre, or topic/theme, or author/series, or a mix of these. These approaches not only help foster a love for reading but also align with how books are organized in real-world settings.

No single organizational method fits all classrooms. However, avoiding reading levels and using a mix of genre, topic, and author organization can create a more engaging and effective classroom library. Tune in to learn the benefits and limitations of each method.

Join us in the Stellar Literacy Collective Membership: stellarteacher.com/join!

Sign up for my FREE private podcast, the Confident Writer Systems Series, here!

Sign up for my FREE Revision Made Easy email series here!

Follow me on Instagram @thestellarteachercompany.

To check out all of the resources from this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.stellarteacher.com/episode205

204. 4 Ways to Enhance Your Vocabulary Instruction Jul 01, 2024

Show notes

One of the ways for students to be successful readers and have excellent reading comprehension is if they have a good understanding of words and their meanings. This is why vocabulary instruction is an important aspect of your literacy block, or really during any content area. However, vocabulary instruction is more than just introducing new words to your students. So, in today’s episode, I’m sharing four ways to enhance vocabulary instruction and why you should focus on a variety of vocabulary concepts.

Sign up for my FREE private podcast, the Confident Writer Systems Series, here!

Get on the waitlist to join The Stellar Literacy Collective here!

Check out my Free Literacy Workshop, The Time Crunch Cure: Create a Literacy Block That Fits it All In and Achieves More

To check out all of the resources from this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.stellarteacher.com/episode204

203. 5 Strategies for Improving Reading Fluency in your classroom (SOR Summer Series Part 4) Jun 27, 2024

Show notes

One major goal in upper elementary education is to help students become fluent readers. But what does that really mean? Fluency goes beyond speed; it encompasses the ability to read words, phrases, and entire sections of text quickly, accurately, and with understanding.

Reading fluency serves as the bridge between decoding and comprehension. Strong fluency skills improve both decoding and comprehension because they introduce a level of automaticity. Fluent readers don't need to think about how to read or sound out individual words; they read smoothly and quickly, allowing them to focus more mental energy on comprehension, meaning, purpose, and building knowledge.

So, how can we incorporate this knowledge into our classrooms? In this episode, I will share five strategies to build reading fluency with your students. These strategies are practical, fun, and easy to implement. I hope you'll choose one or two of them to implement in your classroom next year.

Join us in the Stellar Literacy Collective Membership: stellarteacher.com/join!

Sign up for my FREE private podcast, the Confident Writer Systems Series, here!

Sign up for my FREE Revision Made Easy email series here!

Follow me on Instagram @thestellarteachercompany.

To check out all of the resources from this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.stellarteacher.com/episode203

202. Classroom Shifts: Small Changes, Big Impacts With Meghan Hein Jun 24, 2024

Show notes

When tackling a new approach to your instruction, it takes a lot of research, dedication, and implementation to find success with your students. After hearing about the science of reading, my guest, Meghan Hein, dove head first into learning all she could about it and has since made small changes to her literacy block to align with its practices just this past school year. So, in this episode, Meghan’s here to talk about her work with the science of reading practices, how she worked to align them with her curriculum, and the impacts they’ve had.

Sign up for my FREE private podcast, the Confident Writer Systems Series, here!

Get on the waitlist to join The Stellar Literacy Collective here!

Check out my Free Literacy Workshop, The Time Crunch Cure: Create a Literacy Block That Fits it All In and Achieves More

To check out all of the resources from this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.stellarteacher.com/episode202

201. Using Implicit and Explicit Vocabulary Instruction to Increase Student Reading Comprehension (SOR Summer Series Part 3) Jun 20, 2024

Show notes

Scarborough's Reading Rope highlights the necessity of both word recognition and language comprehension for developing skilled readers. In this episode, I focus on effective vocabulary instruction, a crucial component of language comprehension. I will discuss both implicit and explicit vocabulary instruction methods and their role in enhancing students' vocabulary and reading comprehension.

Explicit vocabulary instruction involves directly teaching new words to students, allowing teachers to be intentional about the vocabulary they introduce. In contrast, implicit vocabulary instruction occurs spontaneously during teachable moments and is less structured but natural. However, teaching vocabulary effectively goes beyond knowing word definitions; it requires a deep understanding of instructional strategies. Listen to this episode for ways to effectively teach both implicit and explicit vocabulary in your classroom.

The importance of vocabulary instruction is underscored by the Matthew Effect, which suggests that students with a strong vocabulary foundation can accelerate their learning more quickly than their peers with limited vocabulary. A rich vocabulary makes it easier for students to comprehend complex texts, leading to further vocabulary acquisition and improved reading skills. Conversely, students with poor vocabulary face challenges in progressing and understanding new words from complex texts. Therefore, intentional teaching of both explicit and implicit vocabulary is essential to boost students' reading comprehension and overall literacy skills.

Join us in the Stellar Literacy Collective Membership: stellarteacher.com/join!

Sign up for my FREE private podcast, the Confident Writer Systems Series, here!

Sign up for my FREE Revision Made Easy email series here!

Follow me on Instagram @thestellarteachercompany.

To check out all of the resources from this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.stellarteacher.com/episode201

200. How to Make Teaching Writing Easier Jun 17, 2024

Show notes

Happy 200th episode, my friends! While I love reminiscing on milestone episodes, which I do at the beginning of this episode, I thought the best way to celebrate was to do what I started this podcast for. And that is to continue to support teachers in areas of struggle. After recently sending out a survey to my Stellar Teacher community, I once again saw the need for more support in the area of teaching writing. Struggling with this when I was a classroom teacher, I knew I needed to provide more support. So, in today’s episode, I’m sharing how to make teaching writing easier and less stressful for you this next school year.

Grab a copy of our free sentence writing routine: stellarteacher.com/sentences.

Grab a copy of our free paragraph writing routine: stellarteacher.com/paragraph.

Join us for our free summer book study here!

Sign up for my FREE private podcast, the Confident Writer Systems Series, here!

Get on the waitlist to join The Stellar Literacy Collective here!

Check out my Free Literacy Workshop, The Time Crunch Cure: Create a Literacy Block That Fits it All In and Achieves More

To check out all of the resources from this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.stellarteacher.com/episode200

199. Text Structure: A Roadmap for Reading (SOR Summer Series #2) Jun 13, 2024

Show notes

I often describe text structure as a roadmap for reading. Understanding how texts are organized is crucial for enhancing language comprehension, which plays a significant role in reading. Deciphering text structure aids in identifying key concepts and understanding the relationships among ideas, people, and events in a text. It also prepares students for what to expect and how information will unfold as they read.

Grab a copy of our free sentence writing routine: stellarteacher.com/sentences.

Join us in the Stellar Literacy Collective Membership: stellarteacher.com/join!

Sign up for my FREE private podcast, the Confident Writer Systems Series, here!

Sign up for my FREE Revision Made Easy email series here!

Follow me on Instagram @thestellarteachercompany.

To check out all of the resources from this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.stellarteacher.com/episode199

198. Shifting the Balance: A Conversation With Katie Egan Cunningham Jun 10, 2024

Show notes

I’ve talked on this podcast before about the science of reading, the major components of it, and why it’s such a major topic in the field of education right now. And while I’ve researched and surrounded myself with all the information I can on it, there’s still so much to unpack and learn. Thankfully, my guest on today’s episode, Katie Egan Cunningham, is an expert on the topic. So, in this episode, Katie is sharing insights into the science of reading, the importance of evidence-based instruction, the idea of the science of happiness, and her new book, Shifting the Balance.

Buy Katie's book, Shifting the Balance, Grades 3-5: 6 Ways to Bring the Science of Reading into the Upper Elementary Classroom, here!

Sign up for my FREE private podcast, the Confident Writer Systems Series, here!

Get on the waitlist to join The Stellar Literacy Collective here!

Check out my Free Literacy Workshop, The Time Crunch Cure: Create a Literacy Block That Fits it All In and Achieves More

To check out all of the resources from this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.stellarteacher.com/episode198

197. 3 Simple Steps to Develop More Mental Velcro (SOR Summer Series #1) Jun 06, 2024

Show notes

I'm thrilled to launch our Science of Reading Summer Series by discussing how activating prior knowledge and building background knowledge enhances reading comprehension. Effective comprehension extends beyond decoding words to deeply understanding text through language comprehension. Our aim is not to teach a long list of standards, but to empower students to deeply understand the topic of the texts that they are reading.

Join us in the Stellar Literacy Collective Membership: stellarteacher.com/join!

Sign up for my FREE private podcast, the Confident Writer Systems Series, here!

Sign up for my FREE Revision Made Easy email series here!

Follow me on Instagram @thestellarteachercompany.

To check out all of the resources from this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.stellarteacher.com/episode197.

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