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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:

312. How to Set Up Your Classroom (Without Overthinking It) Jul 06, 2026

Show notes

Part 1: New Teacher Blueprint

Getting your classroom ready for a new school year can feel overwhelming. Between Pinterest-perfect classrooms, endless classroom décor ideas, and a growing back-to-school to-do list, it's easy to spend time focusing on things that won't actually make your year easier.

In this first episode of our New Teacher Blueprint series, Tami and Meghan are sharing practical classroom setup tips that will help you create a space that works for both you and your students.

You'll hear why function should come before decoration, how to think through your classroom layout, and which classroom areas are most important to prioritize before students arrive.

In this episode, we'll discuss:

✔ Why your classroom should function like a workspace, not a showroom

✔ How to avoid overspending on classroom décor and supplies

✔ The classroom areas every teacher should prioritize

✔ Tips for organizing classroom materials and supplies

✔ Why it's okay to change your classroom setup throughout the year

Tune in next Monday as we continue the New Teacher Blueprint series and discuss the most important classroom procedures to teach first.

311. Small Group Instruction Made Simple: How to Use Data to Support Every Reader Jul 02, 2026

Show notes

Part 6: Your Literacy Block Series

Learn how to make small group instruction purposeful and effective. Tami breaks down the five key questions about small groups: what they are, what they look like, how they differ from whole group, how much time to spend, and real examples using Stellar Literacy Collective resources. Perfect for upper elementary teachers looking to differentiate literacy instruction and meet student needs.

Topics Covered:

Defining small group instruction vs. whole group
Forming fluid groups based on student data
Time management for small groups
Word study & morphology lessons
Addressing foundational reading gaps

Resources Mentioned:

⭐The Stellar Literacy Collective: stellarteacher.com/join

310. Writing Belongs in Your Literacy Block (Here's How) Jun 29, 2026

Show notes

Part 5: Your Literacy Block Series

In this episode of our Your Literacy Block series, Emily is talking all about writing— and why it deserves a place in every upper elementary literacy block.

Many teachers think of writing as essays, state testing, and lengthy writing projects.... but writing can be so much more than that. When students write about what they read, they deepen comprehension, organize their thinking, and make their learning visible.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why writing and reading are so closely connected

• The importance of sentence-level writing instruction

• How writing can strengthen comprehension without adding another subject block to your day

• Three simple writing routines you can start using immediately:

Writing About Reading
Expand with Details
Combining Sentences

If you've ever wondered how to fit writing into your literacy block, this episode will give you practical ideas that build stronger readers, writers, and thinkers —all within the instructional time you already have.

Tune in next week as we wrap up the series with small group instruction!

Resources Mentioned:

⭐The Stellar Literacy Collective: stellarteacher.com/join

[Listen Again] Why Reading Fluency Matters More Than You Think Jun 25, 2026

Show notes

Think fluency instruction is only for primary grades? Think again.

In this episode, we're unpacking why reading fluency remains one of the most important—and often overlooked—components of literacy instruction in upper elementary. You'll learn how fluency impacts comprehension, the common signs students are struggling, and simple ways to build meaningful fluency practice into your literacy block.

Plus, we’ll share an easy-to-implement 5 day fluency routine that can help students become more confident, expressive, and successful readers.

Fluency isn't just about reading faster, it’s the bridge between decoding and comprehension.

Resources & Links:

The Stellar Literacy Collective stellarteacher.com/join

Tier 1 Instruction That Works Workshop stellarteacher.com/workshop

309. Fluency - The Bridge Between Decoding & Comprehension Jun 21, 2026

Show notes

Your Literacy Block: Part 4

Fluency is more than reading fast — it's the bridge between word recognition and comprehension. In this episode of the Your Literacy Block series, Emily breaks down what reading fluency really means, why upper elementary students still need explicit fluency instruction, and three simple, research-backed activities you can start using this week.

You'll learn:

the 3 components of fluency: accuracy, automaticity, and prosody
How fluency connects to Scarborough's Reading Rope
Why upper elementary teachers often overlook fluency instruction
3 quick fluency activities: repeated reading (with the "One Glow, One Grow" partner routine), echo reading, and silly voices

Mark your calendars! The Stellar Teacher Collective Kickoff is coming up — a live virtual training just for our Collective members. Join us July 5th - 10th as we explore the *new* Collective website and plan and prep for the school year. This is your chance to learn live, ask questions in real time, and connect with fellow upper elementary teachers in the community.

Not a Collective member yet? stellarteacher.com/join

Catch up on the series:

Part 1 (Comprehension)

Part 2 (Word Study with Kori),

Part 3 (Phonics & Phonemic Awareness).

[Listen Again] Intervention Strategies for Struggling Readers with Shannon Moore Jun 18, 2026

Show notes

Supporting struggling readers is one of the most important—and often most challenging—parts of literacy instruction. When intervention time is limited and student needs vary widely, it can be difficult to know where to focus your efforts.

In this episode, literacy specialist Shannon Moore joins us to discuss the key components of effective reading intervention and how teachers can create systems that lead to meaningful student growth.

Whether you're responsible for intervention groups, supporting students during your literacy block, or looking for ways to strengthen your school's intervention practices, this conversation will provide clear, actionable ideas you can put into practice right away.

In this episode, we'll discuss:

• The four essential components of effective literacy intervention

• How to use assessment data to make informed instructional decisions

• Tips for creating flexible, skill-based intervention groups

If you're looking for a more structured approach to supporting struggling readers, this episode is full of practical advice and encouragement.

Resources & Links:

The Stellar Literacy Collective stellarteacher.com/join

The Stellar Reading Intervention Toolkit stellarteacher.com/intervention

308. Phonics & Phonemic Awareness: Closing Gaps in Upper Elementary Jun 15, 2026

Show notes

Your Literacy Block: Part 3

If you've ever wondered whether phonemic awareness and phonics still matter in upper elementary, this episode is for you!

While these foundational skills are often associated with primary grades, many students in third, fourth, and fifth grade continue to struggle because of gaps in their word recognition skills. In this episode, we're unpacking the difference between phonemic awareness and phonics, why both are essential for reading success, and how teachers can provide targeted support without overhauling their entire literacy block.

In this episode, we'll discuss:

The difference between phonemic awareness and phonics
Why foundational reading skills still matter in grades 3–5
How gaps in word recognition impact fluency and comprehension
Scarborough’s Reading Rope and the role of word recognition
Practical phonemic awareness activities for upper elementary students
Effective phonics routines and instructional strategies
Ways to provide targeted support without adding more to your plate

Resources Mentioned:

⭐The Stellar Literacy Collective: stellarteacher.com/slc

[Listen Again] How the Brain Learns Words (and Why It Matters for Reading Success) with Dr. Molly Ness Jun 11, 2026

Show notes

We replayed an interview with Dr. Molly Ness last week... and we just could not help airing this one too! We love our interview episodes.

What helps a word move from something students have to sound out to something they instantly recognize?

In this episode, literacy researcher and educator Dr. Molly Ness joins us to explore orthographic mapping—the process that allows readers to permanently store words in memory for quick and effortless retrieval.

If you've ever worked with students who can decode a word one day but seem to forget it the next, this conversation will help explain why. Dr. Ness breaks down the science behind how the brain learns words and shares a practical four-step routine teachers can use to support word learning, fluency, and reading comprehension.

Whether you're a classroom teacher, interventionist, or literacy coach, you'll walk away with a deeper understanding of how skilled reading develops—and simple instructional moves you can implement right away.

In this episode, you'll learn:

What orthographic mapping is and how it supports fluent reading
Why automatic word recognition is critical for comprehension
The connection between phonemic awareness, phonics, and word memory
Common misconceptions about how students learn words
A simple four-step routine that helps words "stick"

If you love what Dr. Molly Ness has to say in this episode, you will love what is happening in our Summer Learning Series. We are reading her book Making Words Stick.

There is still time to join in - visit stellarteacher.com/summerpd.

307. The 5-Minute Word Study Routine That Builds Reading Confidence Jun 08, 2026

Show notes

Your Literacy Block Series: Part 2

If your students freeze when they come across long, unfamiliar words while reading, this episode is for you.

In today’s episode of The Stellar Teacher Podcast, we’re talking about how morphology instruction can completely change reading confidence for upper elementary students. You’ll learn how teaching prefixes, suffixes, roots, and base words helps students decode unfamiliar vocabulary, improve spelling, and strengthen comprehension.

We also break down what explicit morphology instruction actually looks like during whole group, small group, and independent reading—without adding another complicated routine to your literacy block.

Inside this episode:

What morphology is and why it matters
Simple questions students can ask when decoding big words
Examples using words like “unexplainable” and “transportation”
Easy word study routines you can use in 5–10 minutes a day
How morphology supports both decoding and comprehension

If you teach grades 3–5, this episode will give you practical strategies you can start using right away.

Resources Mentioned:

⭐ FREE Reading Big Words Poster stellarteacher.com/bigwords

⭐ Whole Group Lessons with built-in morphology instruction only available in the Stellar Literacy Collective ⤵︎

⭐The Stellar Literacy Collective: stellarteacher.com/slc

[Listen Again] Why Every Literacy Block Needs Read-Alouds with Molly Ness Jun 04, 2026

Show notes

Are read-alouds still worth making time for in an upper elementary classroom? According to literacy researcher and author Dr. Molly Ness—they absolutely are.

In this episode, we dive into the research-backed benefits of read-alouds and why they still play an essential role in a Science of Reading-aligned literacy block. From building vocabulary and background knowledge to increasing engagement and comprehension, Dr. Ness shares practical insights teachers can immediately apply in their classrooms.

If you’ve ever questioned whether read-alouds are “enough” academically, this conversation will remind you just how powerful they can be.

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