Stay ConnectedWelcome to The Science of Reading Formula where you’ll learn simple, brain-friendly ways to make it faster, easier, and a whole lot more FUN for kids to learn how to read.
I’m Malia Hollowell – a National Board Certified Teacher, author, and founder of the Playdough to Plato brand who spent the last 20 years geeking out on brain-friendly teaching. This is the spot where I share all of my best lessons learned with YOU.
Copyright: © 2024 Playdough to Plato, LLC
Did you know that 50% of teachers will leave the profession within the first five years? Today's podcast guest is committed to changing that statistic!
I'm sitting down with Ashleigh Smith, a 20 year veteran teacher and the co-founder of Rainbow Sky Creations, a community dedicated to helping new teachers THRIVE.
She's diving into all of the essential teacher things: classroom management, work-life balance, creating a support network….
Ashleigh shares actionable tips and strategies for so many different topics! It’s a must-listen whether you’re a brand new teacher or are a bona fide veteran.
In this episode, we'll talk about...
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If you have ever felt burned out, overwhelmed, stressed, or anxious – and let’s be real, we probably have ALL felt that way at some point in life – today’s episode is for you!
I’m sitting down with Kelsey Sorenson, the teacher turned life coach who just published her first ever book called Educate and Rejuvenate. Her book is a step-by-step guide to worrying less and living more so you can show up as your very best self each and every day.
In this episode, Kelsey spills the tea on...
This episode isn't just about teaching strategies—it's about nurturing your mental and emotional health to become the best version of yourself, both in and out of your classroom.
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If you've ever dreaded your literacy center time, worried about noise and distractions, or felt anxious when an admin walked in, this episode is for you because I'm sharing actionable tips that will make centers a consistent highlight of your school day.
In this episode, I'm diving into surprisingly simple strategies that will transform your literacy centers from "chaotic and stressful" to "calm and productive". Your students will be on task and working independently in no time!
In this episode, we'll talk about...
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Whether you're just starting reading groups or are ready for a reset because they're chaotic, overwhelming, or just plain flop, this episode is for you.
I'm breaking down my top two tips for supercharging your reading groups...
Even if everything you've tried in the past has failed.
Say "goodbye" to one-size-fits-all lessons and "hello" to MASSIVE reading growth!
In this episode, we'll talk about:
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If you're like so many teachers I know, you've practiced sight word flashcards with your students a MILLION times, but when the test rolls around at the end of the week, your students STILL struggle. Why?! There's one criticalmissing piece.
In this episode, we'll talk about...
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Just when kids have finally mastered letter sounds, along come tricky digraphs like CH-, TH- and SH- to trip them up again. Thankfully, these addictively fun (and surprisingly simple!) chants make it fun to learn every last one of them.
Get ready to be inspired... No singing required!
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If you’ve been around for a while, you know that we’ve talked a lot about reading instruction on this podcast – it’s called the Science of Reading Formula, after all. But before students can focus on learning to read, they have OTHER needs that need to be met first.
Lana Penley was an elementary school principal in Oregon. When her school burned to the ground in 2009, the tragedy shifted her focus from state test scores to social emotional learning as she discovered that community HAS to come BEFORE learning.
I invited Lana onto the podcast after getting an advanced copy of her new book, Unlocking SEL. In this episode, Lana shares her social emotional learning blueprint so you can create the calm, peaceful, high functioning classroom that empowers you AND your students to reach your fullest potential.
In this episode, we'll talk about...
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When learning feels more like play than work, even reluctant readers will ask to practice it. But making learning fun can feel DAUNTING – it’s hard to know where to start.
That's why this episode is such a game changer! These 5 simple tweaks will give you plenty of playful ways to work on vowel sounds, beginning sounds, letter blends and digraphs so learning to read can feel more exciting than ever.
In this episode, we'll talk about...
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When it comes to teaching literacy, reading and writing go together like peas and carrots. But even if you feel confident with your READING instruction, it can be hard to know what high quality WRITING instruction looks like.
That’s why I’m so excited about today’s guest, April Smith. She is a classroom teacher turned author, trainer, and founder of Simplify Writing who is excited to share some of her favorite writing tips and tricks with us. So grab a notebook and pen and get ready to be inspired. This episode is jam packed with helpful takeaways!
In this episode, we'll talk about...
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K-12 teachers are the #1 most burnt-out profession in the United States?
And if you’re burnt-out, there is *no way* for you to teach at your best.
So I invited naturopath and mental health expert, Dr. Brain Plante, onto the podcast to share proven strategies for feeling 100%….
Even if nothing you’ve tried in the past has worked.
Dr. Plante covered ALL the things in this episode – he shared essential tips for managing anxiety, talked about treatment for peri-menopause and menopause, passed along a simple lifestyle shift that will supercharge your energy… Dr. Plante left nothing off the table.
In this episode, we'll talk about...
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Before I understood how powerful read alouds were for students' learning, I thought of them as an extra - one of those things that I'd add on to my lesson plans if there was time. But after discovering how powerful read alouds actually are, they became a must. And the great news is that you don't need fancy training or complicated supplies!
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A couple weeks ago, a teacher reached out to me on Instagram asking for help. Her principal isn't on board with the science of reading so he's discouraging their staff from using the research-based tools and strategies she knows are best for kids.
Not surprisingly, she feels disheartened and frustrated! Now that she knows better, she's 100% committed to teaching better.
Just in case you're in the exact same boat now or know someone else who is, I recorded a quick episode sharing my top four tips and tricks for continuing to thrive when your admin doesn't support the science of reading.
If you loved this episode, please take a minute to rate and review my show! That helps the podcast world know that this show is worth sharing with other educators just like you.
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Research shows that about 20% of your students will be affected by some level of dyslexia, so it is absolutely essential that you're empowered with the brain-friendly tools and strategies that help them succeed in your classroom.
In this episode, we'll talk about...
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If I could hop into a time machine and fly back to 2003 to start my teaching career all over, there are 13 things that would help me skip the stress, frustration, and overwhelm I felt trying (and failing!) to successfully teach reading.
And while I can't rewind time, I can help YOU skip the two decades it's taken me to figure it all out. So today, I'm excited to share the 13 things I wish I knew before I started teaching reading.
... And a whole lot more!
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Meet Heidi, a kindergarten teacher from Missouri. She used to spend Sundays planning and prepping for the week ahead and many sleepless nights worrying that students were slipping through the cracks. But then she made a decision that changed her work-life balance forever.
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Karen had been teaching for 30+ years but she knew some of her students were slipping through the cracks. They struggled with reading but she didn't know how to help them. And then almost overnight everything changed! Her students' growth soared and her admin team started to notice. Here is her inspiring story of transformation, confidence, and results.
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I'm excited to introduce you to Lindsay, a first grade teacher in New York who wasn't getting the results she knew she could be. But then she made a choice that turned it all around. Get ready to be inspired by her goosebump worthy transformation!
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I've been lucky enough to work with thousands of teachers around the world inside The Science of Reading Formula and whenever we hop on a coaching call to problem solve and troubleshoot issues they're having with their reading lessons, the cause almost always comes back to one of five things.
So in this episode, I'm excited to break down the five biggest reasons reading lessons fails so you can prevent them from happening in YOUR classroom.
In this episode, we'll talk about...
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If you're excited to finally teach smarter instead of harder, this episode is a must-listen. I'll walk you through the surprisingly simple solution that makes it easy to give EVERY student bigger, faster reading growth.
In this episode, we'll talk about...
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When you're starting to put the science of reading into action, it can be hard to know where to start. There are just so many different teaching tools and strategies to pick from! So I'm excited to walk you through the first five steps I always recommend to teachers so you can test them out and see the difference brain-friendly teaching makes too.
In This Episode, We'll Talk About...
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If your classroom has a HUGE range of reading levels and you want to meet every child's needs and strengths without spending 25,000 hours planning and prepping, then you're in the right spot because I'm breaking down the simple, 4-step ACED system that makes differentiation a breeze.
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Let's play a little round of fact or fiction... science of reading style! When you're hanging out in the teachers' lounge or scrolling through Instagram or Facebook, you probably see a lot of different opinions and suggestions about the science of reading.
And just like most things in life, some of those things you see and hear are true... but some are NOT.
So today, we're going to take five of the most common science of reading beliefs and break down whether they are actually fact or fiction.
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Understanding the words you're reading is just as important as sounding those words out so today we're diving into the quickest, easiest ways to build students' comprehension skills. SPOILER ALERT: You're probably doing a lot of these things already. Score!
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When I started teaching second grade back in 2003, I had my students spend time every day drilling sight word flashcards. But despite all of that time and energy, when the Friday spelling test rolled around, many of my students STILL struggled to spell those sight words correctly. Why? I'll break it all down for you in this episode and I'll pass along a print-and-go tool that will help your students memorize words 10X faster!
In this episode, we'll talk about...
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One of the things I get asked most often on Instagram is about the best order to teach phonics skills. And while there's not yet a definitive research study pinpointing whether it's better to introduce digraphs before blends or whether diphthongs should come before or after r-influenced vowels, etc. there IS a proven order Science of Reading Formula members and I use to teach it all to students as quickly and easily as possible.
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If you have ever had a student who knew all of her letter sounds but, when it came time to blend those sounds together to read a word, she said something completely different, than this episode is for you because we are diving into phonological and phonemic awareness - essential skills that make up students' reading foundation.
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I am so excited to officially welcome you to my brand new podcast. Even typing those words is thrilling! This has been a wish of mine for a couple of years now, so finally hitting "record" and inviting you to my little corner of the podcasting world is exciting...
And, truth be told, a little bit nerve wracking...
But we are going to push those nerves aside because we have very important work to do. As you may know, 65% of fourth graders in the US are currently reading below grade level.
We have a literacy epidemic that has gone on for far too long and our students are counting on us to roll up our sleeves and lean into the 7 decades of research that helps pinpoint the easier, brain-friendly way to teach reading.
In this episode, we'll talk about...
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