Melissa & Lori Love Literacy ® | Science of Reading for Teachers

Episode 193 from May 10, 2024

In this conversation, Stephanie Stollar discusses the implementation of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS). MTSS is a framework for school improvement that helps to provide support for students with various needs. The MTSS framework focuses on using data to identify barriers to student performance and making plans to eliminate those barriers. Stollar explains that word recognition skills are more discreet and sequential, while language comprehension skills are more unconstrained and complex. Stephanie recommends that special education resources should be blended with general education resources from the beginning, and students should receive intensive support as soon as it is needed, without having to go through a series of interventions and assessments. She also emphasizes the importance of evidence-aligned instruction and the need for team-based decision-making in the MTSS model.

Takeaways

• MTSS is a framework for school improvement that helps teachers provide support for students with various needs
• The tiers in MTSS are prevention of reading failure, with tier one being primary prevention for all students, tier two providing extra support for students at higher risk, and tier three offering intensive and individualized support for struggling readers
• Differentiate tier one instruction and provide targeted instruction based on screening and diagnostic data
• Assessments in MTSS include screening assessments to identify students at risk, diagnostic assessments to determine specific instructional needs, and progress monitoring assessments to track student progress.
• Blend special education resources with general education resources from the beginning and provide intensive support as soon as it is needed.
• Focus on evidence-aligned instruction and team-based decision-making in the MTSS model.

Resources

• Stephanie's Reading Science Academy
• Stephanie's MTSS Course
• Watch Stephanie discuss... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiMeYnV8z48

• the importance of using universal screening data to reflect the effectiveness of Tier 1 instruction and design core instruction
• the elements in a coordinated, comprehensive assessment system
• why you should teach word recognition and language comprehension at the same time

Looking for more literacy support and resources? Explore all of our podcast episodes, free listening guides, and classroom tools at https://literacypodcast.com/.

Interested in bringing Melissa & Lori Love Literacy to your school or event? Email us at literacypodcast@greatminds.org.

Episode 263

In this episode, we sit down with Stephanie Stollar and Kate Winn to talk about their book,Reading Assessment Done Right, and why more assessment data hasn't necessarily meant better outcomes for students. Stephanie and Kate explain how matching one strong, evidence-based tool to each purpose, screening, diagnostic, progress monitoring, and outcomes, can simplify a system without losing anything that matters.

We discuss why running records may be costing schools more time than they're worth, how a screener works like a thermometer to flag risk rather than diagnose it, and why oral reading fluency can serve as a reliable stand-in for comprehension in the early grades. Stephanie and Kate also talk through how to use screening data to have honest, sometimes uncomfortable conversations about tier one instruction at the classroom, grade, and school level.

This conversation offers a clear way to think about assessment: not as a compliance task, but as information that should change what happens in the classroom.

Resources

• Reading Assessment Done Right book study materials
• Hear more from Kate on the Reading Road Trip podcast and meet her on Instagram
• Learn with Stephanie at Stephanie Stollar Consulting
• Enter to win a free copy of Reading Assessment Done Right

Looking for more literacy support and resources? Explore all of our podcast episodes, free listening guides, and classroom tools at https://literacypodcast.com/.

Interested in bringing Melissa & Lori Love Literacy to your school or event? Email us at literacypodcast@greatminds.org.

Episode 207 from Oct 11 2024

Imagine facing not only the struggles of growing up in a challenging environment, but also battling a learning difference that went undiagnosed for years.

Hear the inspiring story of Ameer Baraka as he discusses his book: Undiagnosed: The Ugly Side of Dyslexia.

Ameer will discuss:

• How he grew up in New Orleans, facing unimaginable obstacles
• His experiences with being misunderstood and how it impacted his life
• How he transformed his life by reclaiming his education while incarcerated
• How he is now dedicated to helping others recognize their potential

By the end of this episode, you'll see how Ameer’s journey not only sheds light on the challenges of dyslexia but also highlights the incredible strength it takes to overcome adversity.

Want to Learn More?

• Undiagnosed: The Ugly Side of Dyslexia by Ameer Baraka

Looking for more literacy support and resources? Explore all of our podcast episodes, free listening guides, and classroom tools at https://literacypodcast.com/.

Interested in bringing Melissa & Lori Love Literacy to your school or event? Email us at literacypodcast@greatminds.org.

Episode 262

In this episode, we sit down with Nancy Blair and Pat Roberts, co-founders of AIM Academy and the AIM Institute for Learning & Research, to talk about how a school built on research came to be. Nancy and Pat share the story of meeting as parents of newly diagnosed daughters, and how that friendship grew into a non-profit school and a research institute that is celebrating its 20th year.

We discuss the early warning signs of dyslexia that too many families are told to wait out, why oral language and vocabulary deserve attention well before kindergarten, and how AIM's classrooms shifted over the years toward a fully integrated literacy model. Nancy and Pat also talk about AIM's ongoing partnership with literacy researchers, their free annual research symposium, and a forthcoming book meant to help any school or teacher follow a similar path.

This conversation is a fitting way to open Dyslexia Awareness Month, and a reminder of how much faster research and classroom practice can move when they move together.

Resources

• Learn more about AIM Academy and see their list of dyslexia warning signs and red flags
• Learn more about AIM's March Research to Practice Symposium:The Impact of Language on Reading and Writing. Registration is open for this free event!
• AIM is hosting, as part of our Road to Symposium events, a free Dyslexia Awareness Month webinar on Wednesday, October 21 with Dr. Shelly Gray and Dr. RJ Risueno who created a Dyslexia and DLD Screener Questionnaire for pediatricians.
• "Understanding Dyslexia: How Early Intervention Can Change Lives"
• Podcast Episode: "The Relationship Between Phonics and Language Comprehension" with Tiffany Hogan
• Podcast Episode:"Building Fluency with POSSUM" with Maryanne Wolf and Melissa Orkin

Looking for more literacy support and resources? Explore all of our podcast episodes, free listening guides, and classroom tools at https://literacypodcast.com/.

Interested in bringing Melissa & Lori Love Literacy to your school or event? Email us at literacypodcast@greatminds.org.

Episode 100 from April 1, 2022

Over time, the chronic trauma of not being successful with reading wears down many students. It has devastating effects. In our official 100th episode, Dr. Steven Dykstra discusses trauma and reading. He explains the connection between not being taught to read using evidence-based practices and the subsequent, unnecessary trauma this causes in children’s lives. This is a pervasive problem happening everywhere.

Dr. Steven Dykstra is a psychologist, advocate, and troublemaker in the reading world. His passion for reading comes from the recognition that the thousands of children he has served often pay the highest price for our failures and mistakes.

Resources:

• Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
• NAEP Report Card: Reading
• Teaching Reading is Rocket Science by Louisa Moats

Looking for more literacy support and resources? Explore all of our podcast episodes, free listening guides, and classroom tools at https://literacypodcast.com/.

Interested in bringing Melissa & Lori Love Literacy to your school or event? Email us at literacypodcast@greatminds.org.

Episode 261

In this episode, Caitlin Lucas shares innovative routines for kindergarten literacy instruction, emphasizing consistency and active participation to build foundational skills. Caitlin also uses sign language as part of her routines and shares easy ways teachers can use it too.

Resources

• Maximizing Instructional Time Through Routines and Rehearsal

Looking for more literacy support and resources? Explore all of our podcast episodes, free listening guides, and classroom tools at https://literacypodcast.com/.

Interested in bringing Melissa & Lori Love Literacy to your school or event? Email us at literacypodcast@greatminds.org.

In this episode, we talk with Julia Lindsey about her book, Reading Above the Fray: Reliable, Research-Based Routines for Developing Decoding Skills. Julia shares why decoding is one of the most important skills we can help students develop and how research-based instructional routines can make that learning more efficient, effective, and joyful.

Together, we explore the foundational skills that support decoding, the role of purposeful practice, and how consistent routines help students know what to expect as they build confidence with sounds, words, and increasingly complex texts.

Decoding isn't the end goal of reading! It's the gateway. When students develop strong decoding skills, they gain the independence needed to tackle new words, access meaning, and fully engage with reading.

Whether you're a classroom teacher, literacy coach, interventionist, or school leader, this conversation is packed with practical, research-based ideas you can put into practice right away.

Looking for more literacy support and resources? Explore all of our podcast episodes, free listening guides, and classroom tools at https://literacypodcast.com/.

Interested in bringing Melissa & Lori Love Literacy to your school or event? Email us at literacypodcast@greatminds.org.

Episode 260

In this episode, Wiley Blevins shares practical strategies for differentiating phonics instruction in both whole group and small group settings. We explore high impact routines, effective use of decodable texts, and how to meet diverse student needs efficiently.

Wiley walks us through how to design routines that are expansive enough to serve everyone in whole group, while using small group for the high-intensity, targeted practice that takes kids further faster. Differentiation does not have to happen only in small group. It can live right inside the phonics routines you are already using every day.

Resources

• Differentiating Phonics Instruction for Maximum Impact by Wiley Blevins

Looking for more literacy support and resources? Explore all of our podcast episodes, free listening guides, and classroom tools at https://literacypodcast.com/.

Interested in bringing Melissa & Lori Love Literacy to your school or event? Email us at literacypodcast@greatminds.org.

Episode 259

In this episode, we’re joined once again by literacy researcher and educator Brennan Chandler for a practical, teacher-friendly conversation all about spelling routines that support students as spellers and writers. Brennan walks us through a sequence of short, research-based routines including

• Sound Check
• Pattern Power Up,
• Word Workout
• Heart Word Heroes
• Sentence Sprint
• Spell Streak

Free scripts and printables for all six routines are here: Spell Squad

We talk about how these routines build from sounds to patterns to words to sentences, helping students move toward applying spelling knowledge in authentic writing.

Throughout the episode, Brennan shares clear examples teachers can try right away, along with ideas for scaffolding instruction, providing immediate feedback, and making spelling practice more engaging and meaningful for students. We also discuss the importance of cumulative review, sentence-level practice, and transfer into real writing, especially for students who continue to need spelling support in upper elementary and beyond.

Resources

• Free scripts and printables for all six routines are here: Spell Squad
• Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS) Brennan references Fuchs’ peer-assisted learning work.
• Anita Archer’s instructional routines
• How to Teach Students to Read Irregular Words with Danielle Colenbrander & Katie Pace Miles Podcast episode featuring Danielle Colenbrander discussion heart words.
• Follow Brennan Chandler

Looking for more literacy support and resources? Explore all of our podcast episodes, free listening guides, and classroom tools at https://literacypodcast.com/.

Interested in bringing Melissa & Lori Love Literacy to your school or event? Email us at literacypodcast@greatminds.org.

Episode 96 from 3/4/2022

We’re bringing back one of our most requested conversations about spelling and the important role it plays in reading development. In this episode, we revisit our conversation with literacy expert J. Richard Gentry, author of Brain Words , to explore how spelling supports automatic word recognition and stronger reading and writing overall.

Throughout the conversation, Richard explains how spelling connects directly to students’ speech and language systems. He also shares practical, science of reading-aligned strategies teachers can use to make spelling instruction more intentional.

Looking for more literacy support and resources? Explore all of our podcast episodes, free listening guides, and classroom tools at https://literacypodcast.com/.

Interested in bringing Melissa & Lori Love Literacy to your school or event? Email us at literacypodcast@greatminds.org.

Episode 258

In this episode, we sit down with literacy researcher Brennan Chandler to talk about the science of spelling instruction and why spelling deserves a much bigger role in science of reading conversations. Brennan explains how spelling supports stronger writing, more precise word knowledge, and better reading outcomes.

We discuss why spelling should be taught explicitly rather than left to chance, why patterns matter more than memorized rules, and how phonology, orthography, and morphology all work together when students learn to spell. Brennan also shares why morphology belongs in the early grades, how retrieval practice strengthens spelling knowledge, and why traditional Friday spelling tests often fail to lead to lasting learning.

This conversation is full of practical insights for teachers who want to move beyond isolated spelling activities and toward instruction that truly supports literacy development.

And this is just part one. Brennan will be back in our next episode focused entirely on practical spelling routines teachers can use right away in the classroom.

Brennan mentioned his TAP model of spelling instruction (Teach, Practice, Apply) in this episode. He's built six routines that put it into practice, called Spell Squad. Each one comes with scripting and a timer so you can teach it straight from the screen. Free teaching scripts and printables are on his site: Spell Squad

Resources

• Free teaching scripts and printables are on Brennan's site: Spell Squad
• "Spelling Is an Integral Part of Learning the Language, Not a Matter of Memorization."
• "How Spelling Supports Reading"by Louisa Moats
• This resource from Logic of English shares several high-utility spelling patterns and generalizations that may feel more useful and transferable than the long lists of spelling “rules” many of us learned in school.
• Follow Brennan Chandler

Looking for more literacy support and resources? Explore all of our podcast episodes, free listening guides, and classroom tools at https://literacypodcast.com/.

Interested in bringing Melissa & Lori Love Literacy to your school or event? Email us at literacypodcast@greatminds.org.

In this bonus episode, we're bringing you research right from the Society for the Scientific Study of Reading (SSSR) conference, one of the biggest gatherings of reading researchers in the world. We break down the key takeaways, emerging trends, and standout research that caught our attention, and talk about what it all means for your classroom. If you want to know where the science of reading is headed next, this one's for you.

Resources Mentioned

• Words as Tools (coming soon)
• Reading Ready + Reading Go
• How To Plan for Differentiated Instruction (ACCESS Reading)
• Anderson & Strong (2026)
• Jake Downs is the host of the Teaching Literacy Podcast(it's a M&L favorite!)
• Clarence Greene's British and American Word Families (BAWF) Database: https://cgg-projects.github.io/BAWF_V2/

Looking for more literacy support and resources? Explore all of our podcast episodes, free listening guides, and classroom tools at https://literacypodcast.com/.

Interested in bringing Melissa & Lori Love Literacy to your school or event? Email us at literacypodcast@greatminds.org.

Episode 257

Why do so many students appear to thrive in early literacy, only to stall by middle school?

In this episode, we talk with Rebecca Kockler to unpack what literacy data from Louisiana revealed about a common but often misunderstood pattern: strong early reading results followed by flat or declining comprehension growth in later grades.

At the center of the conversation is the concept of the Decoding Threshold: the point at which students can read words accurately and automatically enough to access grade-level text and grow in comprehension.

Rebecca explains:

• What happens when students never fully cross that threshold
• Why decoding instruction must continue through middle school
• How multisyllabic decoding becomes a critical turning point around fourth grade
• The powerful connection between morphology, vocabulary, and spelling
• Why fluency is the first true step of application
• How reader identity influences students’ willingness to grapple with challenging text
• What effective assessment actually looks like for older readers

You’ll walk away with practical strategies to support multisyllabic decoding, vocabulary and spelling development, integrated fluency practice, & tier 1 instruction that adapts to increasing language complexity.

If you’ve ever wondered why students who “learned to read” struggle later — this conversation will reshape how you think about literacy instruction in elementary and middle school.

Resources

• Resources for Educators
• Why "Learn to Read, Read to Learn" Fails Older Readers - And How To Fix It
• Action Guide for Educators
• ROAR
• Standards & Instructional Practices
• We Never Stop Learning to Readby Chase Young (blog)

Looking for more literacy support and resources? Explore all of our podcast episodes, free listening guides, and classroom tools at https://literacypodcast.com/.

Interested in bringing Melissa & Lori Love Literacy to your school or event? Email us at literacypodcast@greatminds.org.

Episode 256

Faith Howard shares practical strategies for improving literacy skills in middle and high school students, focusing on decoding multisyllabic words, spelling routines, and fluency practices. This episode offers actionable insights for educators aiming to enhance reading comprehension and word attack skills.

Resources

• Encoding & Decoding with Word Pyramids Blog
• I Was Doing Fluency Wrong - Until I Made It About KnowledgeBlog
• Teachers Teach Teachers | Science of Reading YouTube ChannelVideo
• Read Like UsPodcast Episode with Jake Downs & Chase Young
• Tight TenArticle
• Literacy Lab with Faith Facebook Page

Looking for more literacy support and resources? Explore all of our podcast episodes, free listening guides, and classroom tools at https://literacypodcast.com/.

Interested in bringing Melissa & Lori Love Literacy to your school or event? Email us at literacypodcast@greatminds.org.

If you’ve ever wondered how to help your students decode longer words, this episode is for you! We’re joined by literacy researcher and professor Devin Kearns to talk all about teaching multisyllabic words.

Many phonics programs focus on single-syllable words, but what happens when students hit big words and get stuck? Devin unpacks the research behind why that happens and what we can do instead. We talk about:

• flexible decoding strategies,
• when and how to teach syllables and morphemes,
• and what “set for variability” really looks like in the classroom (spoiler: it’s not guessing!).

You’ll walk away with practical, research-backed ideas to help your students read longer words with confidence.

Devin M. Kearns, Ph.D., is the Goodnight Distinguished Professor in Early Literacy at NC State, where he studies early reading and collaborates with experts in psychology, cognitive science, and neuroscience to explore the brain basis of reading.

RESOURCES

• Helping Students With Dyslexia Read Long Words: Using Syllables and Morphemes by Devin M. Kearns and Victoria M. Whaley
• Following the Rules in an Unruly WritingSystem: The Cognitive Science ofLearning to Read Englishby Devin M. Kearns and Matthew J. Cooper Borkenhagen
• Syllable Division: New Data that Can Inform Intervention by Joanne Marttila Pierson, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
• On Eating Elephants and Teaching Syllabicationby Tim Shanahan

Looking for more literacy support and resources? Explore all of our podcast episodes, free listening guides, and classroom tools at https://literacypodcast.com/.

Connect with us! Email us at literacypodcast@greatminds.org.

Looking for more literacy support and resources? Explore all of our podcast episodes, free listening guides, and classroom tools at https://literacypodcast.com/.

Interested in bringing Melissa & Lori Love Literacy to your school or event? Email us at literacypodcast@greatminds.org.

Episode 255

Experts Don Compton & Laura Steacy explore the complexities of multisyllabic word reading and the decoding challenges older readers encounter, especially those with dyslexia. They discuss how readers navigate complex words using different decoding strategies, the role of morphology and “set for variability” in reading development, and how tools like the DELP database help predict word difficulty. The episode offers practical insights into supporting literacy development and improving instruction for struggling readers.

Resources

• D-ELP Tool
• FCRR Student Center Activities

Looking for more literacy support and resources? Explore all of our podcast episodes, free listening guides, and classroom tools at https://literacypodcast.com/.

Interested in bringing Melissa & Lori Love Literacy to your school or event? Email us at literacypodcast@greatminds.org.

Episode 254

In this episode, we sit down with kindergarten teacher Anjanette McNeely to take a close look at one powerful instructional routine: word chaining.

Anjanette walks us through exactly what word chaining looks like in her classroom, from the materials she uses to the language she says, and explains why this routine is such an effective way to build both phonemic awareness and phonics at the same time.

We also explore how word chaining supports orthographic mapping, why connecting sounds to print matters, and how small instructional shifts, like continuous blending and interleaving, can have a big impact on student learning.

Whether you're new to word chaining or looking to refine your practice, this episode offers practical ideas you can try right away.

Resources

• Word Chaining: An Efficient and Effective Alternative to Oral Phonemic Awareness by Anjanette McNeely: Blog post about word chaining and a video of Anjanette's classroom in action
• Word Chaining: A Simple Routine for Reading and Spelling (printable) You can see a picture of Anjanette's word chaining tray here
• Word Chains for Decoding and Encoding Practice: An overview on how to make and use word chains to teach decoding and encoding (from UFLI)
• 44 Phonemes (video): Learn how to pronounce the 44 phonemes in the English alphabet (from Rollins Center for Language and Literacy)

Looking for more literacy support and resources? Explore all of our podcast episodes, free listening guides, and classroom tools at https://literacypodcast.com/.

Interested in bringing Melissa & Lori Love Literacy to your school or event? Email us at literacypodcast@greatminds.org.

We’re revisiting this episode with Matt Burns because it offers one of the clearest explanations of phonemic awareness and how it fits into reading instruction.

In this conversation, Matt helps unpack what the research actually says and what that means for what we prioritize in the classroom. He explains why phonemic awareness is not a standalone precursor to reading, but develops alongside it, and why decoding should take center stage as students move into the upper elementary grades.

If you’ve ever felt unsure about how phonemic awareness fits into your instruction, or what to focus on as students progress, this episode brings clarity and practical direction.

Resources

• Phonemic Awareness, Research, Misconceptions, and Fads with Dr. Matt Burns
• They Say You Can Do Phonemic Awareness Instruction “In the Dark”, But Should You? A Critical Evaluation of the Trend Toward Advanced Phonemic Awareness Training
• RIP to Advanced Phonemic Awareness | Shanahan on Literacy
• Phonemic Awareness with Letters YouTube video, Matt Burns
• Matt Burns YouTube Channel
• National Reading Panel Report
• Elkonin Boxes, Reading Rockets
• Florida Center for Reading Research
• UFLI Foundations
• Ep. 159: Back to School: Science of Reading or Snake Oil with Holly Lane
• Road to the Code, Book
• IES Practice Guides
• Empirical Analysis of Drill Ratio Research: Refining the Instructional Level for Drill Tasks, Matt Burns (meta-analysis)

Looking for more literacy support and resources? Explore all of our podcast episodes, free listening guides, and classroom tools at https://literacypodcast.com/.

Interested in bringing Melissa & Lori Love Literacy to your school or event? Email us at literacypodcast@greatminds.org.

Episode 253

In this episode, we talk with Marianne Rice about key findings from a Tennessee report examining how well early literacy materials align with research on phonemic awareness and early reading instruction. Marianne walks us through five essential practices that can help teachers make the most of their instructional time:

• focusing on phoneme-level work
• using articulatory gestures
• connecting phonemic awareness to print
• being mindful of instructional time
• prioritizing blending and segmenting.

Throughout the conversation, Marianne shares practical ways teachers can evaluate and adjust their current curriculum without starting from scratch.

The big takeaway: small instructional shifts, especially connecting sounds to print and focusing on blending and segmenting, can have a big impact on helping students become strong readers and spellers.

Resources

• Kindergarten and First-Grade HQIM Alignment with Research on Code-Focused Instruction: Tennessee Early Literacy Report (referenced in the episode)
• 5 Focus Areas for Phonemic Awareness (printable)
• 44 Phonemes (video): Learn how to pronounce the 44 phonemes in the English alphabet (from Rollins Center for Language and Literacy)
• Word Chains for Decoding and Encoding Practice: An overview on how to make and use word chains to teach decoding and encoding (from UFLI)
• What Works Clearinghouse Guide: Foundational Skills to Support Reading for Understanding in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade
• Phonemic Awareness: A Meta-Analysis for Planning (need ILA access)

Looking for more literacy support and resources? Explore all of our podcast episodes, free listening guides, and classroom tools at https://literacypodcast.com/.

Interested in bringing Melissa & Lori Love Literacy to your school or event? Email us at literacypodcast@greatminds.org.

Episode 252

What actually happens when students encounter a complex text?

In this episode, we’re joined by Luke Morin to discuss his article "Wading Into the Deep End: What Reading Actually Requires When the Text Gets Hard." Luke shares a powerful classroom moment where students applied reading strategies before tackling a tough text and still couldn’t make sense of a single sentence. That experience led him to rethink what it really means to teach reading.

In this conversation, we explore:

• Why using strategies doesn’t guarantee understanding
• How text complexity is shaped by the interaction between text, reader, and task
• What collective close reading looks like in practice
• How to provide “lily pad” supports without rescuing students

Luke challenges the idea that comprehension can be reduced to checklists or isolated skills. Instead, he offers a vision of instruction that prepares students to wade into deep water with support, intention, and growing independence.

RESOURCES

• "Wading Into the Deep End: What Reading Actually Requires When the Text Gets Hard" by Luke Morin
• "A Lily Pad, in Practice" (Collective Close Reading Sample)
• "Why Mastery Doesn't Matter" by Luke Morin
• "The Surprising Power of the Humble Worksheet" by Luke Morin

Looking for more literacy support and resources? Explore all of our podcast episodes, free listening guides, and classroom tools at https://literacypodcast.com/.

Interested in bringing Melissa & Lori Love Literacy to your school or event? Email us at literacypodcast@greatminds.org.