In this special Science of Reading Essentials episode, Susan Lambert pulls from past episodes of the podcast to give you everything you need to know about science-based writing instruction. Experts include Steve Graham, Ed.D.; Young-Suk Grace Kim, Ed.D.; Natalie Wexler; and Judith Hochman, Ed.D. Listeners will walk away from this episode with a solid foundation for creating a classroom of confident and capable writers, and gain a better understanding of the connection between reading and writing, the role of handwriting and spelling, the power of sentences, and the importance of applying cognitive load theory to writing.

Show notes:

• Resources
  • Access the listening guide—and other free, high-quality resources—at our brand new professional learning page: http://amplify.com/science-of-reading/professional-learning
• Join our community Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/scienceofreading

Quotes:

“This is not learned by osmosis. And it's not learned by vague feedback, like, ‘make it better’ or ‘add more details.’ You've got to be very granular.” —Judith Hochman, Ed.D.

"What we see with exceptional teachers is they have their kids write." —Steve Graham, Ed.D.

“The Science of Reading encapsulates decades of research about both reading and writing—because if writing was never invented, we would not have to teach kids how to read.” —Susan Lambert

In this special episode of Science of Reading: The Podcast, Susan Lambert is joined by Jackie Relyea, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Literacy Education at North Carolina State University, who’ll give you a comprehensive guide to integrating background knowledge into your teaching as, you create a content-rich classroom. Jackie offers insights on why time-tested classroom staples such as read-alouds and word walls are effective tools for building background knowledge … and how to make them even better. She also digs into why vocabulary is just one facet of conceptual knowledge and what the research says about background knowledge for multilingual learners.

Show notes:

• Connect with Jackie Eunjung Relyea, Ph.D:
  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackie-e-relyea-82953242/
  • NC State University: https://ced.ncsu.edu/people/jrelyea/
• Resources
  • The CLICK Lab
  • Effects of Tier 1 Content Literacy Intervention on Early-Grade English Learners’ Reading and Writing.
  • Transactional Development of Science and Mathematics Knowledge and Reading Proficiency for Multilingual Students Across Languages of Instruction
  • Listen: The joy of reading aloud, with Molly Ness
  • Listen: Supporting multilingual/English learners with the Science of Reading
• Join our community Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/scienceofreading
• Connect with Susan Lambert: www.linkedin.com/in/susan-lambert-ed-d-b1512761/

Quotes:

“Literacy for my students meant more than just reading and writing; it was about access, access to the world, and access to knowledge and opportunities, and even independence—finding their voices.” –Jackie Eunjung Relyea, Ph.D.

“You can think of a schema like… mental maps or the frameworks that help us store and organize new information and knowledge. The richer and the more detailed your schema about a particular topic, the easier it is to understand and remember new information about it.” –Jackie Eunjung Relyea, Ph.D.

“Vocabulary oftentimes is the tip of the iceberg of the whole: the conceptual knowledge. It's not a simple definition of the single word; it's really conceptual knowledge and understanding that is represented by the word.” –Jackie Eunjung Relyea, Ph.D.

Episode timestamps*
02:00 Introduction: Who is Dr. Jackie Relyea?
10:00 Importance of knowledge building
14:00 Reciprocal relationship between reading and knowledge building
18:00 Reading comprehension strategies as scaffolding
21:00 Using interactive read-alouds
24:00 Concept mapping and word walls
26:00 Vocabulary is the tip of the iceberg
28:00 Multilingual learners
37:00 Research on knowledge building
*Timestamps are approximate, rounded to nearest minute

In this special episode of Science of Reading: The Podcast, Susan Lambert is joined by Assistant Professor of Literacy and Coordinator of Reading Science Programs at Marian University Karen Betz, Ed.D., to discuss a key topic in the Science of Reading movement: higher education. Betz describes how we can better prepare new teachers to provide evidence-based instruction, and her tool to help teachers in higher education assess whether their courses align to reading research. Betz also offers advice for current practitioners on how they can support change at the university level.

Show notes:

• Connect with Karen Betz:
  • Connect via Facebook: Klipsch College
• Resources
  • Website: Marian University’s M.S. in reading science
  • Website: Higher Education Community of Practice for Professors of Literacy
  • Download: Course Alignment Planning Tool
  • The Center for Reading Science: Implementing the Science of Reading in Higher Education
  • The Reading League Compass: Educator Preparation Programs
  • Map: The Reading League Compass: Policymakers and State Education Agencies
  • Read: Teaching Reading Sourcebook
  • Read: Essentials of Assessing, Preventing, and Overcoming Reading Difficulties
  • Website: Stronger Together: The Alliance for Reading Science in Higher Education
  • Listen: What I should have learned in college, with Donna Hejtmanek
• Join our community Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/scienceofreading
• Connect with Susan Lambert: www.linkedin.com/in/susan-lambert-b1512761/

Quotes:

“Don't be afraid to say ‘I don't know.’ I think people respect that, that you say, ‘I just don't know’ and ‘how can you help me learn more?’”—Karen Betz, Ed.D.

And it ultimately always is going to come down to the children, and we can never lose sight of that. It's about the kids.” —Karen Betz, Ed.D.

Episode timestamps*
02:00 Introduction: Who is Karen Betz
07:00 First lightbulb moment
09:00 Why is higher education teacher education a hot topic right now?
12:00 Relationship between schools and universities
14:00 Partnering with reading science aligned grade schools
17:00 Legislation for teacher development
20:00 Collaboration between universities
23:00 Professional development for higher education
25:00 Creating a tool to help higher education teachers
32:00 Key takeaways for Dr. Karen Betz
35:00 Final thoughts
*Timestamps are approximate, rounded to nearest minute