Episode 6: Gearing up for the New Year: Setting Goals with Students

I’m your host, Elizabeth Morphis and for today’s episode, I spoke with a former student, Talisa Cantos, who is a Bilingual Literacy Specialist about setting reading and writing goals with students for the new year. 

The new year is an amazing time to touch base with students and children and set goals with them, even literacy goals. Students don’t start off knowing how to set goals, so we’ll need to help them do it, but they can set goals for themselves, and they know what it is they want to work towards. 

Here are the points Talisa shared when setting goals with students: 

Setting the goals 

• Start with a definition of good reader/writer with each student 

• Give your students agency and let them be a part of setting their goals 

• Constantly reflect on the goals 

Meeting the goals 

• Work closely with their strengths and follow their interests 

• Constantly remind them of their goals and point out how their practices are helping them achieve their goals  

• Celebrate their victories 

This episode expounds on these tips, as well as discusses practical practices to apply in the classroom. As you set your goal for the New Year, I hope this episode will be helpful for you, and remember to not be so hard on yourself and your students, and to have fun and enjoy this time. 

Episode 5: The Importance of Instruction for Developing Decoding Skills: A Conversation with Julia Lindsey

I’m your host, Elizabeth Morphis and for today’s episode, I have with me our guest Julia Lindsey. Julia B. Lindsey, Ph.D., is a foundational literacy expert, consultant, and proud former elementary school teacher. Her work aims to help educators implement research findings in reading instruction. 

She is the author of the newly released book, Reading Above the Fray: Research-based Routines for Developing Decoding Skills. Julia is also the creator of a framework for research-tested, content-rich decodable texts used by districts, curriculum developers, and tens of thousands of teachers across the globe. 

Her book comes with the label “The Science of Reading in Practice” which she defined as “all of the science, scientific knowledge and research from many disciplines that explain the phenomenon of reading.” This includes common knowledge and practices, disproven theories, and new, emerging studies. Another definition could be a “movement which is about improving the teaching of reading to match research.” In this episode, we discuss the science of reading, the research around it, and practical information on how to apply these scientific concepts in the classroom and at home. 

Julia defined decoding as “using the knowledge of sound-spelling relationships in order to read a word.” When talking about decoding, she shares that we can start having kids practice decoding as early as 8-10 alphabet letters, and that when learning the alphabet, it is better to have student learn around 3 letters a week, learning the whole alphabet before the winter break. This gives students the foundational knowledge they need to learn to start reading, and this way, they get to apply what they know much sooner, have more time to practice decoding, and review the letters in cycles. 

We also discussed shared reading, an effective practice for teaching reading. This is where the teacher reads a text with their students. Julia and I discuss several practices that would make shared reading more effective. The first is that the text should be around their reading level. With each session, focus on something to point out to the students, either specific letters, new words, frequently used words, capital letters, or whatever it is your class is learning at the time. More than anything, shared reading is effective because it is a shared experience with your students. 

Listen to the full episode to hear more of the studies, practical suggestions, and practices Julia shared to help your student learn to read.

Connect with Julia:

Website: www.juliablindsey.com/

Website: www.beyonddecodables.com/

Twitter: www.twitter.com/juliablindsey

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/juliablindsey/

Episode 4: Getting Kids to Read During the Holiday Season

I’m your host, Elizabeth Morphis and today, in preparation for the Holidays, I have for you 3 tips to get kids reading both in the classroom and at home, and I’ll also share some bonus suggestions along the way. In today’s digital age where children can get so easily distracted, it’s even more important to be able to instill in them the habit and discipline of reading. 

Reading in the Classroom 

My first suggestion for teachers is to make kids aware of books and authors they may be interested in. Beyond letting them know that a particular book exists and why you think they would like it, read the first few chapters with them, and discuss it until they themselves grow interested in it.  

The second thing you can do is share details about the author. This gives students additional excitement for the book, and as they read, they get to identify details in the book that the author might have taken from personal experience. 

Last suggestion for the classroom is to give the students the opportunity to talk to each other about the book they love and why they do. And let’s be honest, students are sometimes more likely to take recommendations from their peers than from a teacher.  

Reading at Home 

This is something I’ve done with my daughters for each holiday, and it has built their excitement for reading and the holiday we’re celebrating. Find books that are specific to a holiday and bring them out before the holiday starts. Add a few different titles each year, then after the holiday put them away, not to be seen until next year. This builds excitement around the books since kids don’t see them all the time and adds a special element to each holiday. 

Another thing you can do as parents is to cook with the kids. This could be helpful for kids who don’t like to read. Have them help you with cooking and have them read off the cookbook or recipe. If they enjoy helping you in the kitchen and reading is a part of that experience, it reinforces the idea that reading is fun and enjoyable. 

Read a book series over an extended period of time. Book series allows kids to stay with characters longer over new plots and storylines and it builds their reading stamina. Having it as a series also creates excitement since they know that there’s more to the story. 

I hope that you find these suggestions helpful and that you and your kids will have an amazing time reading this holiday season.

Episode 3: What is a Literacy Specialist?

I’m Elizabeth Morphis your host and today I’m addressing the difference between a literacy specialist and a reading specialist. I also want to provide context for how the job came to be in schools.

I’m also interviewing Kasey, a literacy specialist and one of my former students about her job and what it entails.

Two questions I get often are:

●      What is the difference between a reading specialist and a literacy specialist?

●      What does a literacy specialist do? 

In theory there isn’t much difference between the two. The term has shifted from reading to literacy recently. Hear how specialists came about. They’ve been in schools since the 1930’s, and the role they play in schools has changed over time. 

The shift from reading to literacy is because schools have recognized that reading is not the only area of focus. Literacy specialists address all areas of language arts. Specialists are working to support students with reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing and even visual representation.  

Different school districts may choose to use different terms, but it’s essentially the same role.

 Kasey is a reading specialist working with K-2 kids who are ages 5-8. She explains that her job is to be the point person for anything reading based and to provide additional support for children struggling with reading skills. 

You’ll find Kasey in the classroom pushing into the classroom and working with a teacher as well as outside the classroom working with small groups of children using her own lessons and planning instruction to support the needs of the students. 

She explains the different programs that are used both in-and-outside the classroom to help students where they are. Assessments are done by Kasey every other week and school-wide three times a year. 

Writing skills are also reinforced and vary depending on the program being taught.

Sometimes kids are writing the words they are learning in a sentence or may be applying the rule or concept that they have just learned. 

Kasey also explains how she works with parents. She’s accessible and wants them to know how their child is progressing with reading and writing. Elizabeth and Kasey also discuss tutoring and support outside of school and what parents may want to do to help support their child’s progress. 

Kasey has a passion for teaching, and she shares how nice it is to be able to work with children from kindergarten through 2nd grade. She’s helping a new generation of readers and writers master important skills and most importantly learn to love reading and writing! 

I hope this has helped you better understand the role of a reading or literacy specialist, and answered a few of your questions about what type of support they provide and how they add to the school.

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Episode 2: Getting to Know Your Students and Host Elizabeth Morphis

As teachers, it is important to learn about the students in your classroom and for the students to learn a little about you. This helps build trusting relationships, which are essential for students to learn and for teachers to teach effectively. This episode does just that!  

I introduce myself so that you learn about me, my current position as a professor, and my teaching experiences. In the Spotlight Segment, I share a few activities that I use to learn about my students and who they are as individuals. 

Here’s what I recommend to develop trust, inclusion, and motivation:  

1.   Spend some time getting to know the students before and as part of the lessons.

2.   Let the students get to know you as well. It’s hard for students to learn from teachers they don’t trust.

3.   Help students make connections between the curriculum and the students’ interests. 

I’ve always loved teaching and in today’s episode you’ll hear my first experiences in the classroom and how I developed my expertise around literacy. I have had some unique teaching opportunities as well. I spent a year on the National Broadway tour of Annie. It was my job to make sure the children in the cast kept up with their class work between performances.  

Bringing the curriculum to life is important to me and I’m sharing some of the ways I tried to do that for y students.  

While working with Sesame Workshop I created curriculum for students in Japan to learn English with the Sesame content. As part of the project, I went to Japan, and had the opportunity to work with teachers there and I realized how much I enjoyed working with other teachers.

 Teaching new teachers at the college level is rewarding. It’s wonderful to work with others who have a passion for teaching. 

In the Spotlight I’m sharing some of my favorite activities to do with students to get to know them better.

·       Me bag exercise.

·       My Map Book by Sarah Fanelli

·       The Best Part of Me by Wendy Ewald

·       Looking Like Me by Walter Dean Myers

These are great activities for parents, and I’ve enjoyed doing them with my girls who are enthusiastic readers.

If you’re a teacher or a parent looking to help children enjoy reading, any of these ideas are a good place to start. Learning to love reading can happen in a variety of ways and I’ll share more ideas on the next episode.

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Episode 1: Literacy — More than Reading and Writing

Welcome to the first episode of the Literacy Teacher's Life Podcast! Today's episode introduces the topic of literacy and expands on the common definition of literacy as simple "reading and writing."

Host Elizabeth Morphis Brings her experience as both a teacher and amo to two elementary school-age daughters.

Today's Topic on the Literacy List

What is Literacy and what does it mean? The most common answer most of us hear is "literacy is reading and writing," and that's correct. But it's not all. The definition also includes the meaning tht is made, the context, and the environment.

Elizabeth shares examples from her classroom to explain that often kids may read well but struggle to explain what they’ve read. Or they may understand but be unable to write about what they’ve read. 

Literacy is a way of making meaning in a specific environment. What does that mean? That’s the focus of literacy education today. Skills vary depending on the specific work students engage in.

Absolutely, literacy refers to reading and writing. But it’s also the meaning that we take from a text or the meaning we make, and the environment.

For parents at home, if your child is frustrated when reading alone, try reading with them. You can slowly lead up to having them read independently. 

Spotlight on Children's Books

* The Three Pigs by David Wiesner – this is one Elizabeth's favorites. The pigs leave their story and fly into other stories. The pigs are reading their world!

*Tomas and the Library Lady by Pat Mora – This book is a great example of how a child relates to the content.

*The Idea Jar by Adam Lehrhaupt – This shows how ideas for writing can come from anywhere and it encourages possibilities.

*This is a good story by Adam Lehrhaupt – This book explains the elements of the story including what happens when mistakes happen.

* You are a Reader/You are a Writer by April Jones Prince – This book shows all the content we read like signs, cereal boxes and more. It’s a great reminder that we read and write in all kinds of ways in our everyday lives.

Today’s Positive Note

This week's episode shares two resources that can be used to encourage kids to talk about books they read. It also explains comprehension wands and cubes with prompts to help extend the reading into a conversation. 

You can find more resources at https://www.theliteracyteacherslife.com/

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Welcome to The Literacy Teacher’s Life Podcast!

This podcast is for teachers and parents who are dedicated to helping young readers and writers thrive. Children are naturally curious and it’s our role as parents and teachers to provide them with support so they learn to love reading and writing. Host, teacher, and mom Elizabeth Morphis is here to help you support your kids at home or in the classroom.