Amy Siracusano is the founder and owner of Know Better, Do Better Literacy, LLC, and brings 25 years of experience in public education, including roles as a classroom teacher, Title I teacher, vice principal, and literacy specialist for the Board of Education. She is an international literacy consultant, adjunct professor in the Reading Science Advanced Certificate Program at Brooklyn College, and a national advocate for ensuring teachers have deep knowledge of language systems and instructional approaches so all students leave second grade as proficient readers and writers. In this episode, Amy Siracusano explores the deep reciprocity between oral language, reading, and writing, arguing that the field must move beyond the “science of reading” toward a more comprehensive science of literacy. The conversation centers on how oral language development serves as the foundation for multilingual learners’ success, why writing instruction has been historically neglected, and how schools can use assessment, collaboration, and flexible instructional models to meet students where they are. Key Takeaways: Oral language is the foundation of literacy development. Students build from language by ear and mouth into language by eye and hand.Literacy benchmarks should be responsive to student development rather than rigid pacing guides. Meeting students where they are prevents gaps from widening over time.Professional learning is essential for effective writing instruction. Teachers need coaching and collaboration to build confidence in teaching writing well. Timestamps: (00:00) Welcome to Literacy Across Languages! (01:50) Meet Amy Siracusano (05:03) The Importance of Continual Professional Learning in Education (08:13) The Science of Reading vs. The Science of Literacy (10:28) Oral Language as the Foundation for Writing Instruction (14:51) Meeting the Diverse Writing Needs of Multilingual Learners (20:05) Leveraging Students' Home Languages in the Classroom (26:59) Understanding Students' Home Language Systems (36:58) Resources for Writing Instruction and Professional Learning (39:41) The Brilliance of Multilingual Learners (42:01) Takeaways for Teaching Episode Resources: Visit Know Better Do Better Literacy Consulting to explore Amy Siracusano’s resources, coaching, and upcoming professional learning opportunities.Explore ASHA’s language comparison resources to better understand how English sound and spelling features connect with students’ home languages.Use the Readsters Pre-Reading Probe to assess students’ orthographic knowledge and handwriting development.Check out Writing Matters by Dr. William Van Cleave, and Dr. Virginia Berninger’s work on the Not‑So‑Simple View of Writing to deepen your understanding of structured writing instruction. Stay Connected: Visit us at literacyacrosslanguages.com.Email us with questions or episode suggestions at literacyacrosslanguages@gmail.com.Follow Mary and Katherine on LinkedIn.Like, subscribe, and share this episode with fellow educators, or share a review to help others find us! Keywords: oral language, writing instruction, science of literacy, science of reading, multilingual learners, literacy development, transcription, composition, foundational writing skills, handwriting, penmanship, letter formation, assessment, simple view of writing, not so simple view of writing, Virginia Berninger, universal screener, flexible grouping, collaboration, home language, biliteracy, structured literacy, language acquisition, sentence development, phonics, encoding, decoding, orthographic knowledge, literacy assessment, differentiated instruction, oral rehearsal, multilingual education, early literacy, William Van Cleave
