Route2Reading Amie Burkholder

Full Show Notes Here
 
All About Dr. Stollar:
Former Vice President for Professional Learning at Acadience Learning Inc.
Part-time assistant professor in the online Reading Science Program at Mount St. Joseph University.
Founding member of a national alliance for supporting reading science in higher education.
Support educators to learn about and implement the science of reading.
Consults and helps other teacher programs to align programs to reading research.
Has an online membership community called The Reading Science Academy where she supports educators to learn about the science of reading and implement it in their various educational roles.
What does MTSS stand for?
MTSS:
…stands for Multi-Tiered Systems of Support.  
…is first and foremost a framework for putting into place things that we know about reading research.  
…uses data to make decisions that allow schools to eliminate barriers to student reading success. 
For example, we know that reading problems can be prevented for the vast majority of students primarily through the way we teach reading for the first time in the classroom.  Research also tells us there are effective ways to intervene for the students who have difficulty with reading. 
…is all about making decisions as a team at a variety of levels within schools (district, school, grade) that will allow the educational system to get all students reading.  Everyone can become a reader, but they’re not going to do so with the same type or amount of instruction.  
…is made up of three tiers: Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3.  These are tiers of instruction and intervention.
…is set up to be a continuum of instructional supports that are available to every student from day one of kindergarten.  It’s the school’s job to get the system of supports in place.  Each school will have its own way of doing this - think of these tiers as customized to the needs of the school community, its students, and its resources.  
…and the science of reading aren’t separate - they’re joined together.  They are not separate initiatives.  Let’s think about MTSS as the delivery system for what’s in the reading research.
..is a model where each and every student is considered (from accelerated to struggling). 
Check Out Dr. Stollar:
Website: https://www.readingscienceacademy.com/
https://www.readingscienceacademy.com/#section-1591199462991
Check out her MTSS course, plus her Reading Science Academy membership!:
Instagram: readingscienceacademy
YouTube: @readingscienceacademy
Email:  stephaniestollar@gmail.com
 

Let’s talk assessments and get straight to the point: We can’t have meaningful, effective instruction without assessments.  If instruction is the sail of a boat, assessments are the winds that drive and guide it.  Before we can teach effectively, we need to know the needs of our students as well as their capabilities. Let’s chat!
Assessments are important because they:
identify strengths and weaknesses
Inform instruction
track progress
guide intervention
support differentiation
inform curriculum planning
Tools and Resources
Check out my Phonics Quick Checks for the best starting place!  They are easy to use and, yep, you guessed it - quick!  
Check out my Phonemic Awareness Screener for free!
My Phonics Screener for Units 2-4 assesses both decoding and encoding.
Also check out my Letter Name/Sound Check (5 Word CVC).
 
Remember that reading is not a race - it’s a journey.  When we embrace ongoing assessments in our classroom as well as data-driven instruction, we can ensure that we are delivering the best possible instruction to our students - no matter where they are. 
Full show notes here!

The Importance of Phonics Instruction
Phonics instruction, which teaches the relationship between sounds and letters, is a fundamental component of reading development. To ensure effective phonics instruction, teachers must follow a well-designed scope and sequence. When it comes to choosing or creating a phonics scope and sequence, there are many things we should consider. 
 
In this blog post, we’ll explore the importance of choosing and following a phonics scope and sequence by drawing insights from current research. Understanding the significance of this structured approach to phonics instruction can lead to improved reading outcomes for our students.  So let’s dive in!  
Full Show Notes Here

 

In this episode, I had the pleasure of chatting with Heather O'Donnell
Former special education teacher who worked with kids with autism
Dyslexia practitioner through Wilson Reading System
Structured literacy dyslexia interventionist
Started tutoring practice called New Paltz Multisensory in September 2018
Works with students not only with dyslexia but also with kids with special needs, autism, and children who are in self-contained classrooms.
Passionate about reading and writing instruction and loves watching kids’ confidence soar
Full Show Notes Here
 

Even though I’m now a literacy coach, I too have been caught teaching with leveled readers!  In my first-grade classroom, when my students came across an unknown word, I’d have them guess by looking at the picture or skipping the word.   I was creating a classroom full of great guessers - not great readers.  But as we always say here at Literacy Edventures - when you know better, you do better!
I had a hunch this wasn’t the best approach, but I also didn’t know what else to do.  That’s when these decodables entered my life and saved the day!  Today, we will chat about decodable texts, what they are, who needs them, and how best to utilize them in the classroom.
Full Show Notes

 
          Congrats!  You’ve got students who can decode words effectively.  This is half of the battle!  Now for the other half: Are they efficient yet?  This second part can take an ample amount of time, and students need plenty of practice building fluency.  Fluency is so important because it bridges the gap from decoding to comprehension, especially in the foundational years.  For our kindergarten through 2nd graders, developing fluency in reading, writing, and communication is crucial for future academic success.  Today, I’m sharing some tips and tricks to help build fluency during these foundational years that you can walk away with and start tomorrow!
 FULL SHOW NOTES HERE
Resources from Episode
My Favorite Resources Regarding Fluency:
Scooping Phrases (FREE)
Fluency Builders
...and MORE!
My Favorite Books and Articles Regarding Fluency:
Rasinski, T. V. (2020). The importance of fluency instruction in the early grades.
Chard, D. J., & Pikulski, J. J. (2005). Developing fluency: Theory, research, and practice.
Gambrell, L. B., & Morrow, L. M. (2017). Best practices in fluency instruction for early readers.
Allington, R. L., & McGill-Franzen, A. (2016). Fluency: Still waiting after all these years.