Reading Teachers Lounge
by Shannon Betts and Mary Saghafi
This is the Reading Teachers Lounge where listeners can eavesdrop on professional conversations between elementary reading teachers. We are passionate about literacy and strive to find strategies to reach all learners. Shannon and Mary are neighbors who realized that they were “literacy soul sisters” at a dinner in their Atlanta neighborhood. Once they started chatting about reading they haven’t really stopped. Come join the conversation.
Episodes
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9.2 Sentence Structure
Shannon and Mary talk with guests Louise Hewitt and Meghan Hicks from The Sentence Studio about sentence structure. They discuss why many students who can decode still struggle with comprehension and writing because of sentence-level syntax challenges. Their approach uses “bubble maps” and a...
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9.1 Teaching and Learning
Shannon and Mary meet up to start Season 9 of the podcast. They catch up on their summer activities and share their busy back-to-school schedules. They discuss their favorite games and instructional methods from their tutoring practices and review professional learning opportunities they're...
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8.10 Season Finale: Beyond Decoding
Shannon and Mary record their Season 8 finale, catching up on what they've been doing during the school year. They've both been busy with balancing personal and professional responsibilities, with work hours increasing for Shannon in tutoring and for Mary in advocacy work and supporting parents…
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8.9 Teacher Preparation
Shannon and Mary welcome Dr. Ellen Ballock and Julia D'Onofrio from Gordon College to talk about teacher preparation programs. Discover how they design and implement teacher prep programs focused on literacy instruction, the science of reading, and practical teaching methods. Our guests shed…
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8.8 Grammar and Syntax
In this episode of the Reading Teacher's Lounge, hosts Mary and Shannon welcome expert Sara Lee to discuss best practices for teaching grammar and syntax. They dive into how understanding sentence structure, grammatical functions, and modifiers can elevate both reading comprehension and writing...
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8.7 Supporting Learning at Home
In this episode, we explore effective practices for supporting students with homework. Join us as we discuss strategies to foster a productive & stress-free homework environment. We cover the importance of EF, the advantages and challenges of traditional homework, & how to address post-COVID...
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8.6 Deliberate Orthography
Shannon and Mary revisit the topic of Structured Word Inquiry (SWI) and discuss the importance of understanding the deliberate reasons for English spellings with guests Jennifer Petrich and Bradley Johnson. The conversation follows the hosts' and guests' experiences with SWI, detailing how it…
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8.5 The Literacy Block
Mary and Shannon are joined by Lindsay Kemeny, a returning guest and 1st grade teacher. Lindsay discusses her latest book and shares insights into structuring an effective literacy block. During the chat, Lindsay stresses the importance of routines, transitions, and frequent student responses in...
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8.4 SEL Concerns
Educator and author Erin Waters joins Shannon and Mary to discuss supporting the whole child through Social-Emotional Learning (SEL). Erin shares her teaching journey and highlights the crucial connection between SEL & literacy development—because our students aren’t just learning to read…
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8.3 Affirming Practices with Dr. Jasmine Rogers
In this episode, you're getting a preview of the types of conversations happening with educators in our bonus subscription episodes. This month, Shannon and Mary chat with Dr. Jasmine Rogers, a reading specialist and college educator, about her dual roles in literacy. Dr. Rogers discusses her...
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8.2 Treasured Stories
In this special episode of the Reading Teachers Lounge, hosts Shannon and Mary have an engaging and insightful conversation with acclaimed children's author Kate DiCamillo about treasured stories. They explore Kate's journey as a writer, discussing the profound impact of her debut novel 'Because…
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8.1 New Season, New Stories
Shannon and Mary kick off the new season with reflections on how far the podcast has come, from family anecdotes to stories of former students thriving—like Rigby, a once-struggling reader now headed to college. They share practical tips for using Canva to teach morphology, highlight successes…
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7.18 Season 7 Finale
Shannon and Mary look back over Season 7 and reflect on what really matters for our reading students. "The right things for our learners" emerged as the unofficial theme of our seventh season. This phrase encapsulates what each of us strives for – cutting through the noise to identify the most...
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7.17 Impactful Interventions
Shannon and Mary chat with Dr. Katie Pace-Miles about MTSS and RTI, sharing practical tips for delivering effective reading interventions, choosing quality resources, and running efficient team meetings to support struggling readers. Whether you're a classroom teacher trying to support struggling...
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7.16 Executive Functioning Demands
What's really happening when students struggle to stay on task, complete assignments, or transition between activities? In this illuminating conversation with literacy experts Dr. Matt Strader and Dr. Douglas Fisher, Shannon and Mary delve into the complex world of executive functioning and its...
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7.15 Language Demands
Shannon and Mary talk with Dr. Jeannette Mancilla-Martinez about supporting Multi-Language Learners, exploring language development, daily classroom language demands, and practical strategies to help MLLs thrive. The information presented is relevant for teachers, administrators, and support…
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7.14 Literacy Leaders
Shannon chats with Laura Stewart (from 95 Percent Group) about bold moves that literacy leaders can take to transform the literacy practices in their learning communities. Laura provides stories and strategies relating to successfully implementing best practices informed by the Science of Reading...
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7.13 The Right Things for Our Learners
Shannon and Mary welcome Dr. Timothy Shanahan to the Reading Teachers Lounge to quiet the noise within the literacy community and help us all realize the MOST important things we should be doing for our learners according to the reading research. Listeners will find out what practices and...
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7.12 Effective Student Engagement
Shannon and Mary chat with Brandi Dugal from The Fidget Game, featured on Shark Tank, about unique ways to engage and motivate students to learn. They share methods for gamification, brain breaks, and other strategies teachers can use to increase student engagement. Listen for ideas to make…
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7.11 Structured Word Inquiry
Dr. Pete Bowers shared how Structured Word Inquiry (SWI) transforms spelling and vocabulary into tools for deep thinking - perfect for engaging advanced and struggling readers in the elementary reading classroom. We encourage the listeners to also check out this episode on YouTube to learn from…
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Challenging Advanced Readers
How can teachers effectively support advanced readers in elementary school? In this insightful episode, we’re joined by literacy expert Nancy Young to explore practical, evidence-based strategies for meeting the needs of gifted and high-achieving readers in the classroom. Nancy shares her…
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7.9 Smart Technology
Shannon and Mary welcome Brandon Cardet-Hernadez from Mrs. Wordsmith to the RTL to chat about smart technology resources. They talk about intentional uses of technology resources for instructional purposes and what skills will be required as our students advance in the next part of the 21st...
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7.8 Importance of NonFiction
Shannon and Mary talk with Melissa Taylor from ImaginationSoup.net about the importance of nonfiction texts in a student's reading diet. They chat about the flexible comprehension strategies students need to organize the information gathered from nonfiction and text features and structures that…
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7.7 System Changes with LaMonica Williams
Shannon and Mary welcome LaMonica Williams from Teaching Matters back to the Reading Teachers Lounge. This time they chat about professional development experiences and the most effective ways to bring about positive change in school systems. They discuss the differences between management and...
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7.6 The Reading Team
Shannon and Mary chat with Katherine Hamilton about maximizing the learning impact of co-teaching. The conversation is centered around an article from Choice Literacy written by Franki Sibberson titled Aligning Curriculum with Struggling Readers in Mind. The article proposes that co-teachers need...
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7.5 Spelling that Sticks
Shannon and Mary welcome @MindfulTeacherRachel back to the podcast to discuss strategies for helping their students strengthen spelling skills. They talk about the stability of English spelling and the meaning-based reasons for a word's spelling, beyond sound-symbol connections. Listeners will…
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7.4 Word Knowledge
Shannon and Mary welcome Heidi Martin (@Droppin' Knowledge with Heidi) back to the podcast, and Heidi's husband, Adam, a LETRS trainer, also joins the conversation. They talk about all the aspects that go into the topic of Word Knowledge. What are all the things students should know and…
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7.3 Book Equity
Shannon and Mary welcome Marty Martinez from Reach Out and Read and Judy Newman from Scholastic to the podcast to talk about Book Equity. They share ideas for getting quality books in students' hands and nurturing students' reading diversity. RESOURCES MENTIONED DURING THE EPISODE: Reach Out and...
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7.2 Mending Teachers with Karen Gross
Shannon and Mary have an informative and inspiring chat with Karen Gross. They learn details about how the Covid-19 pandemic affected teachers and students. Karen shares why the role of teachers is more difficult today, and she provides tons of specific ways teachers can fill their cups and take...
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7.1 New Opportunities
Mary and Shannon catch up with each other after the summer & podcast break. They chat about their own children, their personal lives, and their plans for this upcoming school year. They discuss the implementation of Georgia's dyslexia bill this year. They share about their professional reading…
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Reading Lessons with Jennifer Serravallo
Shannon and Mary chat with Jennifer Serravallo, whose literacy work they have long admired. Jennifer shares how her view about reading instruction have evolved over time. Jennifer's written a new book showing teachers different structured models for responsive teaching called Teaching Reading...
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Reaching All Readers
We have a summer bonus episode for you! Shannon and Mary have Anna Geiger, the Measured Mom, join them in the lounge again to discuss the best evidence based practices that teachers can use to reach all readers. Anna's new book provides teachers and parents with a consolidated understanding of…
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Season 6 Finale
Shannon and Mary gather together to review the school year and close out the podcast season. They give updates on their personal and teaching lives and share their summer plans. Later they're joined by Kelsey (wifeteachermommy) to talk about Educate and Rejuvenate 2024. RECOMMENDED RESOURCES AND...
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Meeting Students Needs
Shannon and Mary chat with Nancy Young and Jan Hasbrouck about differentiation and the latest updates to the Ladder of Reading and Writing. Listeners will get a better understanding of WHY it's so important to make adjustments to curriculum, instruction, activities, and/or assessments in order to...
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Delightful Word Learning with Colette Hiller
Shannon and Mary chat with critically acclaimed author and experienced actress & advocate Colette Hiller about ways to make word learning innovative and fun. Colette is releasing a new book titled Colossal Words for Kids, which combines educational poetry with vibrant illustrations to teach new...
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Supportive Strategies for Working Memory
Shannon and Mary chat about how to best support learners with working memory challenges. This is a companion episode to a deep dive learning topic we went through with our Patreon community about Working Memory. Listeners to this episode will walk away with increased awareness about which…
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Meaningful Professional Learning
Shannon and Mary talk with Kelly Butler and Carla Stanford about professional learning that is meaningful. Kelly Butler worked with the Barksdale Reading Institute to bring about systems change in reading instruction in the state of Mississippi over the last twenty years. Kelly and Carla share...
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the Intersection of Speech, Reading, and Language
Shannon and Mary chat with speech therapist Dr. Karen Dudek Brannan about the overlaps between speech, reading, and language. Dr. Karen helps us understand the challenges facing students with language impairments. From this episode, teachers can understand the perspective of a speech therapist to...
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the Importance of Handwriting
Shannon and Mary discuss the importance of prioritizing handwriting instruction simultaneously with reading and writing instruction in the early grades. Learn why handwriting is essential for overall literacy development and how to include it in your daily instruction. RECOMMENDED RESOURCES AND...
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Date Your Data
Shannon shares with Mary the steps she follows for analyzing student data. This Date Your Data process requires multiple steps of looking at test scores, improvement goals, student strengths and weaknesses, and then connecting the data to standards to facilitate data-driven instruction. This…
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Building Knowledge with Linda Rhyne
Shannon and Mary are joined in by Linda Rhyne in the Reading Teachers Lounge. They share a deep dive of information from the book, The Knowledge Gap by Natalie Wexler. This episode is full of information and strategies to increase your student's knowledge helping them dive deep into comprehension...
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Ideas for Differentiation with Wiley Blevins
Shannon chats with her favorite literacy guru, Wiley Blevins, about the decisions and methods that go into differentiation. Shannon picks his brain about some of her reading students. Also, Wiley shares insights from his coming book about adjustments that teachers can make before or during their...
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Gifts for Our Readers with Dr. Karen Gazith
Shannon and Mary chat with Dr. Karen Gazith about her new book The Power of Effective Reading Instruction. The conversation flowed through many topics but ultimately what you can gain from our discussion is the gifts we give our readers when we teach with intention. Listen to this episode to gain...
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Read Aloud to Boost Comprehension
Mary and Shannon chat with Dr. Molly Ness about her new book Read Alouds for All Learners. Molly shares how teachers should intentionally plan their read alouds, with thought put into the vocabulary instruction, the purpose for reading, the think aloud process, and engagement and extension...
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the Comprehension Process
Shannon and Mary wrestle with understanding the nature of the comprehension process. They discuss ideas from the Blueprint for Reading Comprehension and Executive Skills and Comprehension to understand the different cognitive processes and executive functioning required for students to extract…
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Best Reading Instructional Moves
Shannon chats with Lindsay Kemeny about her new book titled 7 Mighty Moves: Research-Backed, Classroom-Tested Strategies to Ensure K-3 Reading Success. Both Shannon and Lindsay have classroom experience teaching Kindergarten, first grade, and second grade students, so their discussion was filled...
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We Love Mistakes
Shannon and Mary talk about why they love student mistakes. They share how to make mistakes meaningful in the ways they show insight into students' learning. They chat about establishing a trusting relationship with students so they feel comfortable showing us mistakes. Lastly, they discuss ways…
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Intervention in the Upper Grades
Shannon and Mary meet with Kionna Squires (@DaLiteracyLady) to talk about the challenges facing older struggling readers. During the discussion, they explain how meeting students where they are IS rigorous and the right thing to do for our readers. They also share ideas for boosting student...
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Etymology and Orthographic Study
Shannon and Mary host a returning guest to the Reading Teachers Lounge @MindfulTeacherRachel, who you heard in Season 5 on the Schwa episode. In this episode, Shannon, Mary, and Rachel talk about English word histories and how they may inform how a word is spelled. Check out this discussion to…
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Back to School Reflections and Plans
Shannon and Mary meet again to begin the 6th season of the podcast. They recap their summer activities in both professional and personal lives, update the audience on the plans they're making for their reading students this school year, and preview what's coming next in Season 6 of the podcast....
About this show
This is the Reading Teachers Lounge where listeners can eavesdrop on professional conversations between elementary reading teachers. We are passionate about literacy and strive to find strategies to reach all learners. Shannon and Mary are neighbors who realized that they were “literacy soul sisters” at a dinner in their Atlanta neighborhood. Once they started chatting about reading they haven’t really stopped. Come join the conversation.
Hosted by
Shannon Betts and Mary Saghafi