All Episodes
Episodes
Kids Are a Product of Their Opportunities
Are your students stuck in a reading rut? In this episode, we explore how expanding text formats—not just genres—can unlock
engagement,
reduce boredom,
and create richer reading opportunities for all learners.
Use...
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What evidence do you have? The heart of responsive teaching!
In this episode of Building a Reader, I'll share one powerful question every teacher should ask when making instructional decisions: “What evidence do you have?” Consider how your notes can help you to indicate...
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Get to the Root: Using 5 Why’s to Drive Reading Instruction
When a student struggles to read a word, it’s easy to jump to conclusions or offer surface-level solutions.
But what if we paused and asked why—not just once, but five times?
In this episode of Building a Reader, we...
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What Basketball Can Teach Us About Reading Instruction
What do learning to read and playing basketball have in common?
In this episode of Building a Reader, we explore how reading involves much more than just phonics and sight words—just like basketball involves more than...
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Fluency and Long Words: Why Some Readers Slow Down and How to Help
Are your students slowing down or stumbling when they encounter long, multisyllabic words? In this episode of Building a Reader, literacy consultant Jennifer unpacks what it really means when students struggle with...
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Three Signs of a Growing Reader: Integration, Flexibility, Independence
As the school year wraps up, it's time to go beyond reading levels and reflect on what really matters: how our young readers have grown.
In this episode of Building a Reader, Jennifer guides you through the three...
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Three Steps to Creating the Kinds of Kids Who Can Figure It Out
I love scaffolds.
They send students into action taking mode.
If taught intentionally, they send the message,
"You are the kind of kid who can figure this out."
Help students to become action-takers with...
 1....
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Kindergarteners Can Learn the Phonics Game Faster
Teaching kindergarteners can be confusing and old techniques of drill and skill and flashcards can be minimally effective.
When teachers, Megan and Danielle, joined the Building Kindergarten Readers training and...
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Four Kinds of Learners
In this episode we'll consider the mindset of the learners that you teach. Some of them seem to approach learning with an open mind and others do not.Â
Today we'll talk about the four categories that helped me to...
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The playground effect demonstrates why young readers need to train their eyes.
I search for Where's Waldo by looking left to right, top to bottom - because I am a reader.
I have reading eyes.
Learning letters and words is hindered by the way a child looks and hears. If they look and hear...
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