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Melissa & Lori Love Literacy ® | Science of Reading for Teachers
Melissa & Lori Love Literacy® is a science of reading podcast for teachers who want to understand how reading really works and what that means for classroom instruction.
Each month, Melissa & Lori explore topics in reading instruction by talking with researchers, authors, and classroom teachers who are bringing reading research into their classrooms.
Melissa & Lori are like the teachers next door, now behind the mic. They learn alongside listeners and ask the same questions educators everywhere are asking: What does the research say about reading? What does strong literacy instruction actually look like in real classrooms? Through these conversations, the podcast helps bridge the gap between reading research and day-to-day teaching.
Episodes explore topics including phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, writing, spelling, reading intervention, and other key areas of structured literacy instruction.
Melissa & Lori help teachers think through what reading research can look like in their own classrooms.
Episodes
336 episodes
To Read Stuff, You Have to Know Stuff with Kelly Gallagher
Episode 251One of the most consistent findings in reading research is this: how much you know determines how far you can go as a reader.In this episode, we’re joined by Kelly Gallagher, author of To Read Stuff, You Have...
Vocabulary Strategies to Boost Word Learning with Melissa Cheesman Smith, Savannah Campbell, & Tim Rasinski
Episode 251In this episode, we’re joined by Tim Rasinski, Melissa Cheesman, and Savannah Campbell, authors of The Megabook of Vocabulary, to talk about practical, classroom-ready strategies that actually work. We d...
[Listen Again] Ten Vocabulary Moves Backed by Research with Blythe Anderson
What does the research really say about effective vocabulary instruction—and how can we translate it into daily classroom practice?In this episode, we’re joined by literacy expert Blythe Anderson to unpack vocabulary moves grounded in re...
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The Research on Vocabulary Instruction with Margaret McKeown
Episode 250In this episode, we’re joined by Margaret McKeown, a leading researcher in vocabulary and language development, to explore what effective vocabulary instruction really looks like in practice.Margaret helps us unp...
Small-Group Interventions That Actually Work with Kerry Cusick & Erin Sharon
Episode 248There’s a saying we hear often in literacy work: you don’t want to try to intervene your way out of a Tier 1 problem. Real change happens when classroom instruction and small-group support are aligned.In this epi...
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[Listen Again] Maximizing Small-Group Reading Instruction
Episode 143 This conversation remains one of our most downloaded episodes and for good reason.As we focus this month on small-group instruction, we’re revisiting this important discussion with a team of authors who pub...
Small Groups, Big Results with Julia Lindsey
Episode 247Small-group instruction can feel powerful and overwhelming at the same time. Questions about grouping, time, routines, and impact come up constantly.In this episode, we’re joined by Julia Lindsey, author o...
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Top Fluency Strategies Teachers Love from K–8 Classrooms
Episode 246Fluency looks different across grade levels, but it always matters.In this special mashup episode, Melissa and Lori bring together voices from seven classroom teachers, spanning first grade through eigh...
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Read Like Us: Building Fluency Through Repeated Reading & Challenging Texts with Jake Downs & Chase Young
Episode 245In this episode, Melissa and Lori are joined by researchers Jake Downs and Chase Young to discuss Read Like Us, a research-backed fluency routine designed to help students reread challenging texts...
Rock Your Literacy Block with Lindsay Kemeny
Episode 244 Lindsay Kemeny shares her insights on effectively managing a literacy block in a primary classroom. She discusses her daily schedule, emphasizing the importance of routines in phonics instruction, close reading st...
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Building Your Scientifically-Based ELA Block with Jamey Peavler
Episode 243Jamey Peavler discusses the importance of recognizing the varied learning needs of students in all grades! She emphasizes the distinction between comprehension and word recognition skills, advocating for differentiated ...
How Learning Happens: Principles Every Teacher Should Know with Carl Hendrick
Episode 242In this episode, Carl Hendrick emphasizes the critical role of timely feedback in the educational process, highlighting how immediate responses to misconceptions can significantly enhance student learning. He discusses ...
Making Sentences Make Sense with Nancy Hennessy and Julia Salamone
Episode 241Nancy Hennessy and Julia Salamone discuss the often-overlooked topic of syntax and its critical role in reading comprehension. With Melissa & Lori, they discuss the architecture of sentences, the importance of under...
Placing Text at the Center of the Primary Classroom with Meghan Hein
Episode 240Primary teacher Meghan Hein shares how she keeps the text front and center of learning. She discusses the shift from a skills-based focus to an approach where meaning-making drives instruction. The conversation highligh...
[Listen Again] Placing Text at the Center of the ELA Classroom (Updated)
Episode 37 The article Placing Text at the Center of the Standards-Aligned ELA Classroom is a must-read — before or after you listen to this episode!Meredith Liben and Sue Pimentel join us to unpack the tr...
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Helping Students Read Entire Books with Doug Lemov, Colleen Driggs, and Erica Woolway
Episode 239 Experts Doug Lemov, Colleen Driggs, and Erica Woolway join Melissa & Lori to tackle one of the biggest questions in teaching today: What happened to reading whole books in school? From the pull of dig...
Why Morphology Matters for Word Reading and More with Melissa Orkin and Alex Osburn
Episode 238 What if the “secret sauce” to reading big words isn’t just syllables, but also morphemes? In this episode, Melissa Orkin and Alex Osburn share why morphology is essential, especially in grades 3–6, and how it brid...
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Research-Based Routines for Multisyllabic Word Reading with Jessica Toste and Brennan Chandler
Episode 237 Teachers know the challenge: students hit multisyllabic words and suddenly reading slows down. In this episode, researchers Jessica Toste and Brennan Chandler share research-based routines that make multisyllabic ...
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Reading Interventions for Upper Elementary with Catlin Goodrow
Episode 236Catlin Goodrow discusses her role as a literacy coach and interventionist for older students, focusing on assessing student needs, implementing effective interventions, and the logistics of providing support in the clas...
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How to Make Every Intervention More Effective with Matt Burns
Episode 235Matt Burns discusses effective interventions for students struggling with learning. He emphasizes the importance of understanding the learning hierarchy, identifying where breakdowns occur, and matching interventions to...
Making Sense of Reading Assessments with Michelle Hosp
Episode 234 Michelle Hosp joins us to break down the different types of literacy assessments within an MTSS framework in the most approachable way.We talk:universal screenersdiagnostics...
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Kindergarten Intervention That Gets Results
Episode 233 In this episode, we sit down with speech-language pathologist Linsey Jones, who’s leading groundbreaking work in her district by delivering smart, targeted, and manageable literacy interventions to kindergarten st...
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MTSS for Reading Improvement with Stephanie Stollar and Sarah Brown
Episode 232We know MTSS can feel like one more acronym and maybe one more thing on your plate. But what if it was the thing that helped everything else run more smoothly instead?In this episode, we chat with Stephanie Stoll...
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Scaffolding Challenging Texts for All Readers with Christina Cover
Episode 231Working with students who struggle to make sense of complex texts? You’re not alone! Christina Cover, a high school special educator, interventionist, English teacher, and literacy coordinator, is here to help! In ...
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