Episode 71: Connecting Teaching to Writing A Conversation with Former Teacher and Author, Terri Lilga
This episode is such a treat!
Today, I am joined by my former colleague, Terri Lilga. Terri is a retired teacher, who is now writing books for children. We worked together in Buffalo, NY for a few years. I am thrilled to have her on the podcast to talk about her writing.
In this episode, Terri shares her books with us. She has written the books There’s a Hubbard in My Cupboard and Santa’s Simon. Terri explains how she came up with the ideas for her books - and how she gets ideas in general. She has excellent advice for classroom teachers on how to support children as they are coming up with ideas for their writing pieces because Terri’s stories about how she thinks up ideas are really creative and applicable to children.
Enjoy this episode and check out Terri’s work here.
Episode 70: Relevance is Essential: How Teachers Can Make Literacy Learning Relevant to Our Students’ And Their Futures With Lorraine Radice
Lorraine Radice is back on the podcast! Lorraine has a new book that recently came out, Revolving Literacy: How to Connect Relevance and Future-Ready Skills to Secondary English Instruction.
In our conversation, Lorraine talks about:
what the term literacy includes
her revolving literacy framework and how it benefits teachers and supports students
books for kids in middle and high school
ideas for teaching reading in the secondary classroom (these can be applied in upper elementary grades as well).
Check out Lorraine’s new book here. You can also take a look at Lorraine’s work on her website.
Episode 69: Focusing On Mood to Unlock Critical Thinking with Trevor Bryan
I'm back this week with Trevor Bryan, an educator and writer. Trevor's latest book is out and available to be purchased. It's called Narrative Know-How: A Fresh Approach to Support Comprehension and Craft in the K-6 Classroom.
In the last episode, Trevor explained the framework to this book. And, today he is back to share ideas about how this work can be implemented into the classroom to support our readers and writers. This book is full of so many lesson ideas that are ready to be used with kids. You will not want to miss this episode - and stay until the end...Trevor has a very special and kind offer for educators!
Check out Trevor's new book Narrative Know-How on Amazon or any other bookseller site.
Follow him on Instagram: @trevorabryan
Episode 68: All About Understanding Narratives with Trevor Bryan
We want our students to be confident readers and writers. One way to support their confidence is to teach them about structure. Today, I am joined by Trevor Bryan, who is an educator and writer! Trevor is the author of The Art of Comprehension and has written a new book that just came out this week, called Narrative Know-How: A Fresh Approach to Support Comprehension and Craft in the K-6 Classroom. His focus is on teaching kids to comprehend what they read. On today's episode, he will talk about the structure that has created to frame this book and why it can support our students as they are learning to both read and write. Trevor's ideas are so supportive of students - you won't want to miss his ideas!
Check out Trevor's new book Narrative Know-How on Amazon or any other bookseller site.
Follow him on Instagram: @trevorabryan
Episode 67: Making Reading Fun (And a Priority) This School Year
Recently, there have been studies out that discuss how reading, particularly reading for pleasure is at an all-time low. This is for kids and adults, but the findings have been seen as concerning. The UK is calling on 2026 to be the year of reading - so that kids are reading for pleasure.
In this episode, Elizabeth shares ways that teachers can make this school year a year of reading as well - and the great news -- it doesn't require extra work! These can fit right into the school day.
Some ways to accomplish this goal include:
Sharing your reading and love of books with your students
Matching books to students' interests
Reading aloud to students regardless of age/grade level/content area
Reframing the Read for 20 Minutes Each Night assignment for parents
Have fun reading!
Episode 66: Another Summer is Coming To An End Gearing Up for the New School Year – Some Tips for Teachers
It's August, and that means that the new school year is just around the corner! My semester begins in just two weeks. This episode is aimed at teachers, but can be helpful for parents, too. As I am planning for the upcoming academic year, I have six tips that I am focusing on to have a calm start to the school year. I also have a planning tip from a planning expert!
Episode 65: Parents, Here's A Tip When Your Kids Do Not Want To Read!
It's the end of July and the new school year is approaching (faster than I would like!). Today's episode is for parents. I often hear comments from parents that their kids are not interested in reading. After taking my daughters and a friend to a bookstore, I have a story and some suggestions about what you can do to help get your child interested in reading a book before the end of the summer. It will take some effort on your end, but it may just work!
Episode 64: Mid-Summer Check-In for Parents: Have Your Kids Been Reading? If Not, You Have Time!
It's mid-July already! This week's episode features a quick check-in with three tips to get your kids back into a reading habit this summer. Daily routines and habits shift during the summer months which can mean that reading may not be happening as regularly as it does during the school year. So, Elizabeth shares tips that you can put into practice pretty quickly to get back into reading.
Episode 63: Matching Books to Readers: A Conversation with Lea Anne Borders
Lea Anne Borders is the founder of Bookelicious, a digital tool that connects kids’ interests to books that they may enjoy reading. She joins me on today's episode to talk about the features of Bookelicous and we discuss how it can be used by teachers and parents to help children find books that they are interested in reading.
This is a great tool to explore - especially at the start of the summer - so that kids can find books they want to read.
Check out Bookelicious!
Episode 62: Getting Kids in Middle and High School Reading with New York Times Bestselling Author Jen Calonita
In today's episode, New York Times Bestselling Author, Jen Calonita comes on to discuss her books as well as why she loves writing for the middle grade and young adult kids. She shares why it is so important to meet kids where they are and why connecting to kids' interests - at any age - is so important to get and keep kids reading.
Jen is the author of many books, including The Lost Legend series, 12 to 22, The VIP series, and Isle of Ever. She has written many other books as well. And, in the fall her book, The Taylors will be released.
Check out Jen’s work here!
You can also find her on Instagram @jencalonita
Episode 61: Supporting Multilingual Learners with Interacting, Reading, and Listening: Learning More from Susan B. Katz
We are back with the second half of my conversation with Susan! Susan is the author of The Swirl Method: Supporting Multilingual Learners as They Speak, Write, Interact, Read, and Listen. This week, Susan is taking us through her strategies to support multilingual learners with interacting, reading, and listening. She offers excellent resources in each area - so please check them out!
This is the second part of a two-part episode. Please make sure you check out the previous episode to learn more about Susan's work. Today's episode addresses interacting, reading, and writing.
Please check out Susan's work:
Please check out Susan's work:
Episode 60: Ideas and Strategies for Teaching Multilingual Learners with Susan B. Katz, Author of the SWIRL Method
The Swirl Method: Supporting Multilingual Learners as They Speak, Write, Interact, Read, and Listen, written by Susan B. Katz addresses how we can support children who are multilingual learners. In this amazing resource, Susan identifies specific strategies in each area: speaking, writing, interacting, reading, and listening - that can be used in the literacy classroom to help learners thrive.
This is a two-part episode. Today's episode addresses speaking and writing.
Please check out Susan's work:
Episode 59: Connecting Sports and Reading: Making Sure Kids Have Books They Want to Read with Football and Baseball Player Brian Jordan
Brian Jordan is a former professional football and baseball player. He played football for the Atlanta Falcons and he played baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Texas Rangers.
Brian believes that all kids need to learn to read. He has written a number of children's books, such as I Told You I Can Play!, Overcoming the Fear of Baseball, and Time-Out for Bullies.
Brian is passionate about getting kids reading. In our conversation, she shares the background about his books and shares how he is partnering with schools to get kids reading.
Check Out More About Brian Jordan:
Episode 58: It's National Library Week! Get Involved and Support Your Local Library with President-Elect Sam Helmick
It's National Library Week!
It's a great week to get involved and support your local library. Libraries are a reflection of the community they serve. You can check out new books and see what other events are happening at your library this week.
On today's episode, American Library Association's President-Elect Sam Helmick joins me. We discuss what is happening with libraries at the moment. We also discuss National Library Week and how and why you should check-out your library this week.
Sam also discusses the upcoming National Conference which is taking place this coming June in Philadelphia. As always, it will be an engaging event.
We finish with Sam talking about how parents and teachers can support students with reading as we are heading into the summer months.
Links Mentioned:
Episode 57: Movement and Literacy: A Multi-Sensory Approach to Learning to ReadThe Literacy Teacher's LifePlay
How can movement be included in learning to read? In today's episode, Elizabeth speaks with Stefanie Hohl, the creator of ABC See, Hear, Do, which is a multi-sensory approach to learning to read. Stefanie believes in getting kids moving when reading and she shares many ideas about how this can be done.
In this episode, we discuss:
- What a multi-sensory approach to literacy is?
- How active kids can be supported when they are learning to read,
- Ideas to get kids moving during literacy instruction, and
- The books that Stefanie has as a part of her program.
You can find out more about Stefanie’s work here!
Episode 56: Handwriting is a Foundational Skill & The Role it Plays in Supporting Reading
Is handwriting important now that kids have access to technology and devices in school? Many parents are concerned about their children's penmanship. Should handwriting be taught in schools? The answer to these questions is yes. Handwriting should be taught in school (and so should cursive writing).
Dr. Cheryl Lundy Swift is the Professional Learning Director at Learning Without Tears - the program that includes Handwriting Without Tears. She is on today's episode to talk about the role of handwriting in a literacy curriculum.
In this episode, Dr. Swift shares:
- the connection between reading and writing
- how handwriting can be included in instruction - in just 10 minutes a day!
- how digital literacy is supported by handwriting instruction
- lots of resources to support elementary aged readers and writers (many of which are free)!
Check out the resources at Learning Without Tears.
Episode 55: Three Signs that Kids May Be Frustrated with Reading and What To Do About It
What behaviors signal that kids are frustrated when they are reading?
This week's episode focuses on three behaviors that can signal that kids may be frustrated when reading. The behaviors include:
- Hanging onto one detail from the book
- Looking for a distraction
- Not having books that kids want to read
Elizabeth explains these behaviors and offers some suggestions about how we as teachers (and parents) can support our elementary and early middle schoolers with reading.
Episode 54: Do Reading Responses Really Get Kids to Read?
The start of the new year brought a lot of questions about reading responses. It seems like teachers started assigning reading responses at the start of 2025. A question I kept getting is, "Do reading responses really help?"
The short answer is yes, reading responses can help kids better understand what they read.
Today's episode starts with the point of reading responses and what the research says about reading responses. I give tips for teachers to consider when assigning reading responses and suggestions for parents to support their kids at home.
The episode ends with a book recommendation for more independent readers in the upper elementary to early middle school grades. It's a wake up in the future book - similar to 13 Going on 30!
Episode 53: How Can We Help Our Students Find Their Voices in Their Writing? A Conversation with Kourtney Hake & Paige Timmerman
Happy New Year! Welcome to 2025!
In this first episode of 2025, Elizabeth is speaking with Kourtney Hake and Paige Timmerman about their recent book, Their Stories, Their Voices, which focuses on narrative writing and how to easily implement narrative writing units into your instruction.
Paige and Kourtney discuss how they define narrative writing and talk about how they structured this book. They really worked to make it possible to implement narrative writing as seamless as possible and without extra work. They give lots of examples from their own teaching and have excellent mentor texts for narrative writing. One of my favorite parts of our conversation is the discussion about how we as teachers can work with students to include their voices in all genres of writing - not only narratives.
For more ideas, check out Kourtney and Paige's book. You can find it here. It is a great resource to support your writing instruction in the new year!
Episode 52: Gearing Up for 2025!
Happy Holidays! It's the holiday edition of The Literacy Teacher's Podcast.
In the spirit of the season of reflection, this week's episode is dedicated to taking the time to think about your teaching in 2024 - what went well and also what changes you want to make in 2025.
Elizabeth focused on the following areas of her teaching this year:
- Planning
- Students
- Instruction/Teaching
- Materials for Students
- Tools When Planning
Take some time to consider your own teaching and what small tweaks you can make in the new year.