The Literacy Teacher's Life: Recent Episodes
Elizabeth Morphis
This podcast is for teachers and parents who are dedicated to helping young readers and writers thrive. Children are naturally curious and it’s our role as parents and teachers to provide them with support so they learn to love reading and writing. Between national standards and outside influences, there is a significant amount of pressure on teachers and parents around teaching young children to be successful readers and writers. My goal with this podcast is to support and provide guidance for new and continuing teachers so that they can design and implement literacy instruction that will inspire enthusiasm in young readers and writers. For parents of elementary-aged readers and writers, I hope that this podcast will demystify the process of teaching reading and writing. I will introduce the terms and practices that teachers use so that you will be in a better position to support your children’s love of literacy. With this podcast, I aim to provide guidance, reassurance, and confidence so that children - both at school and at home - are building the literacy foundation that they need to empower them throughout the rest of their lives. This is the podcast that will benefit teachers and parents so they can confidently take control of their role in nurturing tomorrow’s readers and writers.
The new school year is quickly approaching! So, this episode is dedicated to all things back to school. Elizabeth starts by discussing writing activities that can be used at the beginning of the year. Her new favorite is "I Statements" that she learned about this summer. Then, she shares ideas for introducing yourself to your students so that they learn a little about who you are. Reading at the beginning of the year is so important because it sets the tone that reading is a part of the school day. Elizabeth highlights a few favorites that she has used with students from Kindergarten through graduate school! Before ending, a time management hack is shared - and the idea came from reading the Little House on the Prairie books! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this episode, Elizabeth shares why stories are so important for our students. She shares three strategies to keep kids engaged with the stories that they are reading - either in school or at home. Next, Elizabeth discusses some ideas for getting kids back into the routine of reading and writing before the new school year begins. The episode ends with a great book recommendation for emerging readers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Summer is flying by! This week is another episode focusing on summer reading with kids. Elizabeth talks about book series and how they can help keep kids reading during the summer months. She talks about the benefits of reading book series and shares very manageable strategies to support readers during the summer months.
It's finally summer! Welcome to Episode 20! This episode is focused on parents and family members who are reading at home with kids over the summer. We will dive into picture books and how picture books can support readers of all ages. Summer reading should be fun and a time to connect with your child so pick books that you want to read with your child and that your child will enjoy reading. Elizabeth walks through how she approaches reading a picture book with her kids and the types of questions she asks to model how she is thinking about the book. She ends with a few comprehension suggestions when reading picture books with your child. Happy reading!
In today's episode, Elizabeth speaks with children and young adult author, Matt de la Peña. They begin by speaking about a few of his books and where the ideas for those books came from. He also shares ideas for how teachers can use his books with students. Matt then speaks about his writing process and how he collaborates with illustrators, such as Christian Robinson. He has some ideas for getting kids writing, too! Hint: pay attention to those verbs! They end with a great story that Matt shared about a student he met at a school visit a few years ago!
In this episode, Elizabeth is joined by teacher, librarian, and writer John Schu! He is the author of the recent book, This is a Story and also the book This is a School. John believes in the power of stories and how stories affirm our own experiences and honor our own journeys. He shares strategies to help get children reading and writing as well. And...he ends with some great news about a book by Kate DiCamillo that is coming out in December!
If you enjoy going to the library, you won't want to miss this episode! Elizabeth speaks with Lessa Kanani’opua Pelayo-Lozada, who is the President of the American Library Association. They discuss the mission of the ALA and the work that they are doing right now to support librarians, libraries, and communities. Lessa spends time discussing the ALA's upcoming conference, which will be held in Chicago at the end of June. There is even a virtual option - in case you are interested in attending! Lessa shares her experiences as a children's librarian and how parents and teachers can work with librarians and local libraries to support young readers.
I’m your host, Elizabeth Morphis and today, in preparation for the Holidays, I have for you 3 tips to get kids reading both in the classroom and at home, and I’ll also share some bonus suggestions along the way. In today’s digital age where children can get so easily distracted, it’s even more important to be able to instill in them the habit and discipline of reading. Reading in the Classroom My first suggestion for teachers is to make kids aware of books and authors they may be interested in. Beyond letting them know that a particular book exists and why you think they would like it, read the first few chapters with them, and discuss it until they themselves grow interested in it. The second thing you can do is share details about the author. This gives students additional excitement for the book, and as they read, they get to identify details in the book that the author might have taken from personal experience. Last suggestion for the classroom is to give the students the opportunity to talk to each other about the book they love and why they do. And let’s be honest, students are sometimes more likely to take recommendations from their peers than from a teacher. Reading at Home This is something I’ve done with my daughters for each holiday, and it has built their excitement for reading and the holiday we’re celebrating. Find books that are specific to a holiday and bring them out before the holiday starts. Add a few different titles each year, then after the holiday put them away, not to be seen until next year. This builds excitement around the books since kids don’t see them all the time and adds a special element to each holiday. Another thing you can do as parents is to cook with the kids. This could be helpful for kids who don’t like to read. Have them help you with cooking and have them read off the cookbook or recipe. If they enjoy helping you in the kitchen and reading is a part of that experience, it reinforces the idea that reading is fun and enjoyable. Read a book series over an extended period of time. Book series allows kids to stay with characters longer over new plots and storylines and it builds their reading stamina. Having it as a series also creates excitement since they know that there’s more to the story. I hope that you find these suggestions helpful and that you and your kids will have an amazing time reading this holiday season.Connect with Elizabeth
I’m Elizabeth Morphis your host and today I’m addressing the difference between a literacy specialist and a reading specialist. I also want to provide context for how the job came to be in schools. I’m also interviewing Kasey, a literacy specialist and one of my former students about her job and what it entails. Two questions I get often are: ● What is the difference between a reading specialist and a literacy specialist? ● What does a literacy specialist do? In theory there isn’t much difference between the two. The term has shifted from reading to literacy recently. Hear how specialists came about. They’ve been in schools since the 1930’s, and the role they play in schools has changed over time. The shift from reading to literacy is because schools have recognized that reading is not the only area of focus. Literacy specialists address all areas of language arts. Specialists are working to support students with reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing and even visual representation. Different school districts may choose to use different terms, but it’s essentially the same role. Kasey is a reading specialist working with K-2 kids who are ages 5-8. She explains that her job is to be the point person for anything reading based and to provide additional support for children struggling with reading skills. You’ll find Kasey in the classroom pushing into the classroom and working with a teacher as well as outside the classroom working with small groups of children using her own lessons and planning instruction to support the needs of the students. She explains the different programs that are used both in-and-outside the classroom to help students where they are. Assessments are done by Kasey every other week and school-wide three times a year. Writing skills are also reinforced and vary depending on the program being taught. Sometimes kids are writing the words they are learning in a sentence or may be applying the rule or concept that they have just learned. Kasey also explains how she works with parents. She’s accessible and wants them to know how their child is progressing with reading and writing. Elizabeth and Kasey also discuss tutoring and support outside of school and what parents may want to do to help support their child’s progress. Kasey has a passion for teaching, and she shares how nice it is to be able to work with children from kindergarten through 2nd grade. She’s helping a new generation of readers and writers master important skills and most importantly learn to love reading and writing! I hope this has helped you better understand the role of a reading or literacy specialist, and answered a few of your questions about what type of support they provide and how they add to the school.
As teachers, it is important to learn about the students in your classroom and for the students to learn a little about you. This helps build trusting relationships, which are essential for students to learn and for teachers to teach effectively. This episode does just that! I introduce myself so that you learn about me, my current position as a professor, and my teaching experiences. In the Spotlight Segment, I share a few activities that I use to learn about my students and who they are as individuals. Here’s what I recommend to develop trust, inclusion, and motivation: 1. Spend some time getting to know the students before and as part of the lessons. 2. Let the students get to know you as well. It’s hard for students to learn from teachers they don’t trust. 3. Help students make connections between the curriculum and the students’ interests. I’ve always loved teaching and in today’s episode you’ll hear my first experiences in the classroom and how I developed my expertise around literacy. I have had some unique teaching opportunities as well. I spent a year on the National Broadway tour of Annie. It was my job to make sure the children in the cast kept up with their class work between performances. Bringing the curriculum to life is important to me and I’m sharing some of the ways I tried to do that for y students. While working with Sesame Workshop I created curriculum for students in Japan to learn English with the Sesame content. As part of the project, I went to Japan, and had the opportunity to work with teachers there and I realized how much I enjoyed working with other teachers. Teaching new teachers at the college level is rewarding. It’s wonderful to work with others who have a passion for teaching. In the Spotlight I’m sharing some of my favorite activities to do with students to get to know them better. · Me bag exercise. · My Map Book by Sarah Fanelli · The Best Part of Me by Wendy Ewald · Looking Like Me by Walter Dean Myers These are great activities for parents, and I’ve enjoyed doing them with my girls who are enthusiastic readers. If you’re a teacher or a parent looking to help children enjoy reading, any of these ideas are a good place to start. Learning to love reading can happen in a variety of ways and I’ll share more ideas on the next episode.
Welcome to the first episode of the Literacy Teacher's Life Podcast! Today's episode introduces the topic of literacy and expands on the common definition of literacy as simple "reading and writing." Host Elizabeth Morphis Brings her experience as both a teacher and amo to two elementary school-age daughters. Today's Topic on the Literacy List What is Literacy and what does it mean? The most common answer most of us hear is "literacy is reading and writing," and that's correct. But it's not all. The definition also includes the meaning tht is made, the context, and the environment. Elizabeth shares examples from her classroom to explain that often kids may read well but struggle to explain what they’ve read. Or they may understand but be unable to write about what they’ve read. Literacy is a way of making meaning in a specific environment. What does that mean? That’s the focus of literacy education today. Skills vary depending on the specific work students engage in. Absolutely, literacy refers to reading and writing. But it’s also the meaning that we take from a text or the meaning we make, and the environment. For parents at home, if your child is frustrated when reading alone, try reading with them. You can slowly lead up to having them read independently. Spotlight on Children's Books * The Three Pigs by David Wiesner – this is one Elizabeth's favorites. The pigs leave their story and fly into other stories. The pigs are reading their world! Tomas and the Library Lady by Pat Mora – This book is a great example of how a child relates to the content. The Idea Jar by Adam Lehrhaupt – This shows how ideas for writing can come from anywhere and it encourages possibilities. *This is a good story by Adam Lehrhaupt – This book explains the elements of the story including what happens when mistakes happen. * You are a Reader/You are a Writer by April Jones Prince – This book shows all the content we read like signs, cereal boxes and more. It’s a great reminder that we read and write in all kinds of ways in our everyday lives. Today’s Positive Note This week's episode shares two resources that can be used to encourage kids to talk about books they read. It also explains comprehension wands and cubes with prompts to help extend the reading into a conversation. You can find more resources at https://www.theliteracyteacherslife.com/
This podcast is for teachers and parents who are dedicated to helping young readers and writers thrive. Children are naturally curious and it’s our role as parents and teachers to provide them with support so they learn to love reading and writing. Host, teacher, and mom Elizabeth Morphis is here to help you support your kids at home or in the classroom.