Reading Teachers Lounge

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...

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 &...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...