91 episodes
E76| How Vocabulary Supports Multisyllabic Word Reading in Upper Elementary with Dr. Laura Tortorelli and Dr. John Strong
22/07/2026 | 1h 5 mins.In this episode of the Teaching Literacy Podcast, host Jake Downs sits down with Dr. Laura Tortorelli and Dr. John Strong to unpack how vocabulary and advanced decoding interact to help upper elementary students navigate complex academic texts. Discussing their recent study on multisyllabic decoding achievement, the researchers explain why treating vocabulary and word recognition as isolated instructional buckets is a critical mistake. They dive into the mechanics of the fourth-grade slump and Linnea Ehri’s consolidated alphabetic phase, sharing striking findings like why nearly 100% of struggling readers can easily decode compound words like mushroom while only 5% can read bugle—revealing how a word’s “age of acquisition” and presence in a child’s oral vocabulary directly dictates their reading accuracy. Listeners will walk away with a practical understanding of the “decoding threshold” and concrete, flexible classroom strategies from the Read Stop Write intervention to help students move past rigid syllabication rules and seamlessly integrate word meaning with multisyllabic decoding.
Link to ReadStopWrite: https://www.readstopwrite.com/ (book coming in 2027!!)
00:00 Multisyllabic Reading Challenge
01:33 Meet the Researchers
03:40 Why Readers Hit a Wall
08:46 Decoding Threshold Explained
10:50 Stop Over-Syllabicating
13:38 Morphology in Action
17:02 Vocabulary and Decoding Unite
23:27 Inside the Study Design
26:41 Multisyllabic Inventory Breakdown
30:20 Surprising Student Performance
33:27 Compound Words Mastery
33:59 Tricky Syllable Patterns
35:11 Nonsense Words Accuracy
36:51 Vocabulary vs Morphology
39:14 Why Bugle Is Hard
43:09 Age of Acquisition Effect
45:20 Read Stop Write Strategies
50:44 Choosing High Impact Words
55:51 Interpreting Nonsense Tests
59:01 Literacy Optimisms
01:02:16 Jake’s Take
Reference:
Tortorelli, L. S., Strong, J. Z., & Anderson, B. E. (2024). Multisyllabic decoding achievement and relation to vocabulary at the end of elementary school. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 246, 106018. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2024.106018- In this episode, Jake sits down with Dr. Amanda Shimizu to discuss her research paper, A Multimodal Content Analysis of Popular Early Childhood Stories and Read-Alouds on YouTube, co-authored with Dr. Margaret Quinn. Together they analyzed the 50 most popular preschool read-aloud videos on YouTube over a one-year period, examining both video design and instructional quality.
Reference:
Shimizu, A. Y., & Quinn, M. F. (2026). A multimodal content analysis of popular early childhood stories and read-alouds on YouTube. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 14687984261442422. https://doi.org/10.1177/14687984261442422
List of 50 analyzed YouTube videos:
TitleCreator/ChannelLinkNo, DavidToadstools and Fairydusthttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFcMDiDZbwsThis is My Happy FaceSuper simple storieshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXMMING5_h4Inside Out 2Art in minuteshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6p4nVK4Ua5kMy No, No, No DayStorytime with ryan & craighttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-gWhnvdgQThe Most Serious FartStory Time at Awnie’s Househttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoKTjdAJFxoThere Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a WormMrs. K’s Bookworm adventureshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmU8RSguPLIDon’t Let the Pigeon Eat ChocolateMommy and Sam Storytime anytimehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwxUgkMIc74I Am Not AngryReading Rockethttps://youtube.com/watch?v=_QOw52OzJukThe GruffaloReading ishttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhhUE1qe3GASwim SchoolBluey Official Channelhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtU1CHprtu8Who Pooped on MeStory Time at Awnie’s Househttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txSsFiVA0tYIf You Think There’s Nothing To DoLittle Cozy Nookhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taZIYvYOqcUSo Much SlimeKid Time Story Timehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIkgQFhqIgIEat Your PeasGigi’s Magic Mailbox[link unavailable]Be Respectful and ListenSleeptime Music and storieshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VG3arGjg0HkThe BeachBluey Official Channelhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKzmUpkTvS0Hey, That’s My MonsterKid Time Story Timehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tc71w9J86ygGreen Eggs and HamDr. Seusshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1Kksn76jZkToo Much GlueKid Time Story Timehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_QF0VGakx8What If You Had Animal Teeth?Miss B LIVE!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_QF0VGakx8How to Give your Cat a BathBri Readshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86bjHWalRlAFood FightStoryTime PlayTimehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTIVuT_g204The Cat in the HatDr. Seusshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5Irl_oWD6MCocomelon JJ and Friends Box of BooksHoots & Taleshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLFUo_l5d0INaughty Tim SprocketToadstool and Fairy Dusthttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCwJcH9h1BQThe Good, The Bad, and The SpookyStoryTime at Awnie’s Househttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JI5HB3Pg9wDinos Love DonutsStoryTime at Awnie’s Househttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TEBa0EiNg8Don’t let the Pigeon Eat Your Ice CreamMommy & sam Storytime Anytimehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4R7PlM4lUvoI Am Martin Luther KingStorytime with Ryan & Craighttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5WyidVQLL8The Wrong BookToadstools and Fairy Dusthttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfwqZNlFsfkBroken Crayons Still ColorReading Robinsonshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJNJjMcf6gI&t=5sThe Snail and the WhaleReading ishttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfAsZdCtHOcPete the Cat Screams for Ice CreamPink Thumb Learning Channelhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdzB3rxiyVEFlat CatKidTimeStoryTimehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1s-N2b9QgIPete the Cat Falling for Autumn5 Minutes with Uncle Benhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuHjjHDB1eMLlama Llama Misses MamaReading ishttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kr9j0UjLc0E&t=181sBlue Betsy: Little Blue CowLittle Moonbeamhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=em2wnQ8qd0I&t=179sThe Way I FeelReading ishttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1mxBUXZdqY&t=13sThere Was A Cold Lady Who Swallowed Some SnowStoryTime at Awnie’s Househttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buGDbGjcP-4There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a BatSToryTime at Awnie’s Househttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvMVTjHxiyEThe Very impatient CaterpillarStoryTime at Awnie’s Househttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TT-F-dxAUQETootHoots and Taleshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fAS_TdIi6ETooth5 Minutes with Uncle Ben [link unavailable]This Book is a MistakeToadstools and Fairy Dusthttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04I4u-QyGloThe Great Turkey RaceRead Aloud with Mr. Paulhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjxJ7JRmN-gThe HiccupotamusVookshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EouPRqmomk0The Grouchy LadybugMoving Storieshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-x31rwpCMlMDon’t Trust CatsFat Cat Bookshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7T817NASjDoMy New Friend is So Fun!Storytime Read Aloudshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LLsAsXHYZw&t=15sMs. SBriReadshttps://www.youtube.com/shorts/IXlbD0Jbs-U
Discussion Overview
3:37 — YouTube stats & young children’s screen time
5:28 — Promises & perils of YouTube as an educational platform
7:01 — The 50 most popular channels & creator types
11:04 — What makes a high-quality read-aloud?
13:22 — Video design features (music, animations, props)
17:35 — The “disembodied reader” problem
23:02 — Instructional features: before, during & after reading
28:40 — The 2×2 matrix: production vs. instructional quality
38:10 — Recommendations for YouTube creators
40:58 — Follow-up research coming
43:51 — Jake’s Take E74 | Robust Comprehension Using HQIM Featuring Dr. Dan Reynolds, Dr. Anna Jennerjohn, & Dr. Sara Rutherford-Quach
12/03/2026 | 1h 15 mins.In this episode I sit down with the SRI Education research team—Dr. Dan Reynolds, Dr. Anna Jennerjohn, and Dr. Sara Rutherford-Quach—to unpack their learning brief, Beyond the Surface.
This episode explores the gap between using high-quality instructional materials (HQIM) and achieving deep, robust reading comprehension.
Read the Brief Here: https://www.sri.com/publication/education-learning-pubs/beyond-the-surface-leveraging-high-quality-instructional-materials-for-robust-reading-comprehension/
Quick Summary:
Actionable advice for coaches and school leaders to build systems that support genuine meaning-making in the classroom.
The Study: Analyzed 111 comprehension lessons across districts with mature HQIM implementation and surveyed 500+ teachers.
The Central Finding: While HQIM was consistently used, 64% of lessons focused only on surface-level objectives (completing tasks) rather than robust comprehension (building a mental model).
Episode Highlights:
Defining the crucial distinction between Surface and Robust comprehension.
Introducing the 6 high-leverage instructional practices that move the needle toward deep understanding.
Timestamps
[0:00] – Teaser: Surface vs. Robust Comprehension
[0:16] – Introduction & episode overview; Jake introduces the HQIM landscape
[1:29] – Introducing the guests and their learning brief: Beyond the Surface
[2:43] – What is HQIM and why has the term taken off so quickly?
[4:46] – Background on the study: Schusterman Family Philanthropies partnership and why SRI undertook this observational research
[7:14] – Why studying mature implementation matters — districts where HQIM had been in place for several years
[9:34] – Defining surface-level comprehension vs. robust comprehension
[20:58] – How the data was collected: 111 classroom observations, 500+ teacher surveys, 100+ interviews, 62 PLCs observed
[25:10] – Finding #1: Teachers were using their HQIM consistently (72–89% daily or almost daily)
[21:26] – Finding #2: High floor established — 98% of lessons had a comprehension purpose; but 64% of lessons set only surface-level goals
[26:06] – The “voltage drop”: how robust lessons erode
[29:57] – The six high-leverage practices for robust comprehension:
[30:11] Practice 1: Engaging students in text-specific analysis
[33:29] Practice 2: Activating and leveraging prior knowledge
[36:10] Practice 3: Explaining and modeling meaning-making
[38:48] Practice 4: Providing instructional feedback
[40:36] Practice 5: Providing opportunities for text-based reasoning
[41:59] Practice 6: Setting up peer learning opportunities
[44:25] – What surface-level instruction looks like in practice
[47:37] – It’s not a checklist: how the six practices can serve surface OR robust ends
[48:56] – Three action steps for coaches and school leaders:
[56:07] – Walkthrough tools and their limitations: why you can’t see robust comprehension in a 5-minute walkthrough
[1:00:28] – Jake’s curveball: How do standards interact with comprehension instruction? (The PLC/Norse mythology example)
[1:06:05] – Student engagement in robust vs. surface lessons — the House on Mango Street discussion example
[1:04:12] – What’s next: upcoming SRI briefs on foundational skills, multilingual learners, and knowledge-building
[1:10:17] – Optimism for the future of literacy: teachers hungry for the “how,” and a push toward more honest comprehension assessment
[1:14:25] – Jake’s Take: Reflections on HQIM as an “instructional floor,” why all three gears must turn (content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, curriculum knowledge), and a simple habit for keeping comprehension instruction tethered to meaning-making
[1:30:30] – Closing- This is a rebroadcast of Episode 245 from the Melissa and Lori Love Literacy Podcast – you can check out that episode here: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/read-like-us-building-fluency-through-repeated-reading/id1463219123?i=1000748503901
Make sure to check out the Literacy.io training on the Kat Framework for Comprehension this June!
-June 24-25 in East Lansing Michigan
-Individual registration available at: https://tamu.estore.flywire.com/products/cusp—the-reading-leagueliteracy10-participant-registration–412940
-Group registration available at: https://tamu.estore.flywire.com/products/cusp—the-reading-leagueliteracy10-group-participant-registration–412945
-More information available at literacy.io/contact
Show Notes
2:30 – What is Read Like Us?
Overview of the five-step repeated reading protocol
How it supports accuracy, automaticity, and prosody
4:10 – The Five Reads Explained
Listening passage preview
Echo reading
Choral reading
Partner reading
Performance/independent reading
6:00 – Implementation in Classrooms
Can it work in whole group settings?
Small group intervention applications
Working with paraprofessionals and volunteers
10:00 – Maximizing Reading Time
Why 90% of intervention time should be actual reading
The workout approach to building fluency
Ensuring students are actually reading (not just holding books)
12:53 – How Read Like Us Differs from Traditional Approaches
More than just “read three times and check for speed”
Building all three components of fluency simultaneously
The role of modeling and scaffolding
15:00 – Gradual Release of Responsibility
Transferring task responsibility to students
Why rate/speed wasn’t emphasized in coaching
Automaticity as the outcome, not the input
18:00 – Prosody and Comprehension
Expression as an indicator of understanding
Using the Rasinski multidimensional fluency rubric
Rotating focus areas: expression, phrasing, smoothness, pace
20:00 – Study Results
Fourth grade students: 16.5 WPM growth in 50 days
Effect size of 0.9
Improvements in accuracy, vocabulary, and comprehension measures
22:30 – Potential Comprehension Enhancement
Adding a 10-word takeaway or gist statement
Keeping it “fluency heavy, comprehension light”
Future iterations of the protocol
25:30 – The Stacking Protocol Approach
Learning from dissertation chair Dr. Kit Moore
Combining multiple evidence-based practices
Weaving the reading rope together
27:30 – Cost and Accessibility
Read Like Us is free to implement
Comparison with commercial tier-two interventions
Open access article available
28:48 – Text Selection Philosophy
The month-long process of curating 50 texts
Using challenging and engaging content (100-200 words)
Types included: giggle poetry, science facts, short stories with twists, weird state laws
30:30 – The “Challenging Text” Debate
Using texts above grade level with proper scaffolding
Addressing the 1960s neurological impress research
Why modern research supports stretching students
33:17 – Texts Students Actually Want to Read
Students asking to take intervention texts home
Incorporating core reading program texts for continuity
Balance between practical and engaging content
36:00 – Lexile Levels and Text Complexity
Many texts in 6th-8th grade Lexile range for 3rd-4th graders
Testing the hypothesis: Can struggling readers succeed in harder texts?
Being “level agnostic” in text selection
39:00 – Rethinking Leveled Texts
Limitations of the Lexile formula
Starting with engaging content, not filter levels
The scaffolding makes the difference, not the exact level
42:00 – Student Motivation and Text Choice
Chase’s son reading adult-level joke books in first grade
The power of “want to” over prescribed levels
Teacher control vs. student self-selection
43:00 – Repeated Reading vs. Wide Reading
Defining both approaches
Why they shouldn’t be pitted against each other
Read Like Us = repeated reading across wide array of texts
46:30 – Wide Reading and Teacher Control
Students won’t achieve wide reading through self-selection alone
The teacher’s role in exposing students to diverse genres
Balancing instruction with student choice
48:00 – Benefits of Wide Reading
Exposure to different language patterns across genres
Informational vs. narrative text structures
Building terrain navigation skills with various text types
49:00 – Getting Started with Read Like Us
Start with tomorrow’s text
Find the 200-300 word section with the most “oomph”
Use what you already have in your classroom
50:21 – Closing
Where to find the protocol and resources
Final thoughts and wrap-up E72|Pragmatic Differentiation for Reading Acceleration with Dr. Sharon Walpole
07/01/2026 | 1h 8 mins.In this episode we welcome Dr. Sharon Walpole, a professor at the University of Delaware. We explore the challenges teachers face in addressing varying student needs, Dr. Walpole’s pragmatic approach to differentiation, and the developmental roadmap for reading proficiency. Dr. Walpole shares insights on the importance of grade-level instruction, the flaws of certain assessment systems, and practical classroom applications.
Make sure to check out Dr. Walpole’s books with Guilford Press! https://www.guilford.com/author/Sharon-Walpole
00:00 Introduction to Differentiation
01:03 Meet Dr. Sharon Walpole
02:15 Defining Differentiation
03:23 Acceleration vs. Remediation
04:45 Pragmatic Approaches to Differentiation
08:03 Challenges with Guided Reading
16:46 The Science of Reading and Differentiation
23:51 The Stairway to Proficiency Model
35:47 Maximizing Instructional Impact
36:03 The Importance of Dosage in Education
36:38 Resources for Differentiated Reading Instruction
37:35 Grouping Students for Effective Learning
40:20 Aligning Small Group and Whole Group Instruction
48:57 Tiered Instruction: Strategies and Misconceptions
56:40 Effective Use of Paraprofessionals
01:01:32 Curriculum and Instructional Materials
01:03:51 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
More Education podcasts
Trending Education podcasts
About Teaching Literacy Podcast
Bridging literacy research and practice. Hosted by Jake Downs.
Podcast websiteListen to Teaching Literacy Podcast, The Rich Roll Podcast and many other podcasts from around the world with the radio.net app

Get the free radio.net app
- Stations and podcasts to bookmark
- Stream via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth
- Supports Carplay & Android Auto
- Many other app features
Get the free radio.net app
- Stations and podcasts to bookmark
- Stream via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth
- Supports Carplay & Android Auto
- Many other app features


Teaching Literacy Podcast
Scan code,
download the app,
start listening.
download the app,
start listening.
Teaching Literacy Podcast: Podcasts in Family

































