Leah Mermelstein talks about her latest work in promoting reading/writing connections: An Interview conducted by Dr. Sam Bommarito

I’ve known Leah for a couple of decades. She has had a stellar professional career. My last interview with her was carried out several years ago when her book We Do Writing was first published. A lot has happened since then. She provides professional development for teachers, nationally and internationally. She is a go-to person for implementing instruction based on the reading/writing connections. For me, she epitomizes what I look for in folks taking a centrist point of view. As you will see in the interview, she discusses the pros and cons of different positions folks are taking regarding best ways to teach literacy. She talks about both the strengths and weaknesses of those positions. She does so through a teacher’s perspective, giving concrete advice about how teachers can help their students develop the wide range of literacy skills and strategies they need. She does so with research-based, easy-to-follow teaching moves. She provides a treasure trove of reading resources for teachers. Before looking at what she had to say in the interview, let’s look at Leah’s biography.

Biography

Leah Mermelstein is a literacy thought leader, published author, and passionate writing, reading, and language development authority.

For the past 25 years she has provided professional development for teachers, nationally and internationally, translating literacy research and data into successful and impactful classroom application. Leah helps teachers connect the learning dots so students realize and reach their full potential.

Leah holds a Master’s in Cultural Diversity and Curriculum Reform and a Bachelor’s of Science in Education from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She’s a graduate of the Science of Reading Academy and is trained in Sounds-Write. She also earned a supervisory license from Rowan University. She has authored five instructional literacy books focused on deconstructing the reading and writing process and how to leverage reading to support writing and writing to support reading. Leah lives in Hoboken, New Jersey with her daughter. She can be reached at www.leahmermelstein.com or leah@leahmermelstein.com.

Now it is time to have a look at the interview. Here are the Talking Points from the Interview

Here is the YouTube interview:

Link to Leah’s book:  Leah’s Book

THE WE-DO MODEL

FOR INFORMATION ABOUT LEAH’S MANY RESOURCES– write me directly at bommaritosam@yahoo.com. Include the words “Leah’s Books & Services.” I will send you a PDF with links to Leah’s books, websites and other resources.

My thoughts about Leah’s work:

I’ve written many times about moving between the extreme views about teaching reading- exclusively synthetic phonics taught through direct instruction vs. no phonics or analytic phonics taught through discovery methods. I’ve long maintained that going to either of these extremes results in pendulum swings. That is because while each of these extremes meets the needs of some readers, neither meets the needs of all readers. Also, focusing mainly (sometimes exclusively) on how decoding is taught ignores the incredibly important issue of comprehension. A complete view of reading instruction must include both decoding and meaning-making. One needs to take elements from both extremes in order to do that. I think what Leah had to say in the interview clearly does that.

Instead of using a one-size-fits-all all approach with the schools she partners with, Leah uses a nuanced approach. With each partner, she carries on this dialogue, and they create programs based on research, including things they have learned from the national conversation. The end results of this dialogue vary. Some sites have adapted their workshop models, and some sites have changed models completely, and it’s worked for them. For me, the important takeaway here is that each site has created a research-based program for their district that works for them. Fortunately, Leah is working in states where this is still possible. An unfortunate development on the national scene is that in many states, one-size-fits-all programs are being mandated, and in some places, programs are being effectively banned despite the fact they work LINK. Leah’s path means that instead of clinging to one approach no matter what, Leah and her partners are open to nuanced dialogue about their programs. They are open to changing those programs when necessary. It seems to me that this path is much better than the path some states are now taking. That point is definitely a topic that will be explored further in future blog posts.

I was also impressed by the fact that Leah’s thoughts around current issues in literacy, issues like the use of decodables, recognize that we must listen to and act on what ALL the research is showing us about such materials. Rather than rejecting decodables out of hand, as some do, she helps teachers find a path to use them. The examples she uses in the interview clearly demonstrate how applying ideas around the concepts of a set for variability and self-teaching theory clearly impacted the practices of the teachers she works with. Her focus on watching the impact the program being developed is having on students is one that is well worth considering. I would add that her approach allows programs to be tailored to fit the local populations and doing that is the key to why Leah and her partners are successful in what they do. They do take the time to find out the answers to the questions she is always asking her teachers:

1. What students are learning? (How do we know)
2. What are their confusions?
3. What can we do to untangle those confusions?

I want to highlight something Leah said at 13:09 on the YouTube recording. She said, “That’s something I’ve always known since I was a baby teacher- that students don’t have to learn everything explicitly. They need to learn enough to figure out the rest through reading and writing.”

In conclusion, we should all consider Leah’s idea of dialoguing instead of fighting. The nuanced path to literacy she and her partners are on includes something I’ve long been advocating- Use all the research. Give control back to the districts. Allow districts to use what they learn to develop programs that best serve their kids. After all, they know their students the best. Dare to dream!

So until next week- Happy Reading AND WRITING!

Dr. Sam (the guy in the middle happily taking flak from both sides)

Copyright 2024 by Dr. Sam Bommarito. Views/interpretations expressed here are solely this author’s view and do not necessarily reflect the views of any other person or organization.

Dr. Danny Brassel talks about bringing joy back into education & the teaching of reading. An Interview with Dr. Sam Bommarito

.

Introduction

I first met Dr. Danny Brassel at the Write to Learn Conference several years ago. He is the kind of speaker teachers look for at such conferences- the kind that gives you things you can use on Monday when you get back from the conference. He was both entertaining and informative. I noticed on social media that he had just written a new book and has been championing the cause of bringing joy back into the teaching of reading. I was thrilled when he agreed to be interviewed about his newest endeavors in this area. Let’s take a quick look at his biography.

BIOGRAPHY

Here is the YouTube VIDEO of the interview:

Free gifts from Danny.Com LINK.

Link to Danny’s newest book, Bringing JOY Back into Education

 LINK

My thoughts about this interview:

When I do my conference presentations, I often bill them as the “land of a thousand takeaways.” Teachers need ideas and the resources to carry out those ideas. Danny’s interview perfectly exemplifies the “land of a thousand takeaways.”

His core ideas are simple enough. If you want students to read, give them books (comic books, magazines, short stories) about things that are meaningful to them. Choose the things in which they have the most interest. Find the time to include those in your daily teaching routine. He has given us a treasure trove of such stories by giving us a free PDF copy of his book Read, Lead and Succeed. I can’t wait for his soon-to-be-released as yet unnamed book to come out. In it, he has promised to give us high-interest stories about a more diverse group of people. As a teacher who has worked with grades K-graduate school, I recognize that teachers of the youngest students may need different kinds of short passages. I would look to resources from folks like Tim Rasinski LINK. In the past few weeks, I’ve been exploring the value of songs, poems and nursery rhymes as sources for daily read-alouds. Included is the practice of using a daily read-aloud of materials with short, high-interest passages that pack a lot of bang for the buck. This practice can easily supplement any reading program.

I especially enjoyed Danny’s explaining the conditions necessary to create new habits. In point of fact it takes an average of 67 exposures to establish a new habit. He also wants teachers and students to establish reading habits daily. He also points out the major benefit of reading self-selected materials for at least 20 minutes daily. Such readings need not be consecutive minutes. All this leads to the possibility of implementing such time as “sponge activities,” meaning that teachers can fit such activities into time during the day that might otherwise be wasted. Last week, I gave the example of having passages ready to read aloud in case a class cuts in front of you at the lunch line. That can happen sometimes.

I would also urge readers to explore Danny’s five-day reading challenge for parents. It is full of easy-to-implement ideas that will help their children develop daily reading habits. One example of such an idea is to have parents turn on close captioning on their TV. He talks about how successful that idea has been in places like Finland.

Over the next few weeks, I will continue to explore the idea of bringing joy back into the teaching of reading. Next up will be an interview with Leah Mermelstein. I think she will provide another treasure trove of teaching ideas. I’ll leave you with this thought. Meaning matters. It is important that the content of materials we use to teach reading is meaningful. I urge teachers to ensure that this is the case for as many of your materials as possible and to take advantage of the practice of including supplemental high-interest materials. So, until next week:

Happy Reading and Writing.  

Dr. Sam Bommarito (aka, the guy in the middle taking flak from all sides)

Copyright 2024 by Dr. Sam Bommarito. Views/interpretations expressed here are solely this author’s and do not necessarily reflect the views of any other person or organization.

David Harrison and Dr. Georgia Heard discuss their innovative work using poetry to develop students’ fluency and comprehension. An Interview with Dr. Sam Bommarito

.Introduction

Today’s interview continues the discussion about using poetry as a gateway to both comprehension and fluency. Two well-known experts in poetry, David Harrison and Dr. Georiga Heard talk about the nuts and bolts of how teachers can do that. Let’s first look at their biographies.

BIOGRAPHIES

David L. Harrison

David is Missouri’s 7^th Poet Laureate. He writes for all ages, including poetry, fiction, and nonfiction for young readers and classroom books for educators. His 110 titles have sold millions of copies worldwide, been anthologized more than 200 times, and translated into a dozen languages. David Harrison Elementary School is named for him as well as a conference room in Springfield’s main library. Among his numerous awards are The Christopher Medal, Pioneer in Education for distinguished service to public education, and Laura Ingalls Wilder Award for Children’s Literature. Two of his books have represented Missouri at the National Book Fair in Washington, D.C. He was one of six poets selected by the N.Y.C. Public Library System as 2020’s best books of children’s poetry. National Council for Teachers of English has five times chosen his work for its,”Most Notable Books of Poetry for Children.” He has two degrees in science and two honorary doctorates in letters. He is Drury University’s poet laureate and hosts a weekly newspaper column, Poetry from Daily Life. David has new books with four publishers due out this year. He lives with his wife Sandy in Springfield. His website link is http://davidlharrison.com .

Georgia Heard                                                

Georgia Heard, recipient of the 2023 NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children, is the author of over 20 books, including a range of children’s books as well as resources for teachers. Her children’s books include Welcome to the Wonder House (co-authored with Rebecca Kai Dotlich), My Thoughts Are Clouds: Poems for Mindfulness and Boom! Bellow! Bleat! Animal Poems for Two Or More Voices. Her books have been recognized with honors such as the Lee Bennett Hopkins Award, the CCBC Choice Awards, Bank Street Best Children’s Book of the Year, NCTE Notable Children’s Books and Junior Library Guild Selections. She is also a literacy expert in the field of teaching writing and has published numerous books including Awakening the Heart: Exploring Poetry in K-8 (second edition) which was cited by Instructor Magazine as one of the 12 Books Every Teacher Should Read and Heart Maps®: Helping Students Create and Craft Authentic Writing about which she gave a TEDx talk on Mapping Your Heart LINK.

Georgia Heard received her M.F.A. in writing from Columbia University is a founding member of the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project in New York City where she spent fifteen years teaching writing to children from kindergarten to adults and coaching teachers in the New York City public schools. She is the founder of The Poet’s Studio (www.ThePoetsStudio) an online writing workshop platform for teachers and writers and lives in South Florida with her family. You can learn more about Georgia at her website: www.georgiaheard.com and follow her on X and Instagram: @georgiaheard1.

Here is the YouTube VIDEO of the interview:

My thoughts about this interview:

I’ll begin by discussing information I came across during my recent interview with Tim Rasinski and Lynne Kulich. One of the studies they reported on indicated that the mean effect size for meta-analyses on repeated reading is .76, which is quite large. To put those results in context, the National Reading Panel found a mean effect size of .44 for systematic phonics and that finding has been used as the main scientific evidence for systematic phonics instruction ever since. So, in my opinion, repeated reading and the educational practices surrounding repeated reading are well worth implementing, especially since the effect size for those practices have been found to be almost double that of systematic phonics.

One of the issues with implementing repeated reading is identifying teaching practices that teachers can use to scaffold students into wanting to read and then reread and reread. Poetry is especially suited to achieve that end. It is meaning-rich. Poems are often short, making them great candidates for inclusion in literacy lessons. Poems are perfect when we want students to read to perform. This is where experts in the creation and use of poetry, like David and Georgia, can give us teaching tips on how we can help our students improve their fluency and comprehension. Let’s review some of the points they made during the interview.

Don’t tie poems to a chair and beat them to death.

Do invite students to immerse themselves in poems.

Don’t turn poetry lessons into inquisitions requiring students to answer endless questions about things they find irrelevant.

Do use the open-ended questions suggested by Georgia to help your students interact with the poems they read.

Don’t take the joy out of reading and writing.

Do make helping your students find the joy in reading and writing a priority. Readers Theatre, writing their own poems, and reading to perform are all ways to help students develop a love of reading and writing.

Don’t underestimate the power of poetry.

Do take the time to read about how to use poetry effectively. Good starting points would be to find the teaching tips in books like Awakening the Heart: Exploring Poetry in K-8 (second edition) LINK and The Fluency Development Lesson: Closing the Reading Gap Professional Development Book  LINK.

Remember that I am not saying we should ignore the research around systematic phonics. I am saying we need to add to that research. Teachers of older readers are often looking for things to help their students acquire and use the knowledge of sound-symbol relations they need. When I speak to them at conferences like Write to Learn in Missouri, I often tell them not to forget the power of repeated reading, the use of poetry and the use of readers theatre. I’ll have much more to say about that in the future. Be on the lookout for the Missouri Reader’s upcoming special edition about using poetry to enhance literacy instruction.  

For now- Happy Reading and Writing

Dr. Sam Bommarito (aka, the guy in the middle taking flak from all sides)

Copyright 2024 by Dr. Sam Bommarito. Views/interpretations expressed here are solely this author’s and do not necessarily reflect the views of any other person or organization.

For links to other material mentioned during the interview, please e-mail me at bommaritosam@yahoo.com. Include the words Harris & Heard resources in the subject of the e-mail.

Dr Sam is on the road- the blog will resume next week.