Listening Guides

Our Listening Guides are designed to accompany each podcast episode. They highlight key ideas, major takeaways, and reflection questions to help you connect the conversation directly to your classroom and instruction.

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Vocabulary

Students can’t comprehend what they don’t understand. This guide highlights research-backed routines and instructional moves that help vocabulary stick.

Vocabulary Listening Guide

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Writing

Ever notice how kids remember more when they write it down? Writing gives students space to process ideas, build vocabulary, and strengthen comprehension. This guide shares easy routines that make writing a natural, meaningful part of every day.

Writing Playlist

Writing Listening Guide

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Fluency

When students read with accuracy, appropriate pace, and expression, they free up cognitive space for comprehension. These episodes focus on practical, manageable routines teachers can use to support fluency every day.

Fluency Listening Guide

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Phonemic Awareness

Phonemic awareness plays a critical role in reading and spelling. These episodes help clarify what it includes, why it matters, and how brief, intentional routines can fit naturally into daily instruction.

Phonemic Awareness Listening Guide

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Small-Group Instruction

Small-group instruction gives teachers time and space to respond to students’ specific needs. We created this guide to bring together episodes that explore how to use small groups intentionally and responsively to support learning.

Small-Group Instruction Listening Guide

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Comprehension

Comprehension develops through the interaction between the reader, the text, and the purpose for reading. We hope this guide supports thoughtful decision-making around comprehension instruction by centering rich texts and knowledge-building.

Comprehension Essentials Listening Guide

Multisyllabic Word Reading

Multisyllabic word reading develops as students learn to break words into meaningful parts and apply flexible strategies to read them. We hope this guide supports thoughtful decision-making by helping teachers build students’ accuracy, fluency, and confidence with longer, more complex words.

Multisyllabic Word Reading Listening Guide

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Academic Talk

Talking deepens understanding. When students learn to share their thinking, listen to each other, and grow their language, they’ll grow their knowledge. Inside you’ll find practical routines to spark rich conversations and deeper comprehension.

Academic Talk Playlist

Academic Talk Listening Guide

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Phonics

Phonics is the foundation for skilled reading. This guide highlights research-backed routines and practical instructional moves that help students build decoding skills, apply them in reading and writing, and grow into strong readers.

Phonics Listening Guide