In this episode, Susan Lambert chats with ReadWorks Chief Academic Officer Susanne Nobles, Ph.D., to explore the organization's mission of making high-quality texts free and accessible to all. Together, they discuss ReadWorks’ Article-A-Day program, which offers articles to build students' knowledge and vocabulary while supporting teachers with resources that promote topical coherence. Susanne shares insights into why text quality matters, including that kids know when text isn’t worth their time and attention. She also details how ReadWorks ensures the quality of their materials, describes the Spanish-English texts they’ve introduced to support multilingual/English learners, and offers advice for listeners thinking about text quality and cohesion.

Show notes:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susannenobles/.
• ReadWorks Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/readworks/?hl=en

Quotes:
“I have a fear that too much decoding practice can become ‘Why am I reading?’ We lose the ultimate point of why all of us read, which is to learn and to gain meaning.” —Susanne Nobles

“Kids know when a text is worth their time.” —Susanne Nobles

“We want to put a great book in a kid's hands and have them get excited about reading and therefore get good at reading. And it really goes the other way. And so it's once you build that ability to read, then that excitement comes with reading.” —Susanne Nobles

Episode timestamps
02:00 Introduction: Who is Susanne Nobles?
04:00 Overview of ReadWorks
10:00 Article-A-Day Program
12:00 Importance of Topical Coherence
13:00 Why knowledge is important to reading
16:00 Introduction to Decodables
19:00 Text Quality and Evaluation
24:00 Supporting Multilingual Learners
29:00 Audio and Accessibility
33:00 Final Thoughts and Conclusion
*Timestamps are approximate, rounded to nearest minute

On this episode of the podcast, Lori Josephson joins Susan to talk about her new book Calling All Neurons! How Reading and Spelling Happen. Lori discusses her journey into literacy and how she saw the need for an accessible, digestible book about the brain science behind learning to read — one that would be enjoyable for adults and students alike. Lori explains what a neuron is and shows how understanding neural networks is essential to understanding learning to read. She also delves into the importance of getting everyone in a student’s life involved in their literacy development. Lori and Susan also answer some listener-submitted questions, prompting discussions on how to help older elementary students who lack foundational skills and advice for educators who work with students with significant cognitive disabilities.

Show notes:

• Submit your literacy questions for a chance to win!
• Book: Calling All Neurons! How Reading and Spelling Happen
• Connect with Lori:
  • Website: lorijosephson.com
  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lori-josephson/
  • X: @lorijosephson2
  • Facebook: Lori Josephson
  • Instagram: @calling_all_neurons
• Read: Towards a dynamic, comprehensive conceptualization of dyslexia
• Dr. Nancy Young's Ladder of Reading
• Watch: Lori Josephson on the Facebook group Science of Reading—What I Should Have Learned in College

Quotes:
“I firmly believe that no matter how old you are, you still need to learn the same information.” —Lori Josephson

“In my mind, I use this equation. Knowledge equals motivation, equals active learning, equals resilience, equals success.” —Lori Josephson

“Creating a literate brain is a team sport. Everyone needs to be involved. The parents, caregivers, teachers—they need to be engaged in an interactive way.” —Lori Josephson

“Literacy is a civil right. It's also a gift. It's an opportunity to share thoughts, feelings with others that can be revisited and saved.” —Lori Josephson

Timestamps
02:00 Introduction: Lori Josephson and her Journey into Literacy
05:00 The Motivation Behind 'Calling All Neurons'
08:00 Understanding Neurons and Neural Networks
15:00 The Reciprocal Process of Reading and Spelling
20:00 The Influence of the Cerebellum in Reading
21:00 Unique Aspects of the Book
25:00 Addressing Foundational Skills in Older Students
30:00 Supporting Students with Cognitive Disabilities
31:00 The Importance of Literacy and Empathy
33:00 Final Thoughts
*Timestamps are approximate, rounded to nearest minute

In this episode Susan Lambert is joined by Hugh Catts, Ph.D., professor at Florida State University, to break down what comprehension is and bust some myths around what it isn’t. With a family history of dyslexia, he has a personal connection to the topic that led him into research in language sciences and language disorders. He discusses how his findings moved him away from viewing comprehension as simply a “component of reading” but rather something entirely separate—a condition created over time, defined by purpose, and influenced by prior knowledge. Together, Susan and Hugh address many comprehension-related contexts, such as the simple view of reading, the five pillars of reading, and comprehension’s relationship to knowledge building. Hugh also gives listeners practical advice for helping students suss out their comprehension before reading, and he clarifies why understanding the standard of coherence is important.

Show notes:

• Submit your literacy questions for a chance to win!
• Read: Rethinking How to Promote Reading Comprehension by Hugh Catts
• Read: The Simple View of Reading: Advancements and False Impressions by Hugh Catts
• Follow Hugh on X: @CattsHugh

Quotes:
“If I was going to define comprehension, it's not a single thing. I mean, that's the problem. We want it to be a single thing, but it depends upon what you're reading and why you're reading it.” –Hugh Catts, Ph.D.

“What comprehension is is the interaction of what you bring into that reading situation and what you already know about it and your motivation and purpose to comprehend it.” –Hugh Catts, Ph.D.

“There's just not enough mental reserve to be able to build that meaning that quickly. So it helps tremendously that you have some knowledge about it beforehand. That knowledge gives you a place to put information. So when you read about something, it gives you storage for the information. It's kind of like a cubby hole that you put the mail in, in an office.” ––Hugh Catts, Ph.D.

Episode timestamps*
02:00 Introduction: Who is Hugh Catts?
03:00 Personal Connection to Dyslexia
07:00 Rethinking comprehension as a component of reading
11:00 Vocabulary and comprehension
15:00 Comprehension as a condition you create
16:00 Language comprehension and the simple view of reading
19:00 Differences in types of comprehension
26:00 What comprehension is and isn’t
32:00 Thinking deeply
39:00 Background knowledge and comprehension
42:00 Automatic inferencing
50:00 Final thoughts
*Timestamps are approximate, rounded to nearest minute