In this final episode of Real, Raw and Ready, Jenn brings Season One to a thoughtful close. This episode reflects on what this season of learning was meant to be, honors the listeners who showed up along the way, and offers clear, practical reminders for the Foundations of Reading exam, especially the open-response writing portion.

Jenn reviews the key elements strong written responses should always include, such as identifying student strengths and needs, selecting aligned instructional strategies, and clearly explaining why those strategies are effective. The episode ends by sharing what comes next: a future podcast that will offer more structured, systematic instruction for exam preparation.

This episode is a pause, a reflection, and a completion that is grounded in gratitude, growth, and confidence moving forward.

If this podcast supported you in any way, Jenn would love to hear from you.
You can reach out at essentialfoundationearlylearning@yahoo.com.

Thank you for listening, learning, and being part of this season.

I got pretty emotional in this last episode! I am SO PROUD OF YOU ALL!

This episode takes a clear and practical look at Objective 0011 and explains how assessment guides effective reading instruction. Listeners learn the purpose of screening, diagnostic, progress monitoring, and outcome assessments, along with how to interpret student errors and choose the next best instructional step. Through steady explanations and real classroom examples, this episode prepares you to match assessment results with targeted instruction on the Foundations of Reading exam and in everyday teaching. Real. Raw. Ready.

In this episode we take a clear, practical look at Objective 0010 and explore how writing supports and strengthens reading comprehension. You will hear why writing deepens understanding, how written responses reveal misconceptions, and how writing gives students the same cognitive practice strong readers use every day. With simple explanations and real classroom examples, this episode prepares you to recognize the strongest writing-based strategies on the Foundations of Reading exam and apply them confidently in your own classroom. Real. Raw. Ready.

This is the chapter you didn’t know you needed. In this special episode, we step out of the instruction and into the story of your own growth. No lists. No drills. Just a clear, honest look at how far you’ve come and what you’ve been building inside yourself along the way. You’ll hear the journey of learning to read from a new perspective, one that reveals the strength, resilience, and neurological gains you’ve been developing one episode at a time. This is the moment you pause, breathe, and recognize the climb you’ve made before we take the next step together. Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!
Real. Raw. Ready.

This special episode is a deep, flowing recap of everything we’ve learned so far on our Foundations of Reading journey. It’s not a conclusion, it’s a milestone. A moment to pause, breathe, and connect all the skills, strategies, and insights that build confident readers and even more confident teachers. Together, we revisit the full arc of reading development, from oral language to comprehension, and explore how each piece fits together in real classrooms and on the Foundations of Reading exam. This is your all-in-one clarity boost before we move ahead into even more application and practice.
Real. Raw. Ready.

In this episode, we take a quick, deep, and easier-to-understand look at vocabulary for the Foundations of Reading exam. You’ll learn how to use morphology, context clues, and semantic relationships to build strong word knowledge. This episode keeps everything simple, clear, and test ready so you can feel confident about Objective 0009.

In this unedited, in-depth episode of The Foundations of Reading Audio Guide, Jenn explores how vocabulary development serves as the bridge between word recognition and true comprehension. Using real classroom examples and test-style scenarios, she unpacks what the Foundations of Reading exam expects teachers to understand about vocabulary instruction.

Listeners will learn how to:

• Choose the right words to teach and explain them in student-friendly ways

• Apply explicit, contextual, and morphological instruction that builds meaning

• Strengthen oral language as the foundation for comprehension

• Analyze student work and respond instructionally — the way the exam expects

Whether you’re preparing for the Foundations of Reading test or refining your classroom practice, this episode connects theory to application and helps you reason through the kinds of vocabulary questions you’ll face on test day.

Framework Tie-In: Objective 0008 – Understand Vocabulary Development

In this episode of The Foundations of Reading Audio Guide, we explore how readers move beyond word recognition and vocabulary into true comprehension. Drawing from classroom practice and test-style examples, she breaks down what Objective 0009: Understand How Comprehension Develops really means on the Foundations of Reading exam.

Listeners will learn how to:

• Identify and teach text structures that support comprehension

• Model comprehension strategies before, during, and after reading

• Strengthen background knowledge and language understanding

• Diagnose comprehension challenges and choose the right instructional response

By connecting explicit instruction with real classroom language, this episode helps teachers and test-takers see how comprehension develops step-by-step—from thinking about words to thinking about meaning.