In this first episode of Season Three, Jennifer Ewing begins the “application and coaching” phase of The Foundations of Reading Audio Guide. This episode focuses on Objective 0010 of the official test framework—analyzing foundational reading skills and writing strong open-response answers.

Teachers will learn how to interpret student data, identify strengths and needs, and select effective, evidence-based instructional strategies that match what the test scorers are looking for. Jennifer walks through multiple real-world examples, models complete open-response essays, and explains what earns points on the rubric—without overcomplicating the process.

This extended session is practical, detailed, and encouraging. Whether you’re a first-time test taker or reviewing before exam day, you’ll leave knowing how to break down student performance and justify your instructional choices with clarity and confidence.

This episode aligns to Objective 0010 of the Foundations of Reading test framework and is part of The Foundations of Reading Audio Guide—raw, real, and ready.

In this final episode of Season Two, Jenn Ewing walks listeners through the most essential terms and concepts from the Foundations of Reading exam. Designed as a comprehensive audio study guide, this episode defines and explains the key ideas that appear across all four domains, from phonemic awareness and phonics to comprehension, fluency, and assessment.

Whether you’re reviewing on your commute, organizing your classroom, or taking a quiet moment to study, this is the episode to come back to again and again. Each definition is explained in plain language with examples and connections to real classroom practice.

Jenn also closes the season with a heartfelt reflection on the hard work teachers do every day, a few words of encouragement for test takers, and a preview of what’s to come in Season Three—focused application, open-response coaching, and real classroom scenarios.

This is The Foundations of Reading Audio Guide—raw, real, and ready.

In this episode, we break down the most intimidating part of the Foundations of Reading test- the open-response section, worth 20% of your score. Together, we walk through how to think like a reading specialist using a simple formula: Identify, Explain, Apply. You’ll hear real examples, practical strategies, and a calm reminder that you already do this work every day in your classroom. sss this exam with confidence. This podcast is completely raw and unedited, recorded after long days, because like many of you, I’m balancing teaching, my own children, a second job, and pure exhaustion. YOU'VE GOT THIS! We are raw, we are real, and we are ready!!

In this episode, Jenn brings the focus to the heart of reading—comprehension. After weeks of building the layers of sound, symbol, fluency, and vocabulary, this conversation brings it all together in a way that feels both personal and practical.

Through thoughtful reflection and classroom insight, Jenn explores how readers move beyond decoding words to truly making meaning from text. From background knowledge and vocabulary to active engagement and strategy use, this episode highlights the intentional teaching that turns reading into understanding.

If you’ve been following along through the Foundations of Reading journey, this one will remind you why it all matters. Teaching reading is teaching children to make sense of their world, one story, one strategy, one brave moment at a time.

Real. Raw. And Ready.

Today’s episode is going to be a short one. We’re starting our conversation on vocabulary, one of the five pillars of reading. Think of this as a quick, focused study session — the essentials you need for the Foundations of Reading exam and the big ideas you’ll want to carry into your classroom. Later this week, we’ll come back for a full deep dive, but for now, let’s ground ourselves in what vocabulary really is, why it matters, and the strategies that make the biggest difference.

In this extended episode, we take a deep dive into fluency- the essential bridge between phonics and comprehension. Together, we’ll explore the three pillars of fluency: accuracy, automaticity, and prosody. You’ll hear classroom examples (with hypothetical names only to protect student privacy), practical strategies from UFLI routines to Reader’s Theater, and clear guidance on what the Foundations of Reading exam expects you to know. This episode is real, raw, and ready — a blend of test prep and encouragement for teachers navigating the challenges of balancing classrooms, families, and life. Have a great day! Jenn

I’ll start with a picture. This morning, I sat with a group of kinders at the U-table for UFLI. We had our review deck in hand. Card after card, clean sounds: /s/, /a/, /t/. Then I slid a blending line across the pocket chart: sat, sap, sip, Sam. They labored through it, finger under each sound, voices halting. “Ssss…aaah…t.” A victory, yes. But also a reminder — they weren’t fluent yet.