Bonus Episode

In this episode, Melissa and Lori sit down with Freddy Hiebert, founder of Text Project, to dive deep into the critical role texts play in reading instruction. They explore how the types of texts provided to students not only shape their reading practice but also influence their self-perception as readers.

Freddy shares her expertise on understanding text features and the vital role of repetition in vocabulary acquisition. The conversation highlights how background knowledge supports comprehension and the thoughtful development of decodable texts to support early readers.

They also discuss exciting advancements like the use of AI for generating reading materials and the importance of designing engaging, relevant texts for middle and high school students.

Freddy unpacks the significance of morphological families, polysemy, and semantic mapping, stressing how teachers must grasp these complexities to support deeper word learning and understanding. She underscores the importance of offering students a diverse “text diet” to build vocabulary and comprehension skills.

Listeners will come away with fresh insights on creating engaging texts for diverse learners and innovative strategies for vocabulary teaching that combine context, repetition, and thoughtful text design.

Visit TextProject.org for more info.

We answer your questions about teaching reading in The Literacy 50-A Q&A Handbook for Teachers: Real-World Answers to Questions About Reading That Keep You Up at Night.

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