Shows
Literacy ListensEpisode 13 Literacy Listens: A Multicomponent ApproachEpisode 13: A Multicomponent Approach
In the final episode of Literacy Listens, Amber and Brian discuss why listening comprehension cannot be addressed through a single strategy. Drawing on research and classroom examples, they outline a multicomponent approach that integrates lower- and higher-level listening comprehension skills.
The episode brings the series full circle by connecting theory to instructional decision making.
Key Takeaways
Listening comprehension consists of multiple interacting skills.
Vocabulary, grammar and syntax, inference, perspective taking, reasoning, comprehension monitoring, text structure awareness, and knowledge work together.
Strengthening one component supports others through indirect pathways.
Instruction should address multiple s...
2026-01-0809 minLiteracy ListensEpisode 12 Literacy Listens: Supporting Multilingual Learners Through Listening ComprehensionEpisode 12: Supporting Multilingual Learners Through Listening Comprehension
In this episode of Literacy Listens, Amber and Brian examine how listening comprehension supports multilingual learners as they develop language and literacy skills. They discuss why listening is a critical entry point for language development and how skills transfer across languages.
The episode emphasizes strengths multilingual learners bring to comprehension and the importance of intentional supports.
Key Takeaways
Listening comprehension is foundational for multilingual learners acquiring English.
Listening typically develops before speaking and provides access to rich language input.
Many language and comprehension skills transfer across languages.
Multilingual learners...
2026-01-0708 minLiteracy ListensEpisode 11 Literacy Listens: Assessing Listening ComprehensionEpisode 11:Assessing Listening Comprehension
In this episode, Amber and Brian focus on why and how listening comprehension should be assessed alongside word reading. They explain what listening comprehension assessments should measure, how they differ from reading comprehension assessments, and why early identification of listening comprehension needs is critical.
Listeners learn how assessment can inform instruction and help teachers better understand student strengths and needs.
Key Takeaways
Listening comprehension should be assessed using oral text, not written text.
Assessing listening comprehension helps identify students who may read fluently but struggle to understand.
Strong assessments examine...
2026-01-0510 minLiteracy ListensEpisode 10 Literacy Listens: Zooming Out: What We’ve Learned About Listening ComprehensionEpisode 10: Zooming Out: What We’ve Learned About Listening Comprehension
In this episode of Literacy Listens, Amber and Brian pause to synthesize the big ideas from Episodes 1 through 9. Rather than introducing new content, this episode helps listeners step back and see how the components of listening comprehension fit together as a coherent system.
They revisit the idea that listening comprehension is hierarchical, interactive, and dynamic, and explain how foundational language skills and higher-level comprehension processes work together to support meaning making across development.
Key Takeaways
Listening comprehension is not a single skill but a network of in...
2026-01-0507 minLiteracy ListensEpisode 9 Literacy Listens: The Role of KnowledgeEpisode 9: The Role of Knowledge
In this episode of Literacy Listens, Amber and Brian explore knowledge building and its essential role in listening comprehension and reading development.
They explain how knowledge supports comprehension by giving students context for what they hear and read, and how listening comprehension is also one of the primary ways students build knowledge. Using clear examples and research grounded explanations, the episode shows why comprehension depends not only on skills like word reading and vocabulary, but also on what students already know about the world.
Key Takeaways
Knowledge plays a critical role i...
2026-01-0507 minLiteracy ListensEpisode 8 Literacy Listens: Organizing Meaning — Text Structure AwarenessEpisode 8 Literacy Listens: Organizing Meaning — Text Structure Awareness
In this episode of Literacy Listens, Amber and Brian explore text structure awareness, a higher-level listening comprehension skill that helps students organize ideas, follow the logic of a text, and build coherent meaning from what they hear.
They explain how text structure supports comprehension by helping students recognize patterns such as problem and solution, cause and effect, and sequence. Through classroom examples and clear metaphors, the episode shows how noticing structure turns listening into an active meaning making process rather than passive hearing.
Key Takeaways
Text st...
2026-01-0506 minLiteracy ListensEpisode 7 Literacy Listens: Noticing When Meaning Breaks Down — Comprehension MonitoringEpisode 7: Noticing When Meaning Breaks Down — Comprehension Monitoring
In this episode of Literacy Listens, Amber and Brian explore comprehension monitoring, a higher-level listening comprehension skill that helps students notice when something does not make sense and take action to repair meaning.
Through classroom examples and everyday scenarios, they explain how comprehension monitoring shows up naturally in listening and why oral language is a powerful space for developing this skill. The conversation highlights how students learn to pause, question, and rethink meaning when ideas do not line up, and how these habits support later independent reading....
2026-01-0506 minLiteracy ListensEpisode 6 Literacy Listens: Inference, Perspective Taking, and Reasoning — Unlocking Deeper UnderstandingEpisode 6: Inference, Perspective Taking, and Reasoning — Unlocking Deeper Understanding
In this episode of Literacy Listens, Amber and Brian explore three interconnected higher-level listening comprehension skills: inference, perspective taking, and reasoning.
Using everyday examples and a detective metaphor, they show how students construct meaning when ideas are not stated directly. The conversation highlights how students gather clues from what they hear, draw on background knowledge, and use reasoning to connect ideas, understand others’ thoughts and motivations, and make sense of deeper meaning.
Grounded in research curated by Read Charlotte, this episode explains how these skills develop, how...
2026-01-0506 minLiteracy ListensEpisode 5 Literacy Listens: Building the Foundation — Vocabulary, Grammar, and SyntaxEpisode 5 Literacy Listens: Building the Foundation — Vocabulary, Grammar, and Syntax
In this episode of Literacy Listens, Amber and Brian focus on the foundational language skills that sit at the base of listening comprehension: vocabulary, grammar, and syntax.
Through classroom examples and practical teaching moves, they explore how students can hear the same sentence yet struggle for very different reasons and why these lower-level language skills are essential for comprehension. The conversation highlights how intentional instruction and rich language experiences help students build the foundation that makes higher-level comprehension skills possible.
Key Takeaways
Vocabulary, grammar, and syntax ar...
2026-01-0505 minLiteracy ListensEpisode 4 Literacy Listens: Unpacking Listening Comprehension — An Orchestra of SkillsEpisode 4: Inside Listening Comprehension — An Orchestra of Skills
In this episode of Literacy Listens, Amber and Brian zoom in on listening comprehension, one of the two central pillars in Dr. Young-Suk Grace Kim’s Direct and Indirect Effects Model of Reading (DIER).
Using classroom examples and a musical metaphor, they explore listening comprehension as a dynamic system of interconnected language skills—not a single ability—and explain why these skills deserve explicit, sustained attention from the very beginning of reading instruction and beyond.
Listeners will hear how vocabulary, grammar, inference, reasoning, perspective-taking, comprehension monitoring, and text structure awareness work together to suppo...
2026-01-0507 minLiteracy ListensEpisode 3 Literacy Listens - Why Comprehension Is So ComplexIn this episode of Literacy Listens, Amber and Brian explore why reading comprehension is more complex than it often appears and why that complexity matters for instruction.
Building on the Simple View of Reading, they introduce Dr. Young Suk Grace Kim’s Direct and Indirect Effects Model of Reading (DIER) to show how multiple skills work together to support comprehension. Through classroom examples and clear explanations, the episode unpacks how word reading, listening comprehension, and a range of supporting skills interact to shape students’ understanding of text.
This conversation helps educators move beyond a linear view...
2026-01-0508 minLiteracy ListensEpisode 2 Literacy Listens From Shallow to Deep — What Good Comprehension Looks LikeWelcome back to Literacy Listens, the podcast where we dive into all things listening comprehension and its powerful role in literacy development. In this episode, Amber and Brian, unpack what “deep” comprehension looks like. Using the example of student understanding of a classic tale, they contrast literal recall with deeper, inferential comprehension. Listeners will learn how to guide students from surface-level understanding into deeper waters, where they connect text to their own knowledge and experiences.
Key Takeaways
What is Deep Comprehension?
The ability to make inferences and connections beyond literal text
Invo...
2025-11-0608 minLiteracy ListensEpisode 1 Literacy Listens Introduction to Listening ComprehensionLiteracy Listens - Episode 1: Introduction to Listening Comprehension: Explore the crucial role listening comprehension plays in literacy development. This episode highlights why this often-overlooked skill is one of the strongest predictors of reading success and how it allows children to engage with complex ideas long before they can decode written words.
Key Takeaways
What is Listening Comprehension?
The ability to understand spoken language at the discourse level
More than just isolated words or sentences - it's about making sense of connected language
Why Listening Comprehension Matters
One of the strongest predictors of...
2025-11-0607 min
Truth Reveal PodcastBack to SchoolSend us a textToday on Truth Reveal, we will discuss the upcoming challenges facing parents and teachers as we prepare for the 20-21 school year in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis. To help in this discussion, we welcome LaTonia R. Laws, a mother and educator with the Charlotte Mecklenburg County Public School system.Sources:nsjonline.comStudent Learning Resources: (Pre-K to 6th grade)MathKhan Academy: https://www.khanacademy.org/Splash Learn: https://www.splashlearn.com/Greg Tang M...
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