We all know the saying “when you know better, you do better.” But what happens when we know better…and still don’t see the needle move in reading outcomes?

In this episode of Literacy in Color, I sit down with Justin Browning, national literacy consultant and founder of SoR for More, to talk about the missing piece: implementation.

Justin draws from years of experience as a teacher, instructional coach, and systems-level consultant to show us how to move from information to transformation.

Key Takeaways:

• Why professional development often feels like “knowledge bombing”
• The dangers of compliance-driven training without follow-through
• How to shift from “know a lot, do a lot” to “learn a little, do a little”
• Why leadership needs vision, voice, and visibility to sustain change
• Practical strategies like micro-PD, flipped lab sites, and implementation teams
• The critical role of de-implementation in creating space for what matters most

If we want real change in reading outcomes, we can’t just play the game, we have to play to win.

Listen in to hear how schools and districts can create systems that move knowledge into action and ensure literacy success for all students.

Connect with Justin Browning:

• Website: http://www.sorformore.com
• Instagram: @sorformore_llc
• X: @sorformore
• LinkedIn
• Email: justin@sorformore.com

Connect with Me:

• Follow me on Instagram: @michelle_thecolorfulclassroom & @logosliteracyacademy
• Join our Facebook Community
• Sign up for my Newsletter
• Shop on TPT: The Colorful Classroom
• Visit: www.michelleandthecolorfulclassroom.com
• Join The COLORFUL Literacy Toolkit Membership

Interested in Learning More about Morphology?

• Take our Course: Mastering Morphology: Foundations for Every Educator

Have you ever had a student rattle off the sounds in a word—/b/… /a/… /t/, only to say “tab,” “balloon,” or even “chicken”? If so, you’re not alone. And here’s the thing: these blending errors aren’t always decoding issues. Often, they’re tied to working memory.

In this solo episode of Literacy in Color, we unpack why blending matters, what research tells us, and most importantly, practical scaffolds you can use tomorrow to support students who struggle.

Key Takeaways:

• The difference between Additive Sound-by-Sound Blending and Whole Word Blending
• Why connected phonation is more effective than traditional sound-by-sound blending (Gonzalez-Frey & Ehri, 2021)
• Several scaffolds to lighten the working memory load: reducing phonemes, continuous blending, backing up to phonemic awareness, and backward decoding, etc.
• How the gradual release of responsibility helps students build independence and automaticity
• The natural transition from oral → whisper → silent blending as students gain fluency

Connect with Me:

• Follow me on Instagram: @michelle_thecolorfulclassroom & @logosliteracyacademy
• Join our Facebook Community
• Sign up for my Newsletter
• Shop on TPT: The Colorful Classroom
• Visit: www.michelleandthecolorfulclassroom.com
• Join The COLORFUL Literacy Toolkit Membership

Interested in Learning More about Morphology?

• Take our Course: Mastering Morphology: Foundations for Every Educator

What if high-frequency words aren’t “irregular” after all?

In this episode of Literacy in Color, I sit down with Rebecca Loveless and Fiona Hamilton, co-authors of The High Frequency Word Project, to dig into the stories behind some of the most common words in English.

Too often, these little “function words” get handed to students on flashcards with the message: just memorize it. But Rebecca and Fiona show us that high-frequency words aren’t exceptions to the system, they have explanations. When we teach students the phonology, morphology, etymology, and meaning layers of these words, we give them logic, structure, and stories they can hold onto for life.

Key Takeaways:

• Why high-frequency words can be particularly tricky for students (and why function words often have “nebulous” meanings)
• The role of storytelling in making these words memorable, meaningful, and engaging
• How many high-frequency words trace back to Old English and what that history reveals about spelling today
• The difference between memorization and true orthographic mapping
• Practical classroom routines, like anchor–analyze–practice, tap spelling, and meaning games, that help students succeed

Whether you’ve ever wondered why “was” has an a, or why “know” keeps its silent k, this conversation will leave you empowered with strategies and stories to bring into your classroom.

Resources:

• Grab your copy of The High Frequency Word Project
• High Frequency Word Project Website
• High Frequency Word Project Facebook Page

This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you click on a link and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting the podcast!

Connect with Rebecca Loveless:

• Website: www.illuminatewords.com
• LinkedIn
• Email: rebecca@rebeccaloveless.com

Connect with Fiona Hamilton:

• Website: https://wordtorque.com
• LinkedIn
• Email: fiona@wordtorque.com

Connect with Me:

• Follow me on Instagram: @michelle_thecolorfulclassroom & @logosliteracyacademy
• Join our Facebook Community
• Sign up for my Newsletter
• Shop on TPT: The Colorful Classroom
• Visit: www.michelleandthecolorfulclassroom.com
• Join

In this pivotal episode of Literacy in Color, Michelle is joined by psychologist, professor, and reading researcher Dr. David Kilpatrick to untangle some hotly debated ideas surrounding phonemic awareness in the Science of Reading community.

This conversation isn’t about taking sides in the “with letters vs. without letters” debate. It’s about getting honest about what the research says, and more importantly, what our individual students truly need.

For most children, phonemic awareness develops naturally through phonics instruction. However, for others, particularly those with a phonological core deficit, explicit, oral-only phonemic awareness instruction can be critical.

Dr. Kilpatrick clarifies the National Reading Panel findings, unpacks common misinterpretations of his own work, and reminds us to focus on what matters most: meeting the needs of the learner in front of us.

Key Takeaways:

• How phonemic proficiency fuels orthographic mapping, which is essential for fluent word reading
• For typically developing readers, phonemic awareness develops through learning an alphabetic writing system (i.e. Phonemic Awareness with letters!)
• It’s beneficial to integrate phonemic awareness and phonics
• Students with phonological core deficits may need oral-only instruction, particularly in intervention settings
• Phonemic awareness tasks should only take a few minutes a day - they’re not meant to be long, isolated blocks
• What educators often get wrong about Kilpatrick’s work and what he wishes more people knew

Resources & References Mentioned:

• Look into Appendix F of the National Reading Panel
• Table of Types of PA Tasks
• Phoneme Manipulation Quotes Across the Decades
• WIAT-4 Phonemic Proficiency Results (Single Slide)
• Teaching Phonemic Awareness in 2024: A Guide for Educators
• Equipped for Reading Success by Dr. David Kilpatrick
• Essentials of Assessing, Preventing, and Overcoming Reading Difficulties by Dr. David Kilpatrick
• The PAST Tense
• Shanahan’s Blog: RIP to Advanced Phonemic Awareness (meaning the term should be abandoned)

This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you click on a link and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting the podcast!

Connect with Me:

• Follow me on Instagram: @michelle_thecolorfulclassroom & @logosliteracyacademy
• Join our

In this episode of Literacy in Color, Michelle sits down with THE Orton Gillingham Mama, Pryor Rayburn to take a deep dive into the hot-button world of sight words and high-frequency word instruction.

Pryor busts through common myths, clears up confusing terminology, and explores brain-based practices for teaching high frequency words through the lens of orthographic mapping. Whether you’ve relied on word lists, flashcards, or shape-based strategies in the past, this conversation will help you rethink your approach with evidence and intention.

Key Takeaways:

• What sight words, high-frequency words, heart words, and red words really mean
• Why memorization isn’t the goal—and how orthographic mapping is the key
• How to move beyond visual memory and shape-based cues
• The missing pieces in popular “heart word” methods—and how to fix them
• How to anchor meaning, teach irregular spellings, and bring context to every word
• Classroom-ready routines and tweaks for kinder through upper elementary

Resources Mentioned:

• Pryor’s Free Sight Words Quiz
• Pryor’s Sight Words Course: How to Quickly Teach (and Master) Sight Words

Connect with Pryor Rayburn:

• Website: www.OrtonGillinghamMama.com
• Instagram: @OrtonGillinghamMama
• Email: Pryor@OrtonGillinghamMama

Connect with Me:

• Follow me on Instagram: @michelle_thecolorfulclassroom & @logosliteracyacademy
• Join our Facebook Community
• Sign up for my Newsletter
• Shop on TPT: The Colorful Classroom
• Visit: www.michelleandthecolorfulclassroom.com
• Join The COLORFUL Literacy Toolkit Membership

Interested in Learning More about Morphology?

• Take our Course: Mastering Morphology: Foundations for Every Educator

In this episode, Michelle is joined by instructional coach and literacy specialist Shannon Moore of Moore Literacy Leaps to bust four major myths about progress monitoring in reading instruction.

Together, they tackle what progress monitoring really is (and what it’s not), how it fits into the MTSS framework, and why all students, not just those below grade level, deserve targeted goals and regular check-ins.

Whether you're a classroom teacher, reading interventionist, or coach trying to find your rhythm with data collection and student support, this episode will leave you feeling empowered and equipped.

Key Takeaways:

• The real definition of progress monitoring (hint: it’s simpler than you think!)
• How to avoid common mistakes and save time with smarter systems
• Why goal-setting and student ownership can change everything
• What to track, how often to assess, and where to begin
• Tools you can use right away to stay organized and proactive

Resources Mentioned:

• Shannon’s Reading Intervention Toolkit
• Shannon’s Progress Monitoring Tracking Sheet
• Shannon’s FREE Editable Reading Intervention Schedule Template

Connect with Shannon Moore:

• Instagram: @mooreliteracyleaps
• Website: https://www.mooreliteracyleaps.com/
• TPT Store: Moore Literacy Leaps

Connect with Me:

• Follow me on Instagram: @michelle_thecolorfulclassroom & @logosliteracyacademy
• Join our Facebook Community
• Sign up for my Newsletter
• Shop on TPT: The Colorful Classroom
• Visit: www.michelleandthecolorfulclassroom.com
• Join The COLORFUL Literacy Toolkit Membership

Interested in Learning More about Morphology?

• Take our Course: Mastering Morphology: Foundations for Every Educator

What does it really mean to be “set for variability”? In this episode, Michelle is joined by Jen Yagid and Wendy Darasz of Informed Literacy to break down this complex-sounding but classroom-friendly concept. Together, they demystify set for variability, explore its role in decoding, and share practical classroom examples.

If you’ve ever wondered how to support students in correcting their own mispronunciations or how to help them flex vowel sounds when the code doesn’t quite match the pronunciation, this episode is packed with practical tips and strategies.

Key Takeaways:

• What “set for variability” actually means (in teacher terms)
• Why strong decoding is the first step—and flexibility is the second
• When and how to support struggling readers using this approach
• How SSV differs from guessing or 3-cueing
• How to build flexibility through small-group cues, hand motions, and sentence context
• Why “the world is not decodable”—and what that means for our instruction

Resources Mentioned:

• Informed Literacy Blog Post: What is Set for Variability and Why is it Important?
• Informed Literacy Decodables: Jen & Wendy are offering a coupon code: COLOR2025 for one month (until September 2025) just for you! When you purchase a set of their hardcopy decodables, you will get our Supplemental Resource pack for free (You need to put the decodables and the supplemental resource pack into the cart and enter the coupon code: COLOR2025)
• Informed Literacy Decodable Book Freebie

Helpful References:

• Set for Variability as a Critical Predictor of Word Reading: Potential Implications for Early Identification and Treatment of Dyslexia
• Unpacking the Unique Relationship Between Set for Variability and Word Reading Development: Examining Word- and Child-Level Predictors of Performance
• Spelling as Statistical Learning: Using Consonantal Context to Spell Vowels
• The Importance of Flexibility of Pronunciation in Learning to Decode: A Training Study in Set for Variability
• The Role of Set for Variability in Irregular Word Reading: Word and Child Predictors in Typically Developing Readers and Students At-Risk for Reading Disabilities

Connect with Jen & Wendy from Informed Literacy:

• Website: InformedLiteracy.com
• Instagram: @informedlit
• Informed Literacy on YouTube
• Facebook: @informedlit
• Pinterest: