Season 9, Special Episode

Translating research into action, with Amie Burkholder

In this episode of Science of Reading: The Podcast, literacy coach (and podcast host in her own right) Amie Burkholder joins us to discuss her new book, Literacy Unlocked: How to Implement the Science of Reading With Young Learners. Amie talks through the origins of the book, how she structured it to be really actionable for educators, and what she hopes educators will take away from it. Amie and Susan also discuss some of the biggest recent changes to the Science of Reading movement, the areas Amie most often sees educators struggle when making the switch to research-based literacy instruction, and some tips educators can implement today鈥攊ncluding a walkthrough of a classroom activity targeting phonemic awareness.

A woman with wavy brown hair smiles at the camera, resting her chin on her hand. The background features a pattern of light bulbs, pencils, and books鈥攔eflecting the journey from reading research to putting research into action.

Transcripts and additional resources:

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Meet Our Guest(s):

Amie Burkholder

Amie Burkholder

Amie Burkholder is a literacy coach, national speaker, and author of聽Literacy Unlocked: How to Implement the Science of Reading With Young Learners. With over 15 years in education, Amie helps teachers bridge research and practice through structured literacy. She鈥檚 the creator of the Route2Reading Membership and Foundations to Fluency phonics curriculum, approved in Virginia. Amie is passionate about making the Science of Reading practical for real classrooms and helping every child become a confident reader.

Meet our host: Susan Lambert

Susan Lambert is Chief Academic Officer of Literacy at 黄色直播 and host of Science of Reading: The Podcast. Throughout her career, she has focused on creating high-quality learning environments using evidence-based practices. Lambert is a mom of four, a grandma of four, a world traveler, and a collector of stories.

As the host of Science of Reading: The Podcast, Lambert explores the increasing body of scientific research around how reading is best taught. A former classroom teacher, administrator, and curriculum developer, she鈥檚 dedicated to turning theory into best practices that educators can put right to use in the classroom, and to showcasing national models of reading instruction excellence.

Person with short blonde hair, glasses, and earrings, wearing an orange jacket, smiling in front of a plain gray background鈥攃ommitted to literacy education and fostering background knowledge for all learners.

Quotes

鈥淚 want [the book] to follow the research, but I want it to be simple enough for teachers to execute, [and] also engaging enough for kids to want to do it.鈥�

鈥擜mie Burkholder

鈥淚f you try to change everything you're doing, you're not going to do anything well. Pick one area of your literacy block you鈥檙e really gonna nail. Once you nail that, add another one.鈥�

鈥擜mie Burkholder

鈥淟ook to those that you trust to guide you.鈥�

鈥擜mie Burkholder