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Episode 120 — Why Learning That Lasts Often Feels Hard Goal: The goal of this episode is to help you understand why  learning that lasts requires productive struggle and how retrieval and spacing routines help learning stick beyond the lesson. We talk about: 1.Spaced Practice  2. Recap of chapter 3 of Smart Teaching Stronger Learning  3. Strategies that you can implement in your classroom today.  Links to resources mentioned in the podcast: Grab my free guide for keeping your mini lesson mini  Book a discovery call for one on one coaching or school professional development Link to the book (affiliate link) Next Steps: If this episode resonated with you, take a screenshot of the episode and tag me on instagram @msevamireles.  This helps my show remain active in order to continue to help other upper elementary teachers get ideas they can use in their class today. The Reading Teacher’s Playbook  Search for my show on iTunes or Stitcher. Click on ‘Ratings and Reviews.’ Under ‘Customer Reviews,’ click on “Write a Review.” Sign in with your iTunes or Stitcher log-in info Leave a Rating: Tap the greyed out stars (5 being the best) Leave a Review: Type in a Title and Description of your thoughts on my podcast Click ‘Send’ Leave a Rating and Review:

Episode 119: What Does It Mean for Learning to Stick? The goal of this episode is to help you walk away with an understanding of what retrieval practices are and how they help support student learning, in other words how to make learning stick. We talk about: 1.Retrieval Practice and how it helps learning stick.  2. Recap of chapter 1 of Smart Teaching Stronger Learning  3. Two retrieval strategies that you can implement in your classroom today.  Links to resources mentioned in the podcast: Grab my free guide for keeping your mini lesson mini  Book a discovery call for one on one coaching or school professional development Link to the book (affiliate link) Rote Vs. Meaningful Learning Richard Mayer (2002) Episode 97: Teaching for Transfer: The difference between rote and meaningful learning and why it matters in your literacy classroom. Next Steps: If this episode resonated with you, take a screenshot of the episode and tag me on instagram @msevamireles.  This helps my show remain active in order to continue to help other upper elementary teachers get ideas they can use in their class today. The Reading Teacher’s Playbook  Search for my show on iTunes or Stitcher. Click on ‘Ratings and Reviews.’ Under ‘Customer Reviews,’ click on “Write a Review.” Sign in with your iTunes or Stitcher log-in info Leave a Rating: Tap the greyed out stars (5 being the best) Leave a Review: Type in a Title and Description of your thoughts on my podcast Click ‘Send’ Leave a Rating and Review:

In this episode: We talk about what it means to be a self-led teacher and how being a self-led teacher can help shape your practice and improve student outcomes as an upper elementary literacy teacher. We also reveal our anchor text for quarter 1.  We talk about: 1.Self-leadership what it is, why it’s necessary and how I am poised to support you on this journey.  2. Why being research informed is a form of professional leverage that you need to have in your back pocket.  3.Why knowing how to implement learning science into your literacy practices is important and how I am going to help you do that this quarter.  Links to resources mentioned in the podcast: Grab my free guide for keeping your mini lesson mini  Book a discovery call for one on one coaching or school professional development Link to the book (affiliate link) Next Steps: If this episode resonated with you, take a screenshot of the episode and tag me on instagram @msevamireles.  This helps my show remain active in order to continue to help other upper elementary teachers get ideas they can use in their class today. The Reading Teacher’s Playbook  Search for my show on iTunes or Stitcher. Click on ‘Ratings and Reviews.’ Under ‘Customer Reviews,’ click on “Write a Review.” Sign in with your iTunes or Stitcher log-in info Leave a Rating: Tap the greyed out stars (5 being the best) Leave a Review: Type in a Title and Description of your thoughts on my podcast Click ‘Send’ Leave a Rating and Review:

In this episode: Listen in as I wrap up the top 5 most listened to episodes in 2025.  We talk about: The top 5 most listened to episodes of the podcast for 2025 and what you can look forward to from the podcast in quarter 1. Links to resources mentioned in the podcast: Grab my free guide for keeping your mini lesson mini  Book a discovery call for one on one coaching or school professional development Next Steps: If this episode resonated with you, take a screenshot of the episode and tag me on instagram @msevamireles.  This helps my show remain active in order to continue to help other upper elementary teachers get ideas they can use in their class today. The Reading Teacher’s Playbook  Search for my show on iTunes or Stitcher. Click on ‘Ratings and Reviews.’ Under ‘Customer Reviews,’ click on “Write a Review.” Sign in with your iTunes or Stitcher log-in info Leave a Rating: Tap the greyed out stars (5 being the best) Leave a Review: Type in a Title and Description of your thoughts on my podcast Click ‘Send’ Leave a Rating and Review:

We talk about: How to conduct a mid-year check in and what to do with the information you gather during your check in meeting. Links to resources mentioned in the podcast: Mid Year Check In   Grab my free guide for keeping your mini lesson mini  Book a discovery call for one on one coaching or school professional development Next Steps: If this episode resonated with you, take a screenshot of the episode and tag me on instagram @msevamireles.  This helps my show remain active in order to continue to help other upper elementary teachers get ideas they can use in their class today. The Reading Teacher’s Playbook  Search for my show on iTunes or Stitcher. Click on ‘Ratings and Reviews.’ Under ‘Customer Reviews,’ click on “Write a Review.” Sign in with your iTunes or Stitcher log-in info Leave a Rating: Tap the greyed out stars (5 being the best) Leave a Review: Type in a Title and Description of your thoughts on my podcast Click ‘Send’ Leave a Rating and Review:

We talk about: The what and the why of taking time to reflect on your literacy block and how you are uniquely positioned to do that. Links to resources mentioned in the podcast: Mid Year Check In   Grab my free guide for keeping your mini lesson mini  Book a discovery call for one on one coaching or school professional development Next Steps: If this episode resonated with you, take a screenshot of the episode and tag me on instagram @msevamireles.  This helps my show remain active in order to continue to help other upper elementary teachers get ideas they can use in their class today. The Reading Teacher’s Playbook  Search for my show on iTunes or Stitcher. Click on ‘Ratings and Reviews.’ Under ‘Customer Reviews,’ click on “Write a Review.” Sign in with your iTunes or Stitcher log-in info Leave a Rating: Tap the greyed out stars (5 being the best) Leave a Review: Type in a Title and Description of your thoughts on my podcast Click ‘Send’ Leave a Rating and Review:

In this episode: Listen to the final episode in our Motivation Matters Mini Series.  We talk about: Reflecting on the three basic psychological needs that your students have and thinking about how they show up in your literacy classroom.  Links to resources mentioned in the podcast: Motivation Audit  Grab my free guide for keeping your mini lesson mini  Book a discovery call for one on one coaching or school professional development Next Steps: If this episode resonated with you, take a screenshot of the episode and tag me on instagram @msevamireles.  This helps my show remain active in order to continue to help other upper elementary teachers get ideas they can use in their class today. The Reading Teacher’s Playbook  Search for my show on iTunes or Stitcher. Click on ‘Ratings and Reviews.’ Under ‘Customer Reviews,’ click on “Write a Review.” Sign in with your iTunes or Stitcher log-in info Leave a Rating: Tap the greyed out stars (5 being the best) Leave a Review: Type in a Title and Description of your thoughts on my podcast Click ‘Send’ Leave a Rating and Review:

In this episode: Listen to the fourth episode in our Motivation Matters Mini Series.  We talk about: We continue our conversation about motivation and why it matters in your upper elementary literacy classroom. We also talk about how to cultivate competence in your literacy classroom so that students can grow confidence in their ability to succeed.  Links to resources mentioned in the podcast: Black Friday Solutions mentioned in the episode: Grab my free guide for keeping your mini lesson mini  Book a discovery call for one on one coaching or school professional development Next Steps: If this episode resonated with you, take a screenshot of the episode and tag me on instagram @msevamireles.  This helps my show remain active in order to continue to help other upper elementary teachers get ideas they can use in their class today. The Reading Teacher’s Playbook  Search for my show on iTunes or Stitcher. Click on ‘Ratings and Reviews.’ Under ‘Customer Reviews,’ click on “Write a Review.” Sign in with your iTunes or Stitcher log-in info Leave a Rating: Tap the greyed out stars (5 being the best) Leave a Review: Type in a Title and Description of your thoughts on my podcast Click ‘Send’ Leave a Rating and Review:

In this episode: Listen to the third episode in our Motivation Matters Mini Series.  We talk about: We continue our conversation about motivation and why it matters in your upper elementary literacy classroom. We also talk about how to cultivate relatedness and autonomy in your literacy classroom.  Links to resources mentioned in the podcast: Black Friday Solutions mentioned in the episode: Done-With-You Mini-Lesson 1:1 Coaching.  My Launching Independent Reading On Demand Workshop  Teaching main idea and summarizing Black Friday Bundle. Grab my free guide for keeping your mini lesson mini  Book a discovery call for one on one coaching or school professional development Next Steps: If this episode resonated with you, take a screenshot of the episode and tag me on instagram @msevamireles.  This helps my show remain active in order to continue to help other upper elementary teachers get ideas they can use in their class today. The Reading Teacher’s Playbook  Search for my show on iTunes or Stitcher. Click on ‘Ratings and Reviews.’ Under ‘Customer Reviews,’ click on “Write a Review.” Sign in with your iTunes or Stitcher log-in info Leave a Rating: Tap the greyed out stars (5 being the best) Leave a Review: Type in a Title and Description of your thoughts on my podcast Click ‘Send’ Leave a Rating and Review:

In this episode: Listen to the second episode in our Motivation Matters Mini Series.  We talk about: We continue our conversation about motivation and why it matters in your upper elementary literacy classroom. We also talk about learning science and what it has to say about what drives motivation.  Links to resources mentioned in the podcast: Grab my free guide for keeping your mini lesson mini  Book a discovery call for one on one coaching or school professional development Next Steps: If this episode resonated with you, take a screenshot of the episode and tag me on instagram @msevamireles.  This helps my show remain active in order to continue to help other upper elementary teachers get ideas they can use in their class today. The Reading Teacher’s Playbook  Search for my show on iTunes or Stitcher. Click on ‘Ratings and Reviews.’ Under ‘Customer Reviews,’ click on “Write a Review.” Sign in with your iTunes or Stitcher log-in info Leave a Rating: Tap the greyed out stars (5 being the best) Leave a Rating and Review:

In this episode: Listen to the first episode in our Motivation Matters Mini Series.  We talk about: That ever illusive thing that we want students to have when it comes to our literacy classrooms. That thing that if they had it would make it so much easier to teach them, it would make it so much easier to engage them, and it would make it so much easier to partner with them in their education. We are talking about student motivation. Links to resources mentioned in the podcast: Grab my free guide for keeping your mini lesson mini  Book a discovery call for one on one coaching or school professional development Next Steps: If this episode resonated with you, take a screenshot of the episode and tag me on instagram @msevamireles.  This helps my show remain active in order to continue to help other upper elementary teachers get ideas they can use in their class today. The Reading Teacher’s Playbook  Search for my show on iTunes or Stitcher. Click on ‘Ratings and Reviews.’ Under ‘Customer Reviews,’ click on “Write a Review.” Sign in with your iTunes or Stitcher log-in info Leave a Rating: Tap the greyed out stars (5 being the best) Leave a Review: Type in a Title and Description of your thoughts on my podcast Click ‘Send’ Leave a Rating and Review:

In this episode:             I talk about the what, why and how of maintaining the community that you’ve worked hard to cultivate all year long. We talk about: 1.What it means to cultivate community. 2. Why cultivating community during our post testing era matters. 3.How to cultivate community after the state testing in upper elementary. Quotables: -Cultivating community means to foster the growth and closeness of a group of students and/or staff members so that they feel a sense of belonging. -Teachers are an invaluable resource and support for their students as they navigate any anxiety they are feeling about upcoming changes as they change grade levels. - Revisiting this year's favorite classroom read-alouds is one way that you can cultivate community.   Links to resources mentioned in the podcast: Sign up for the Finish Strong-ish Workshop Here! Book a discovery call for one on one coaching or school professional development Next Steps: If this episode resonated with you, take a screenshot of the episode and tag me on instagram @msevamireles.  This helps my show remain active in order to continue to help other upper elementary teachers get ideas they can use in their class today. The Reading Teacher’s Playbook  Search for my show on iTunes or Stitcher. Click on ‘Ratings and Reviews.’ Under ‘Customer Reviews,’ click on “Write a Review.” Sign in with your iTunes or Stitcher log-in info Leave a Rating: Tap the greyed out stars (5 being the best) Leave a Review: Type in a Title and Description of your thoughts on my podcast Click ‘Send’ Leave a Rating and Review:

In this episode:             I talk about the what, why and how of keeping literacy  learning front and center at the end of the school year.  We talk about: 1.What does it mean to keep learning front and center. 2. Why keeping learning front and center during our post testing era matters. 3.How to infuse your literacy block with purposeful learning after the state testing in upper elementary. Quotables: -Oftentimes the end of the school year will have us chunking the progress students have made right out the window a month early because we haven’t proactively thought about how to keep the learning the main thing at this point of the school year.  -If we abandon our literacy learning routines in the name of relaxing the rest of the school year then we miss our chance to lead by example when it comes to life long learning. - Taking time to plan will help you to incorporate review of literacy skills and fun.    Links to resources mentioned in the podcast: Sign up for the Finish Strong-ish Workshop Here! Book a discovery call for one on one coaching or school professional development Next Steps: If this episode resonated with you, take a screenshot of the episode and tag me on instagram @msevamireles.  This helps my show remain active in order to continue to help other upper elementary teachers get ideas they can use in their class today. The Reading Teacher’s Playbook  Search for my show on iTunes or Stitcher. Click on ‘Ratings and Reviews.’ Under ‘Customer Reviews,’ click on “Write a Review.” Sign in with your iTunes or Stitcher log-in info Leave a Rating: Tap the greyed out stars (5 being the best) Leave a Review: Type in a Title and Description of your thoughts on my podcast Click ‘Send’ Leave a Rating and Review:

In this episode:             I talk about the what, why and how of leveraging the behind the scenes of being an upper elementary reading teacher to help you end the year strong-ish. We talk about: 1.What is the behind the scenes of teaching. 2. Why you should focus on controlling the controllables at the end of the school year.  3. What is your M.S.O. and how do you plan for it? Quotables: -Teaching requires a lot of teachers and most of what it requires is intellectual. This means that there is often not a lot of room leftover for unnecessary real estate in our brains and yet we give a lot of this space away rent free.   -It's important to give some thought to our M.S.O. (our motivation, self care and organization) It’s also important to put some intention behind these so that we have enough mental bandwidth to generate creative solutions to all of the other things that are running around rent free in our minds.  - I like to think of self care as an act of resistance, because education is a system that will try to take all of everything you give it.   Links to resources mentioned in the podcast: Sign up for the Finish Strong-ish Workshop Here! Book a discovery call for one on one coaching or school professional development Control the Controllable in Sports by: Sidd Sampla Next Steps: If this episode resonated with you, take a screenshot of the episode and tag me on instagram @msevamireles.  This helps my show remain active in order to continue to help other upper elementary teachers get ideas they can use in their class today. The Reading Teacher’s Playbook  Search for my show on iTunes or Stitcher. Click on ‘Ratings and Reviews.’ Under ‘Customer Reviews,’ click on “Write a Review.” Sign in with your iTunes or Stitcher log-in info Leave a Rating: Tap the greyed out stars (5 being the best) Leave a Review: Type in a Title and Description of your thoughts on my podcast Click ‘Send’ Leave a Rating and Review:

In this episode:             I talk about the what, why and how of casting a vision that will help you finish the year strong-ish We talk about: 1.What it means to cast a realistic vision for the end of the school year in your upper elementary literacy classroom.  2. Why casting a vision is a form of self care that your future self will thank you for.  3.How asking yourself 4 simple questions will help you cast a vision for ending the year strong-ish.  4. What the research has to say about how casting a vision can help fuel creativity and motivation. Quotables: -There is nothing wrong with enjoying some chill time with students, but we all know that if we take students way out of their routine they will take it as permission to live their best life at the expense of our patience and sanity.   -Taking time to cast a vision for  what we want the end of the school year to look like, sound like and feel like helps us decide for ourselves what will be most important in our classrooms before our admin comes in and decides this for us.  -I am going to help you hold the tension of and. You need to pack up your room and your students need to feel a sense of normalcy.   Links to resources mentioned in the podcast: Sign up for the Finish Strong-ish Workshop Here! Book a discovery call for one on one coaching or school professional development Why Imagining a Positive Future is Crucial for Progress? Next Steps: If this episode resonated with you, take a screenshot of the episode and tag me on instagram @msevamireles.  This helps my show remain active in order to continue to help other upper elementary teachers get ideas they can use in their class today. The Reading Teacher’s Playbook  Search for my show on iTunes or Stitcher. Click on ‘Ratings and Reviews.’ Under ‘Customer Reviews,’ click on “Write a Review.” Sign in with your iTunes or Stitcher log-in info Leave a Rating: Tap the greyed out stars (5 being the best) Leave a Review: Type in a Title and Description of your thoughts on my podcast Click ‘Send’ Leave a Rating and Review: