Literacy Listens

Episode 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...

Episode 12: Supporting Multilingual Learners Through Listening ComprehensionIn 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...

Episode 11:Assessing Listening ComprehensionIn 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...

Episode 10 Literacy Listens: Zooming out: What've Learned About Listening ComprehensionIn 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...

Episode 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...

Episode 8 Literacy Listens: Organizing Meaning — Text Structure AwarenessIn 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...

Episode 7: Noticing When Meaning Breaks Down — Comprehension MonitoringIn 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...

Episode 6: Inference, Perspective Taking, and Reasoning — Unlocking Deeper UnderstandingIn 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...

Episode 5 Literacy Listens: Building the Foundation — Vocabulary, Grammar, and SyntaxIn 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...

Episode 4: Unpacking Listening Comprehension — An Orchestra of SkillsIn 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...