Recap from the Society from the Scientific Study of Reading Conference 2026 with Lori Sappington and Dr. Blythe Anderson

It’s a special roundtable on the Teaching Literacy Podcast! Host Dr. Jake Downs, Lori Southington, and Blythe Anderson record live from the Society for the Scientific Study of Reading (SSSR) conference in Rotterdam to bridge the gap between emerging research and classroom practice. The trio unpacks key studies on interactive read-alouds and morphology instruction, highlighting how teachers can move past superficial vocabulary “mentioning” to foster deep, active meaning-making. Additionally, Jake shares findings from his own study on multisyllabic word profiles in upper-elementary curricula, demonstrating that students need targeted support with longer, abstract academic words rather than simple concrete ones.

Resources Mentioned

Clarence Greene’s British and American Word Families (BAWF) Database: https://cgg-projects.github.io/BAWF_V2/
Words as Tools (coming soon)
Reading Ready + Reading Go: https://www.katiepacemilesphd.com/projects
How To Plan for Differentiated Instruction (ACCESS Reading): https://www.guilford.com/books/How-to-Plan-Differentiated-Reading-Instruction/Walpole-McKenna/9781462531516?srsltid=AfmBOoqZEpCze9AHw3knqG102KduC3N0kbviJDqEE-02RRNT48EtkFh7
Anderson & Strong (2026): https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10573569.2025.2587640
(also back on E62 of TLP! https://teachingliteracypodcast.com/e62stopping-the-summer-slide-with-dr-blythe-anderson-and-dr-john-strong/
Also check out the Melissa and Lori Love Literacy Podcast — it’s excellent!! literacypodcast.com