The Structured Literacy Podcast

In this episode of the Structured Literacy Podcast, Jocelyn looks at 40 years of research on picture mnemonics, from Linnea Ehri’s work to recent studies on stories and movement, and shares five practical shifts that turn a poster on the wall into a powerful teaching tool.
If you’re planning for next year and want every child to leave Foundation with solid letter sounds and confident letter formation, this is the episode to share with your team.
 And if you’d like to bring these stories into your classroom, our new Reading Success Tales and picture mnemonic cards are available now at JocelynSeamerEducation.com. There are big books with all 26 stories for preschool and Foundation, plus take-home stories so families can join in too. 
Has something in this episode resonated with you? Get in touch!
Get ready for 2027! Explore our expert-led professional learning and development options in literacy strategy and explicit teaching. Visit our website to discover programs tailored for your school, from 12-month partnerships and action-focused teach-along courses to leader programs that promote real classroom impact. Partner with us to empower your team and make lasting changes that connect to everyday teaching.
Boost your students' success. Visit jocelyncemaeducation.com


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#jocelynseamereducation #literacy #bestpractice #earlyprimaryyears #primaryschool #primaryschools #primaryschoolteacher #earlyyearseducation #earlyyearseducator #structuredliteracy #scienceofreading #classroom #learning #learningisfun #studentsuccess #studentsupport #teacherlife #theresourceroom #theevergreenteacher #upperprimary #upperprimaryteacher #thestructuredliteracypodcast #phoneme #grapheme #phonics #syntheticphonics

Dramatic play, screen-free singing and nursery rhymes deserve a place back in the early years classroom. Part two of this series makes that case with a structured literacy lens. The episode covers using café role-play to build the background knowledge texts assume. It shows how songs at transition times can double as phonological awareness practice. It also looks at why “tuffet” and “curds and whey” still earn their keep. 
Throughout, the line stays clear: these practices aren’t reading instruction, and they don’t replace the literacy block. Used with purpose, they can still do a lot for children’s oral language. 
Has something in this episode resonated with you? Get in touch!
Get ready for 2027! Explore our expert-led professional learning and development options in literacy strategy and explicit teaching. Visit our website to discover programs tailored for your school, from 12-month partnerships and action-focused teach-along courses to leader programs that promote real classroom impact. Partner with us to empower your team and make lasting changes that connect to everyday teaching.
Boost your students' success. Visit jocelyncemaeducation.com


Quick Links
Jocelyn Seamer Education Homepage
The Resource Room
Youtube channel
Facebook Page

#jocelynseamereducation #literacy #bestpractice #earlyprimaryyears #primaryschool #primaryschools #primaryschoolteacher #earlyyearseducation #earlyyearseducator #structuredliteracy #scienceofreading #classroom #learning #learningisfun #studentsuccess #studentsupport #teacherlife #theresourceroom #theevergreenteacher #upperprimary #upperprimaryteacher #thestructuredliteracypodcast #phoneme #grapheme #phonics #syntheticphonics

With a quarter of Australian children starting school developmentally vulnerable or at risk in communication and general knowledge, Jocelyn asks whether the answer to Tier 1 language support might be bringing back early childhood practices we let go of in the shift to explicit teaching, rather than buying a new program. 
Part one of this two part series covers the first two practices: big books, for concepts of print, shared language experiences and interactive read-alouds, and puppets, as an authentic reason for children to speak, listen and retell stories. Throughout, Jocelyn focuses on the power of "and": classrooms can be structured "and" playful, explicit "and" joyful, without losing instructional time.
Has something in this episode resonated with you? Get in touch!
Get ready for 2027! Explore our expert-led professional learning and development options in literacy strategy and explicit teaching. Visit our website to discover programs tailored for your school, from 12-month partnerships and action-focused teach-along courses to leader programs that promote real classroom impact. Partner with us to empower your team and make lasting changes that connect to everyday teaching.
Boost your students' success. Visit jocelyncemaeducation.com


Quick Links
Jocelyn Seamer Education Homepage
The Resource Room
Youtube channel
Facebook Page

#jocelynseamereducation #literacy #bestpractice #earlyprimaryyears #primaryschool #primaryschools #primaryschoolteacher #earlyyearseducation #earlyyearseducator #structuredliteracy #scienceofreading #classroom #learning #learningisfun #studentsuccess #studentsupport #teacherlife #theresourceroom #theevergreenteacher #upperprimary #upperprimaryteacher #thestructuredliteracypodcast #phoneme #grapheme #phonics #syntheticphonics

When your phonics screening check results make your stomach drop, what do you actually do next? 
In this return episode of the Structured Literacy Podcast, Jocelyn treats the check like a blood pressure reading: it tells you whether to look closer, and the score sheets tell you where. She explains how to tell students who know the code but stumbled on the format (special hint: alien names) from those with real gaps, and why accent is never an error. She also covers why whole-class phonics and rigid pacing guides may be quietly holding students back. You'll leave with a practical, step-by-step plan for the weeks after the check, and a reminder that the data is feedback, not a verdict on you as a teacher.
Has something in this episode resonated with you? Get in touch!
Get ready for 2027! Explore our expert-led professional learning and development options in literacy strategy and explicit teaching. Visit our website to discover programs tailored for your school, from 12-month partnerships and action-focused teach-along courses to leader programs that promote real classroom impact. Partner with us to empower your team and make lasting changes that connect to everyday teaching.
Boost your students' success. Visit jocelyncemaeducation.com


Quick Links
Jocelyn Seamer Education Homepage
The Resource Room
Youtube channel
Facebook Page

#jocelynseamereducation #literacy #bestpractice #earlyprimaryyears #primaryschool #primaryschools #primaryschoolteacher #earlyyearseducation #earlyyearseducator #structuredliteracy #scienceofreading #classroom #learning #learningisfun #studentsuccess #studentsupport #teacherlife #theresourceroom #theevergreenteacher #upperprimary #upperprimaryteacher #thestructuredliteracypodcast #phoneme #grapheme #phonics #syntheticphonics

This episode is a little different. Australia's national education evidence body, AERO, has just released a guidance report that puts rigorous research weight behind something many educators have long known: most professional development doesn't work — and the reasons why are predictable and fixable. In this episode, Jocelyn uses AERO's findings to reflect on six years of Jocelyn Seamer Education, share what's changing about the Structured Literacy Podcast, and introduce the brand new Leading Learning Podcast — a dedicated space for school leaders, curriculum leaders, regional office staff, and system leaders ready to do the hard work of sustained school improvement. Plus: introducing JSE Quick Wins, a new way to get practical literacy support right when you need it. 
Has something in this episode resonated with you? Get in touch!
Get ready for 2027! Explore our expert-led professional learning and development options in literacy strategy and explicit teaching. Visit our website to discover programs tailored for your school, from 12-month partnerships and action-focused teach-along courses to leader programs that promote real classroom impact. Partner with us to empower your team and make lasting changes that connect to everyday teaching.
Boost your students' success. Visit jocelyncemaeducation.com


Quick Links
Jocelyn Seamer Education Homepage
The Resource Room
Youtube channel
Facebook Page

#jocelynseamereducation #literacy #bestpractice #earlyprimaryyears #primaryschool #primaryschools #primaryschoolteacher #earlyyearseducation #earlyyearseducator #structuredliteracy #scienceofreading #classroom #learning #learningisfun #studentsuccess #studentsupport #teacherlife #theresourceroom #theevergreenteacher #upperprimary #upperprimaryteacher #thestructuredliteracypodcast #phoneme #grapheme #phonics #syntheticphonics