Anjanette McNeely, a kindergarten teacher and former literacy coach in Kaysville, Utah, joins host Rose Else-Mitchell to discuss her professional journey from a whole-language teacher preparation program to becoming an advocate for evidence-based literacy instruction.

Anjanette shares how an unexpected pamphlet summarizing the National Reading Panel Report sparked a decades-long pursuit of learning more about effective reading instruction. She also reflects on the role her husband—a former striving reader himself—played in encouraging her to keep searching for better ways to support children in becoming readers.

Rose and Anjanette discuss the importance of connecting meaning to foundational skills, the role of vocabulary and oral language in kindergarten classrooms, and how Anjanette gradually reimagined her literacy block to weave reading, writing, and language instruction throughout the day. They also explore coaching, teacher learning, and why following student data (and not any single expert) has guided Anjanette's instructional decisions over time.

References and Resources:

• Word Chaining: An Efficient and Effective Alternative to Oral Phonemic Awareness by Anjanette McNeely
• How to Build a Reading Block: Two Teachers Share Their Approaches by Sarah Schwartz for EdWeek, feat. Anjanette McNeely
• How Do We Learn? by Héctor Ruiz Martín
• The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion series by Beth Brower
• Science of Reading Center at SUNY New Paltz

Credits:

• Guest: Anjanette McNeely, Kindergarten Teacher, Former Literacy Coach, and Goyen Literacy Fellow based in Kaysville, UT
• Host: Rose Else-Mitchell, Executive Director of the Science of Reading Center at SUNY New Paltz
• Produced by the Science of Reading Center at SUNY New Paltz, Rose Else-Mitchell, and Onalee Smith
• Original music and audio editing by Ross Gentry

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Keywords: science of reading, kindergarten, early literacy, structured literacy, dyslexia, vocabulary instruction, oral language, phonics, writing instruction, literacy coaching, reading rope, kindergarten reading instruction, foundational skills, teacher learning, professional development

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