.png)
The Science of Reading Formula
Welcome to The Science of Reading Formula, the podcast that helps you simplify reading instruction, save time, and support every student’s success—without feeling like you’re running on empty.
I’m Malia Hollowell—a National Board Certified Teacher, author, and founder of Playdough to Plato. Over the past 20 years, I’ve honed my craft, combining science-backed practices with practical solutions to meet the real challenges educators face every day.
Each episode dives into essential pillars of teaching success:
- Smart strategies to meet the needs of every student without adding extra stress to your plate.
- Honest conversations and tips to tackle teacher burnout and find a balance between school and home life.
- Science-backed practices that actually work—saving you time and boosting student results.
- Practical tips to streamline your planning and free up time for what matters most.
This is your space to find encouragement, expert insights, and actionable ideas to create a classroom (and life) that works for you. Let’s get started!
The Science of Reading Formula
Fan Favorite: Help! My Students Can't Blend Letter Sounds to Read Words
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Struggling to help your students blend letter sounds into words? You’re not alone! Many early readers know their letter sounds but face challenges when it comes to smoothly blending them into recognizable words. The good news? Blending is a skill that can be developed with the right strategies and activities.
In this episode, we break down simple, research-backed phonemic awareness techniques that will help your students become more confident and fluent readers.
In this episode, we’ll talk about:
- Why blending is one of the most essential phonemic awareness skills for early readers.
- The biggest mistake teachers make when teaching blending (and what to do instead!)
- Fun, engaging activities that make blending practice more effective.
- A simple tweak that makes blending easier for struggling students.
Show Links
Phonological Awareness Warm Ups
Join Malia on Instagram.
Become a Science of Reading Formula member!
Rate, Review, and Follow
If you loved this episode, please take a minute to rate and review my show! That helps the podcast world know that this show is worth sharing with other educators just like you.
Scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select "Write a Review". Then let me know what you loved most about the episode!
While you're there, be sure to follow the podcast. I'm adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the feed and I don't want you to miss out!