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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
Why Does "Two" Have a Silent W? (And Other Phonestheme Tricks You'll Love Teaching)
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Have you ever wondered why there is a silent W in the word two? In this episode, we explore a surprisingly powerful concept that helps students unlock word meaning just by noticing how a word is spelled. It is called a phonestheme, and once you understand it, you will start seeing these hidden clues everywhere.
We look at how sound clusters like TW, GL, and SN give hints about a word’s meaning and how this awareness helps students become more confident readers. You will also learn how to introduce these ideas in your classroom in a simple and meaningful way without needing a special curriculum or extra prep.
This episode connects spelling, meaning, and morphology in a way that is fun, easy to apply, and deeply engaging for young learners.
In this episode, we'll talk about:
- How the word "two" evolved and what its spelling reveals.
- What phonesthemes are and how they work across many English words.
- Why this awareness supports vocabulary growth and decoding.
- How to introduce these concepts in early elementary classrooms using natural conversations.
Show Links
Phonesthemes Chart
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