Stellar Teacher Podcast with Sara Marye

Learn how to create meaningful thematic units that connect reading, writing, science, and social studies in purposeful ways. This episode breaks down a simple five-step process to help you plan engaging, content-rich learning experiences.

Throughout this episode, I unpack why syllabication is such an essential part of reading instruction in grades 3–5. I focus on how teaching syllabication directly supports fluency, comprehension, and word recognition, and how it complements the work we’re already doing with prefixes, suffixes, and roots. I break down what effective syllable instruction looks like in the classroom: explicit, systematic teaching paired with ongoing practice. I walk you through how to introduce each syllable type, why to start with simple examples, the importance of teaching exceptions, and ways to build in meaningful practice through warmups, small groups, independent reading, and vocabulary routines.

In this episode I share practical ways to incorporate movement into your literacy block so you can keep students engaged, focused, and still learning—even when they’re a little squirrely.

My hope is that this episode inspires you to slow down and give sentence writing the time and intention it deserves. Prioritizing sentences can transform your writing instruction, strengthen your students’ reading comprehension, and make your overall literacy block more effective and more manageable. Whether you’re looking for a place to start or simply need a reminder that small shifts can lead to big growth, this episode will give you practical insight into why every upper elementary teacher should be spending more time on sentences.