S03E11 - Know Thy Purpose: Jocelyn Seamer on Transforming 3–6 Literacy

In this episode, I’m joined by Jocelyn Seamer—educational consultant, author, and leading voice in structured literacy—to unpack what effective literacy instruction really looks like in the upper primary years. We dive into how to move beyond levelled texts and strategy-heavy comprehension lessons, and instead build a literacy block grounded in rich texts, explicit instruction, and purposeful writing.

 

Jocelyn shares practical advice on everything from planning with backward design, to teaching spelling through morphology, to managing cognitive load with the “stretchy band” analogy. Whether you’re trying to make sense of guided reading, support struggling readers, or link reading and writing more effectively, this episode is packed with clarity and actionable ideas.

 

Key topics include:

• Replacing levelled texts with rich, age-appropriate reading
• Designing integrated, text-based units that link reading and writing
• Explicit vocabulary and background knowledge instruction
• The role of syntax, spelling, and morphology in building strong writers
• Responsive teaching and avoiding the “dress rehearsal” trap in assessments

 

A must-listen for any Year 3–6 teacher ready to teach literacy with more clarity, purpose, and impact.

Resources mentioned:

• Reading Reconsidered – Doug Lemov
• Five Plagues of the Developing Reader – from Reading Reconsidered
• The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – C.S. Lewis
• Velveteen Rabbit – Margery Williams
• Rose Meets Mr. Wintergarten – Bob Graham
• The Lost Thing – Shaun Tan
• Bringing Words to Life – Beck, McKeown & Kucan
• Questioning the Author – Beck, McKeown & Sandora
• DIBELS and Acadience – normed reading screeners
• Motif – free assessments
• Kenn Apel’s morphology assessments
• Jared Cooney Horvath

 

You can connect with Jocelyn:

Linkedin

Facebook: @JocelynSeamerEducation

Youtube: @JocelynSeamerEducation

Podcast: The Structured Literacy Podcast

Website: www.jocelynseamereducation.com/

 

You can connect with Brendan:

Twitter: @learnwithmrlee

Facebook: @learningwithmrlee

Website: learnwithlee.net

 

Support the Knowledge for Teachers Podcast: 

https://www.patreon.com/KnowledgeforTeachersPodcast

 

About 

Jocelyn Seamer is a former teacher, tutor and school leader who has experienced, first-hand, the transformative power of evidence-based practice in literacy instruction. She has led teams to grow and develop school policy and practice to reflect the vast body of evidence that makes up the Science of Reading.

 

Through her own classroom practice and leadership roles in schools, Jocelyn has developed a strong understanding of how you can take simple, yet effective action to get every child on the road to literacy proficiency in the first years of school. Jocelyn feels a very personal responsibility to provide opportunities for classroom teachers to have access to the information and training they need to change children's lives and looks forward to helping you achieve great things in your teach