GVSU Literacy Studies

09/03/2026

What are you currently reading?

Christina Ponzio, Ph.D., GVSU Literacy Studies Faculty
Universal Design for Learning in English Language Arts: Improving Literacy Instruction Through Inclusive Practices
by Katie Novak, Ryan Hinkle, Brianne Parker, Jina Poirier, and Anne Wolff

The authors of Universal Design for Learning in English Language Arts: Improving Literacy Instruction Through Inclusive Practices are not only co-authors–they are also close collaborators in supporting students in the English language arts (ELA) classroom as a part of a teaching team at an alternate school for at-promise students. They weave together theory and research with anecdotes and practical strategies for the classroom to illustrate how the principles of Universal Design for Learning can be applied specifically in the discipline of ELA. In the first half of the book, they explore how they integrate UDL with other frameworks, namely Socioemotional Learning, Character Education, and Restorative Practices, reflecting an pedagogical approach to teaching ELA that considers the whole child. Given their history of collaboration, they also offer readers insight into how to form inclusive Professional Learning Communities that bring multiple perspectives to the table: teachers with unique expertise in ELA, special education and/or English language education, library media specialists, counselors, and even students. In the second half of the book, they offer insights and strategies informed by their frameworks that are designed to support student engagement in reading, vocabulary, writing, speaking and listening.

08/28/2026

We are so excited about the work Torie Anderson, GVSU Literacy Studies alum, is doing in Detroit to promote literacy and community.❤📚

If you haven’t heard of the Black Girl Picnic, here’s everything you need to know about the celebration that’s entering it’s 5th year over on Belle Isle.

07/07/2026

What are you currently reading?

Emily Bishop, GVSU Literacy Studies faculty
Making Words Stick: A Four-Step Instructional Routine to Power Up Orthographic Mapping (The Science of Reading in Practice)

This book offers a comprehensive exploration of orthographic mapping, beginning with a clear explanation of what it is and why it plays a crucial role in student learning. It outlines instructional practices that support the development of automatic and meaningful word recognition in K-5 instruction. The book helps educators guide students in connecting encoding and decoding with practical, easy-to-implement, grade-specific strategies.

07/02/2026

What are you currently reading?

Kristen Holsomback, GVSU Literacy Studies Graduate Candidate
A teacher’s guide to writing conferences. grades K-8 by Carl Anderson

This book by Carl Anderson works to demystify the writers workshop writing conference. The book which is written in a very easy to follow format takes the reader through four steps to begin using writing conferences in your classroom. Step one is first understanding writing conferences and their use in the classroom. Step two is discovering what the writer is doing by asking them “Tell me about your writing.” Step three is to assess and decide what needs to be taught in a whole group setting. Step four is to teach and provide feedback. Using these four steps teachers can help each student grow to their full potential as a writer.

06/17/2026

What are you currently reading?

Nicole Ceja and Breanna Greiner, GVSU Literacy Studies Graduate Candidates
Know better, do better comprehension: Fueling the reading brain with knowledge, vocabulary, and rich language by Liben and Liben

In this book the authors present the case that comprehension is not just about teaching reading skills, but rather it is mainly about building knowledge. They go on to explain that students understand texts better when they know something about the topic because having background knowledge gives them something to help make sense of the new information. This book argues that strong reading comprehension depends heavily on background knowledge, vocabulary, and exposure to rich language, not just decoding skills or comprehension strategies. The authors of this book explain the research behind how the brain understands text and that students understand what they are reading easier if they know information about the topic and have a strong vocabulary.

They challenge the common approach of teaching reading strategies in isolation such as the main idea and details or cause and effect, and instead emphasize the importance of authentic, content rich instruction. By systematically building content knowledge across subject areas teachers can improve students’ ability to comprehend complex texts. The overall message of the book is that the more you know the easier it is to learn so schools should focus on helping students “know better” in order to “do better” in reading.

This book provides guidance for teachers about different ways to build students vocabulary through content-rich reading, intentional vocabulary instruction, and meaningful discussions. The book also offers different tools and strategies to help educators apply the science of reading and support deeper understanding for elementary students.

06/15/2026

We’re featuring undergraduate Mia Kolhoff for this week’s Student Focus segment. Mia is a Music major in K-12 Education.

Why did you choose to go into education?
I chose to go into education because I love people, teaching, and music. Being involved with those things daily is an opportunity that I am so grateful to have. I hope to teach 6--12th grade band—or any form of music—in West Michigan.

What’s the funniest thing you’ve ever seen happen in a classroom?
A student tried to play a recorder completely upside-down before I explicitly explained where their mouth should go.

What is your literacy superpower?
Helping young students decode music is my literacy superpower.

04/29/2026

Congratulations to Literacy Studies graduate candidate, Alexandria Marzolf, who participated in the 2026 Graduate Showcase yesterday. Lexi shared her work around Deepening Comprehension through Student-Centered Collaborative Planning. The Graduate Showcase is an annual event offered by The Graduate School and Center for Scholarly and Creative Excellence to highlight exceptional work done by graduate students.

04/27/2026

Congratulations to Hadley Halterman who was selected as one of the student speakers for the Teacher Education Pinning Ceremony this morning. In her remarks, she highlighted the importance of stepping out of your comfort zone because change can be uncomfortable but so important for growth. She shared that presenting literacy research at MRA through our Literacy Studies mentoring program was a pivotal experience that helped her recognize the full extent of her capabilities.

04/16/2026

So proud of ALL of our students, but super excited to celebrate these Literacy Studies students, Hadley Halterman and Alexandria Marzolf, honored at the CECI Award Convocation. Congratulations!

Around 20 CECI students were honored at the April 2026 event