The Knowledge Matters Podcast

Episoade

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  How History Knowledge Fuels Literacy and Inquiry | History Matters Podcast 11.08.2026 14min

  The science of reading is a frequent topic of conversation and source of policy reform, with new mandates for curriculum and instruction coming online in dozens of states this year. But it’s not just for literacy teachers, history educator Amy Rosenkrans notes in this episode of the History Matters Podcast. In conversation with host Ebony McKiver, Amy says the science of reading has “reinforced what I've been thinking about over the past 25 years of my career” and stresses the importance of k...
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  Kentucky’s Big Moves in Literacy and History | History Matters Podcast 04.08.2026 17min

  Kentucky recently announced it is developing a statewide knowledge-building K-8 social studies curriculum. Teachers in the Bluegrass State have already been making the transition to follow the science of reading, to positive effect, but leaders know that literacy development doesn’t just happen in English language arts. Rich content in social studies is a big part of the puzzle. In this episode, host Barbara Davidson discusses the importance of content knowledge with Micki Marinelli, the Chie...
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  The Time for History Is Now | History Matters Podcast 28.07.2026 19min

  Literacy and history go hand-in-glove. And when educators experience the multiplier effect of evidence-based, knowledge-building instruction in these subjects, they are moved to prioritize instructional time for both. In this episode, host Barbara Davidson speaks with a New Jersey educator whose district has experienced this firsthand: Anthony Fitzpatrick, Assistant Superintendent for the Delsea Regional and Elk Township School Districts. Anthony argues that history is far more than a s...
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  Helping Students Read the World | History Matters Podcast 21.07.2026 16min

  Social studies is an essential component of literacy, because it allows students to build the knowledge and vocabulary they’ll need to comprehend increasingly complex texts. In this episode, host Kyair Butts is joined by guest Melissa Loftus, a former teacher, curriculum developer, and co-host of the Melissa & Lori Love Literacy podcast. She explains why phonics alone is essential but not enough, and that even very young children can “read to learn” through content-rich children’s books a...
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  The Science of Learning History | History Matters Podcast 21.07.2026 18min

  Season 2 of the History Matters Podcast begins with a fascinating conversation between a cognitive scientist and middle-school teacher about the powerful connection between social studies, literacy, and learning. Today’s guest is Dr. Cynthia Nebel, the Director of Learning Services and an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience at St. Louis University School of Medicine. She’s also an active collaborator with The Learning Scientists, which is dedicated to bridging resear...
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  Introducing the History Matters Podcast Season 2: Connecting History to the Classroom | History Matters Podcast 14.07.2026 3min

  What kinds of history instruction build content knowledge and civic awareness? Why is social studies content such a power player when it comes to literacy? How can schools make time for these critical learning opportunities? In Season 2 of the History Matters Podcast, hosts Kyair Butts, Barbara Davidson, and Ebony McKiver explore these questions in dynamic conversations with educators, experts, and leaders working to bring rich history lessons into the classroom. In six fast-paced...
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  Bonus Episode: Season 3 Reunion with Hosts Natalie Wexler, Dylan Wiliam, and Doug Lemov 29.04.2026 1h 4min

  Welcome to a special edition of the Knowledge Matters Podcast. This episode is a special bonus—an audio recording of our recent webinar, Literacy and the Science of Learning. It is a dynamic, hourlong conversation between three exciting experts in the field: Dylan Wiliam, Doug Lemov, and Natalie Wexler, facilitated by Kristen McQuillan of StandardsWork. In this webinar, the panel responds to listener questions based on the podcast season that shares the same title. They explore what hap...
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  Bonus Episode: Following History's Stories, on Film | History Matters Podcast 25.11.2025 17min

  Thirteen colonies rose up, rebelled against an Empire, and won their independence. These unlikely victors built a new nation on democratic principles that inspired similar movements around the world. How should we tell the story of our nation’s founding? Guests Sarah Botstein and David Schmidt, who co-directed The American Revolution with Ken Burns, explain how chronology and characters shape their longform PBS documentaries and accompanying curriculum materials, in a bonus episode of the His...
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  Curiosity That Goes Beyond the Classroom | History Matters Podcast 18.11.2025 16min

  In Thermopolis, Wyoming, second-grade students love learning about the War of 1812, from the swashbuckling sea battles off the coast of Louisiana to the bombardment at Maryland’s Fort McHenry that inspired the “Star-Spangled Banner”—engaging lessons that build knowledge alongside literary and historical thinking skills. This type of learning is powered by a strong, coherent curriculum that ensures learning connects from unit to unit and year to year, says teacher Laura Stam, a 2024–25 Goyen L...
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  The Four Questions That Make History Come Alive | History Matters Podcast 11.11.2025 17min

  Many teachers build history lessons on primary sources like letters and legal documents. But without context and historical thinking skills, students can’t make much meaning from them, say guests Jon Bassett and Gary Shiffman, co-founders of the Four Question Method for history instruction. “Primary sources, for us, are ways to practice doing what historians do. 8th graders aren't historians, 12th graders aren't historians. So it’s the silly mistake that says, we need to do exactly what the e...
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  Building Teachers' Historical Knowledge | History Matters Podcast 04.11.2025 15min

  What do teachers need to successfully teach high-quality history lessons in elementary school? A strong curriculum is a great start, but teachers also need aligned professional learning and time to dig in and build the content knowledge that supports confident instruction, says guest Courtney Dumas. In this episode, she explains how her organization, Edu20/20, is supporting Louisiana educators as they implement the state’s content-rich Bayou Bridges elementary social studies curriculum. Effec...
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  Massachusetts' Big Move on Elementary History | History Matters Podcast 28.10.2025 17min

  In Medway, Massachusetts, “social studies is a subject to be valued,” fifth-grade teacher Jennifer Lindsey explains in this episode. “It’s the place to teach kids how to talk to each other and negotiate conversations and digest information and form an opinion—but also listen to others’ opinions and back that up with evidence,” she says. This content-rich, inquiry-based learning is powered by Investigating History, a new, free social studies curriculum developed by Massachusetts teachers, scho...
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  History Can’t Wait Until High School | History Matters Podcast 21.10.2025 17min

  In the typical American high school, 9th-grade history students are expected to dive into the historical content, grapple with complex ideas, and engage in deep inquiry. But teenage students often lack the historical knowledge such tasks require. If you haven’t learned much about the Civil War, for example, you won’t be ready to discuss whether the Compromise of 1877 was a fair deal. That’s one of the challenges described by this episode’s guest, Ebony McKiver, a curriculum expert and former ...
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  The Power of Historical Knowledge | History Matters Podcast 14.10.2025 16min

  The more history young students know, the more they want to know. That’s one of the joyful discoveries that elementary teachers are making in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana. In this episode, guests Angela Barfoot and Lauren Cascio describe the rewards of using Bayou Bridges, a content-rich, knowledge-building social studies curriculum, in combination with a high-quality ELA curriculum, Louisiana Guidebooks. Extensive teacher notes, rich texts, engaging visuals, and tie-ins to virtual field trips ...
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  What Makes Great Elementary History Curriculum | History Matters Podcast 14.10.2025 15min

  Teaching history involves balance: too many facts and it’s boring, too few and students don’t have enough information to make sense of what they’ve learned. In this episode, host Barbara Davidson speaks with Sean Dimond, a former middle-school teacher and Louisiana state social studies director who is now senior social studies editor at the Core Knowledge Foundation. Dimond notes that in elementary school, history is often “a random collection of holidays,” with topics presented out of sequen...
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  A Case for Teaching History in Elementary School | History Matters Podcast 30.09.2025 15min

  Elementary schools spend almost no time teaching history. How did we get here, and how can we reprioritize this crucial foundation for literacy and knowledge? Host Barbara Davidson begins the eight-part “History Matters” podcast with a reflective and forward-looking conversation with guest Robert Pondiscio, an author and former fifth-grade teacher who founded the Knowledge Matters Campaign. Pondiscio recalls his youthful passion for history, sparked by the nation’s bicentennial celebrations n...
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  Natalie Wexler on How Writing Promotes Clear Thinking | Literacy and the Science of Learning 29.07.2025 29min

  Season 3 Episode 6 | “Teaching students to write clearly was actually teaching them to think clearly.” In the Season 3 finale, host Natalie Wexler brings listeners inside Monroe City Schools, a high-poverty Louisiana district where educators have paired a content-rich curriculum with explicit writing instruction. This combination has not only helped students become fluent writers but also expanded their ability to understand complex content and think analytically. For writing...
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  Natalie Wexler on Memory and the Writing Effect | Literacy and the Science of Learning 22.07.2025 23min

  Season 3 Episode 5 | Writing is hard—and teaching writing is even harder. But science tells us it’s well worth the effort, because writing flexes the mental muscles that nurture literacy and learning. Host Natalie Wexler connects cognitive science to specific writing practices that transfer information from working to long-term memory and require students to retrieve and elaborate on that information. She’s joined by psychologists John Sweller and Jeffrey Karpicke, whose research has ide...
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  Doug Lemov on the Power of Whole Books | Literacy and the Science of Learning 15.07.2025 26min

  Season 3 Episode 4 | “The book is in a death struggle with electronic and social media. And right now, it’s losing.” Host Doug Lemov makes a spirited case for reading whole books in the classroom—especially since today’s students read almost no books outside of school. He’s joined by guests Stephen Sawchuk of Education Week and cognitive psychologist Daniel Willingham and speaks with two Texas educators using whole books in their school. “Learning to be able to struggle—to read a challen...
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  Doug Lemov on Fluency’s Impact on Comprehension | Literacy and the Science of Learning 08.07.2025 19min

  Season 3 Episode 3 | When we read fluently, we recognize words without effort. We also maintain an engaged pace (automaticity) and perceive expression (prosody), all of which support attention and leave working memory free to make meaning from a text. This is a complex achievement, and many students have fractured attention spans. What can educators do to account for interruptions and focus on building fluency, which is key to developing comprehension? Host Doug Lemov looks at the scienc...