Crafting Reading Minds | Dr. Melissa Orkin

In this episode of The Reading Symphony Podcast...

Katie talks with Dr. Melissa Orkin, educator and developmental psychologist, about dyslexia, structured literacy, reading fluency, and why the emotional side of learning matters.

Melissa explains how motivation, confidence, and a child’s willingness to make mistakes can affect reading development. They explore the difference between intrinsic motivation and rewards, how the RAVE-O approach connects different parts of the reading brain, and practical ways parents and teachers can build stronger readers.

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👤 About Dr. Melissa Orkin

Dr. Melissa Orkin is an educator and developmental psychologist specializing in literacy achievement. She is Director of Crafting Minds Group, has taught at Tufts University and Harvard University, and is co-author of The Structured Literacy Playbook.

🔗 Dr. Orkin's Links:

RAVE-O Curriculum: https://www.craftingmindsgroup.com/site/rave-o

Crafting Minds Group: https://www.craftingmindsgroup.com/

Beyond Gold Stars: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nke-VZYlAssz1mVUyoDC77_hdEySfkeo/view?usp=sharing

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-orkin-ph-d-1876311/

The Structured Literacy Playbook: https://www.amazon.com/Structured-Literacy-Playbook-Preplanned-Playbooks/dp/0593970942

Chapters

00:00 – Dyslexia, Motivation and the Emotional Side of Reading

00:52 – Meet Dr. Melissa Orkin

01:41 – From Structured Literacy to Dyslexia Research

03:50 – Why Schools Were Afraid to Say Dyslexia

05:27 – Reading Fluency, Motivation and Student Confidence

11:12 – Rewards vs. Intrinsic Motivation

14:40 – Teaching Children That Mistakes Are Part of Learning

18:16 – Why Learning Is Emotional and Social

18:44 – Why Are Schools Afraid to Say Dyslexia?

21:11 – How the Reading Brain Learns to Read

22:39 – Phonology, Orthography and Structured Literacy

23:44 – Building Vocabulary and Word Knowledge

25:57 – Syntax and Reading Comprehension

29:44 – How RAVE-O Reading Intervention Works

35:34 – RAVE-O for Struggling Readers

39:08 – Gaps in the Science of Reading

39:52 – Why Progress Monitoring Matters

46:10 – Hope for the Future of Reading Instruction

48:41 – Advice for Parents of Struggling Readers

#Dyslexia #StructuredLiteracy #ScienceOfReading #ReadingInstruction #ReadingFluency