Melissa & Lori Love Literacy ® | Science of Reading for Teachers To Read Stuff, You Have to Know Stuff with Kelly Gallagher
23 snips
May 8, 2026 
Kelly Gallagher, author and veteran literacy teacher, shows why background knowledge is the engine of comprehension. He describes Article of the Week, sentence study, and vocabulary as cumulative knowledge. Short takes cover front-loading novels, embracing student confusion to learn, and building long-form reading habits that fuel curiosity and civic thinking.
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Prior Knowledge Determines Reading Depth
- Prior knowledge strongly predicts comprehension because readers need background to make sense of topics like the International Monetary Fund or political cartoons.
- Kelly shifted from literature teacher to literacy teacher after seniors could identify themes but not the vice president, prompting Article of the Week work.
Teach Knowledge And Strategies Together
- Teach knowledge and strategies together rather than choosing one over the other because knowledge enables effective use of strategies like inference and prediction.
- Kelly recommends balancing strategy lessons with deliberate knowledge building so students can apply techniques meaningfully.
Combine Targeted Vocabulary With Wide Reading
- Build vocabulary through targeted instruction plus massive exposure to varied texts to catch 'word waves' across grades.
- Kelly used targeted pre-teaching of three words for chapters and encouraged independent reading to encounter rare words repeatedly.
