Season Two, Episode 6: The Knowledge Rich Classroom of Laura Stam

SummaryIn this episode of Chalk Dust, Rebecca Birch and Dr Nathaniel Swain are joined by Laura Stam, a third grade teacher in Wyoming, writer of The Knowledge Exchange on Substack, 2024–2025 Goyen Fellow, and founding board member of The Reading League Wyoming. Laura takes us inside a knowledge-rich history lesson on the earliest Native American peoples of North America, with a particular focus on the Arapaho and Shoshone peoples of Wyoming.The episode explores how a text-based lesson can be highly interactive, precise, and content-rich without becoming fragmented. Using a knowledge organiser, document camera, shared reading, choral responses, pair shares, sentence stems, and a co-constructed Venn diagram, Laura shows how students can build deep knowledge while also practising reading, speaking, listening, and writing. The conversation highlights how explicit teaching can remain flexible and responsive when the content itself drives the lesson.Across the episode, Rebecca and Nathaniel unpack the small moves that make the lesson work: high participation, full sentence responses, careful questioning, purposeful pauses, and frequent opportunities for students to rehearse and elaborate their thinking. The result is a classroom where students are excited to contribute, but supported enough to do so with precision and confidence.Mentioned resources and explainersThe Knowledge ExchangeLaura’s Substack, focused on building teacher knowledge through practical resources, classroom examples, and reflections on evidence-informed teaching.The Reading League WyomingLaura is a founding board member of The Reading League Wyoming, part of a broader movement supporting knowledge about evidence-aligned reading instruction.Core Knowledge History and GeographyLaura adapted parts of the lesson from Core Knowledge History and Geography materials on the earliest Americans, then supplemented them with local content on the Arapaho and Shoshone peoples.Knowledge organiserA one-page resource that captures key knowledge for a unit, including timelines, maps, vocabulary, and important facts. In this lesson, the knowledge organiser supports retrieval, review, previewing, and coherence across lessons. More on this here.Document camera / visualiserLaura uses a document camera rather than slide decks so she can move flexibly between texts, maps, organisers, and student work. It allows live modelling, annotation, and co-construction.All hands upA participation routine where all students prepare an answer and raise their hands, giving the teacher a sample of responses while maintaining high accountability.Sentence stemsStructured sentence starters that help students answer in full sentences and elaborate their thinking. Laura uses them to support oral responses and later written work.Pair share: windows and doorsStudents are assigned as “windows” or “doors” partners so they know who speaks first. This keeps pair discussion efficient and gives every student an opportunity to rehearse.Shared reading with cloze responsesLaura reads aloud while students follow the text and chorally supply missing words when she pauses. This keeps attention high and gives students frequent opportunities to respond.Phrase readingStudents are called on to read short sections aloud, with support as needed. Laura uses this carefully so all students can participate without embarrassment.Advance organiserNathaniel connects Laura’s knowledge organiser to the idea of an advanced organiser: a structure given before learning that helps students make sense of new information.Venn diagramLaura uses a co-constructed Venn diagram to help students compare and contrast the Arapaho, Shoshone, Inuit, and Eastern Woodlands peoples. This supports conceptual links across lessons.Listen or view, and support our work📨 Substack