S10 E7: Syntax and comprehension, with Julie Van Dyke, Ph.D.

In this episode of Science of Reading: The Podcast, Susan Lambert is joined by research scientist and professor Julie Van Dyke, Ph.D., who explains why syntax instruction may be the missing piece in our mission to improve comprehension outcomes for all students. Together, Julie and Susan discuss why syntax is the part of the language system that matters for comprehension, how the same systematicity and rule governance that you find in teaching phonics also exists in syntax, and how explicit syntax instruction could be the next breakthrough in evidence-based literacy education. Show notes: Submit your questions on comprehension! Connect with Julie Van Dyke on LinkedIn . Learn more about Julie Van Dyke's research on her website . Watch an interview about Syntax Comes First: Understanding How Syntax Is the Backbone of Comprehension Watch Dr. Van Dyke's webinar: Finding the Missing Link in Reading Comprehension. Access recent Perspectives issues via the IDA. Listen to Season 2 of Amplify's Beyond My Years podcast . Join our community Facebook group . Connect with Susan Lambert . Quotes: "In English, syntax is word order. Syntax is the relationship between the entities in a sentence." —Julie Van Dyke, Ph.D. "If you want to increase comprehension, you need to be explicit in syntax because that's the part of the language system that matters for comprehension." —Julie Van Dyke, Ph.D. "Comprehension is the glue between the words. It's the process of gluing the words together, each word as you go." —Julie Van Dyke, Ph.D. Episode Timestamps : 00:00 Introduction: Syntax and comprehension with Julie Van Dyke, Ph.D. 06:00 Nervousness around syntax instruction 11:00 Comprehension is the glue between words 15:00 The difference between grammar and syntax 19:00 How the brain learns language and how syntax is related to that learning 24:00 Oral language is much less complicated than written language 30:00 Explaining regressions 33:00 The need to be explicit in syntax instruction 36:00 How we develop fluency as syntax 44:00 Closing thoughts: Syntax can move the needle on the nation's report card *Timestamps are approximate, rounded to nearest minute

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S10 E7: Syntax and comprehension, with Julie Van Dyke, Ph.D. is an episode from Science of Reading: The Podcast by Amplify Education.

This episode is 48:08 long.

This episode was published on Dec 17, 2025.

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