Craft & Draft

Welcome everyone to the Craft & Draft podcast! We are so excited to bring you what we love, talking with you about workshop, literacy, writing, reading, and real world teaching. 

In this episode, Jacob is an assistant principal, which means he will be at work next week closing out the year. He will be reflecting on the successes and almost successes of the year, as well as, begin planning for next year with his administrative team. Jacob shares how he hates endings.  School is over for the students, so Jacob finds that when the students leave he hates how much he misses them.

Pam sees endings in a different light.  She says it depends on the type of ending.  Endings for her are often the opportunities for new beginnings.  

Join Jacob and Pam as they discuss whether or not endings are endings or the opportunity to create new beginnings.  What are they for you?

The post #143 On Endings… and Beginnings appeared first on Craft & Draft.

Welcome everyone to the Craft & Draft podcast! We are so excited to bring you what we love, talking with you about workshop, literacy, writing, reading, and real world teaching. 

In this episode, Jacob and Pam answer questions from our listeners:

Back in 2020 you guys did a podcast on Top PD books to buy.  Do you think you would ever do an updated one?  Would there be any books you have read since that you would add? 

This will be my first time doing reading conferences, and I will also have to incorporate social studies content. I would love any advice…

Join Jacob and Pam while they answer the questions and share how they would go about using social studies books  and blend them in the reading and writing workshop!

The post #142 PD Books, Our Book, and Reading Conferences Q&A appeared first on Craft & Draft.

Welcome everyone to the Craft & Draft podcast! We are so excited to bring you what we love, talking with you about workshop, literacy, writing, reading, and real world teaching. 

In this episode, Jacob and Pam discuss how to help students build their confidence.  Students who struggle throughout school often shut down.  When this happens, teachers must figure out how to help them become more confident in themselves.

Pam expresses how important teaching process rather than the end product is to students.  This allows for teachers to help celebrate growth. She talks about the students’ data, but shows them how they have grown rather than failed.

Jacob shares how workshop teaching is where teachers can take the time to build confidence.  The workshop provides students to have opportunities to improve in their craft of reading and writing.  It also provides time for teacher/student conferences which he uses to build up their confidence.

Join Jacob and Pam while they explore how teachers can help build student confidence.  May you find ways to help your students, too!

The post #141 Helping Students Build Confidence appeared first on Craft & Draft.

Welcome everyone to the Craft & Draft podcast! We are so excited to bring you what we love, talking with you about workshop, literacy, writing, reading, and real world teaching. 

Everyone has or will face times when life is just difficult.  When those difficult times show their ugly heads, we still need to teach.  The question is: “How do we keep going?”

In this episode, Jacob and Pam discuss how they deal with such moments.  Pam shares how she looks at teaching as a way to serve others.  Jacob shares how he turns to teaching to keep himself going.  They each share other ways they get through the tough times while maintaining their roles as educators.

Join Jacob and Pam as they share how to keep on going when they face difficult times.  Maybe you will find a little something to help you keep going, too!

The post #140 When We Face Difficult Times appeared first on Craft & Draft.

Welcome everyone to the Craft & Draft podcast! We are so excited to bring you what we love, talking with you about workshop, literacy, writing, reading, and real world teaching. 

Pam asks Jacob a question: “Jacob how do you know as an assistant principal when the teacher you are interviewing is the person for the job?”  

In this episode, the question becomes the topic for the entire episode.  Jacob answers the question by sharing how he knew a past colleague was perfect for his team.  He then flips the question and asks Pam how she answers specific types of questions.

Join Jacob and Pam as they discuss the interview and their own experiences with interviews.  May the discussion help you with your own interviewing processes, too!

The post #139 The Interview: What Makes It Great! appeared first on Craft & Draft.

Welcome everyone to the Craft & Draft podcast! We are so excited to bring to you what we love, talking with you about workshop, literacy, writing, reading, and real world teaching. 

Everyone is headed for the homestretch!  With all the demands left for this year and the expectations for next year, it is easy to lose focus on the students.

In this episode, Jacob and Pam remind each other how the focus needs to stay on the students.  Jacob asks,  “How do you know if you are keeping your focus on the students?”    They each discuss what they do to ensure their workshop is student-centered. 

Join Jacob and Pam as they regain their focus on the students!  Maybe it will help you reflect on your focus, too!

The post #138 Keeping the Focus on the Students appeared first on Craft & Draft.

Welcome everyone to the Craft & Draft podcast! We are so excited to bring you what we love, talking with you about workshop, literacy, writing, reading, and real world teaching. 

During a high stakes season, Pam is wondering what would be best: base her lessons on skills, genres, or themes.  Curriculum will follow one of the three to center the organization of its scope and sequence.  Standards focus on skills.  So the question remains: when teachers plan their lessons, which one should be the focus.

Jacob and Pam discuss how they use all three in their reading and writing workshops.  

Join Jacob and Pam as they discuss the three focal points for lesson design.  Maybe their discussion will help you decide how you want to approach your next set of lessons for a high stake testing season!

The post #137 Lessons Through Skills, Genres, or Themes? appeared first on Craft & Draft.

Welcome everyone to the Craft & Draft podcast! We are so excited to bring you what we love, talking with you about workshop, literacy, writing, reading, and real world teaching. 

Teachers have been told if they are not doing stations or centers then they are not using a workshop.

In this episode, Jacob and Pam revisit the workshop model as a practice to facilitate teaching  reading and writing. Pam shares how she is concerned that too many educators consider stations as workshop. She has noticed that this brings about confusion and hinders the flow of the workshop.  Jacob reinforces that centers have a place in instruction, but are not necessarily the workshop model. 

Join Jacob and Pam as they work through how stations and centers compare to the workshop model.

The post #136 Are Stations or Centers Workshop? appeared first on Craft & Draft.

Welcome everyone to the Craft & Draft podcast! We are so excited to bring you what we love, talking with you about workshop, literacy, writing, reading, and real world teaching. 

The word context is derived from the Latin word contexere meaning to weave.  In a workshop environment the teacher is weaving situations that offer tools for students to think, develop voice, and discover their passion.  

In this episode, Jacob and Pam discuss how they create an atmosphere that enables students to learn about language in the context of authentic reading and writing.  Jacob shares how he and teachers on his campus empower students through diversity of thought. Pam tells how programs and some curriculum mandates paralyzes the reading and writing processes in a workshop.

Join Jacob and Pam as they meander through this idea of creating context in order to promote literacy. May you find a nugget to help you, too!

The post #135 Creating Context (and all the musings) appeared first on Craft & Draft.

Welcome everyone to the Craft & Draft podcast! We are so excited to bring you what we love, talking with you about workshop, literacy, writing, reading, and real world teaching. 

Technology makes cheating in the classroom easier than ever before!  

In this episode, Jacob and Pam talk about cheating and what they do about it. Jacob shares how some of the newest technology is creating concern at the high school, especially on essays.  Pam discusses why students want to take shortcuts in their learning.

Pam shares how she uses process writing in the classroom during class work time to ensure her students are working on their own creations. Jacob reinforces her comments by explaining how students need assignments centered around their interests and experiences.

Jacob and Pam as they discuss ways to curb cheating.  Maybe you can find ways to help you, too!

The post #134 Curb Cheating in the Classroom appeared first on Craft & Draft.