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. 

It has been a busy year and the time of essay writing is upon everyone.  Educators in all situations are feeling the pressure to get their students up to par composing essays.

In this episode, Pam discusses how she goes about teaching the essay.  She shares some of the resources that she has used to get her up to speed in years past.  Pam explains why workshop teachers must allow the students to write from their own experiences.  These experiences come from their own life but can also be found from their responses to the materials and texts they read in class or on their own.

Join Pam as she shares all the possibilities of essay writing.  As Barry Lane once said, “…they need to be shown possibilities.”  May you find some possibilities to use in the writing workshop.

The post #182 Essays and Possibilities 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.

This episode was previously published as a BONUS for Patreon. If you want more episodes like this, or if you just want to support the show, click here. 

Jacob and Pam want to begin by thanking you for your support!

In this bonus episode Jacob and Pam explain why they use two notebooks, a Craft Book and a Draft Book.

Pam begins by sharing a workshop experience where she had to reset and restart the workshop. She also explains how she uses two notebooks to help clarify for the students when to study and when to apply the lessons that occur in her Reading and Writing Workshop.

Jacob reflects upon the purpose of why he uses two notebooks.  He explains how ownership plays a role. Jacob highlights the importance of putting students first. When he did this, it helped him determine why he uses two notebooks.

Join Jacob and Pam while they reflect upon why they have chosen two notebooks. Let this help you decide what is best for your students, too!

The post #181 Why Two Notebooks? 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.

This episode was previously published as a BONUS for Patreon. If you want more episodes like this, or if you just want to support the show, click here. 

School does stress us out; however, school is a place we love!  In this bonus episode, Jacob and Pam share how much they are feeling the pressure and stress of deadlines, paperwork, behavior issues, and the strive for success.

Jacob shares how much he enjoys going into other teachers’ classrooms during his academic walks.  During his walk through the world language classes, he notices how the teachers are using a workshop approach and teaching grammar within the context of learning language.  He and Pam share how this approach transfers in the ELAR classroom as well.

Join Jacob and Pam as they discuss stress in the school environment.  Maybe it will help you if you are stressed, too!

The post #180 We Talk About Stress 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 dialogue about the most essential element for a school to have success. Jacob speaks on how educators must love teaching.  He shares his unique perspective and the observations he has made as a teacher and now as principal.

Pam elaborates from her own experiences and love for teaching.  She explains how her love of teaching impacted her career in a positive way.  She also shares her concern regarding how reading and writing instruction is approached presently.

Join Jacob and Pam as they consider the craft of teaching. Just a reminder, if you have a subject or question you want us to discuss, please send it to us.

The post #179 This is What Schools Need to be Successful 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.

This episode was previously unreleased on FREE feeds and was only available for our Patreon supporters. If you want more episodes like this and more content from the show, support us here. 

In this episode, Jacob and Pam answer Hanah’s question about a day when all the ELL students are being pulled from the class for a week due to TELPAS. Pam shares how she just had a moment last week when she only had five students left in class for a similar reason. Jacob discusses how these days occur for other reasons as well, so he has had to fill time with ‘filler’ lessons.

Pam recalls how she incorporates reading and writing into these types of days while offering a few writing strategies to get the students writing.  Jacob shares how he likes to use these days for team building activities.

Join Jacob and Pam as they share how workshop structure will help you be more flexible for the unexpected day!

The post #178 Filler Lessons for the Unexpected Day 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 focus on how education may be changing.  Jacob asks Pam why it seems schools are leaning more on programs to help teach reading.  She shares several reasons why she thinks the change is occurring.  Jacob responds with his thoughts regarding costs and the need for an expedient solution.

The question must be asked— “How will this expedient solution impact our students’ literacy?”  

Join Jacob and Pam as they discuss the possible impacts of programs in the reading and writing classroom!

The post #177 Will Programs Replace Teachers? appeared first on Craft & Draft.

THIS EPISODE WAS PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED FOR THE SHOW’S PATREON SUPPORTERS. If you enjoy this, please consider supporting the show here and get many more episodes and training videos NOT released on free feeds.

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.

Jacob and Pam answer two questions from our patrons: How can Gifted and Talented (GT) students stay passionate and not apathetic about literacy? How can I keep students from hating writing during STAAR prep time?

In this episode, Jacob and Pam first discuss how they have helped GT students Literacy Life alive. Pam shares her experiences as to why students may be apathetic towards learning. She addresses how she has dealt with it in the past when she taught GT classes. Jacob explains how he has addressed similar situations in his.  He explains how he allows students to learn about what interests them the most while maintaining the curriculum standards.

They both tie the second question into the first question by explaining how similar principles will work to keep the learning alive for the STAAR prep as well. Jacob and Pam share what they believe should be focus for the writing during the prep, while offering suggestions to help with the preparation.

Join Jacob and Pam during this bonus episode and keep your students loving literacy, too!

The post #176 GT and STAAR Writing HELP 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 dive into how to set-up a classroom.  Jacob explains how a teacher places the desks will make a difference in how learning takes place. He asks, ‘Why do teachers often resort to rows rather than other arrangements?”  Pam responds with the positives and negatives of rows in the classroom.

Both of them agree that structure is important to maintaining a solid workshop, but structure does not necessarily mean rigid.  They each share why they have organized their rooms in the manner that they have chosen.  They both share how they have made changes along the way.

Join Jacob and Pam as they discuss how to set-up the classroom for success!  Maybe you will get a few ideas that you can try, too!

The post #175 Set-up (literally) the Classroom for Success 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. 

Jacob and Pam begin the new year with memories.  They talk about food, grandparents,as well as the differences between country life and city life.  The conversation turns to how teachers, through the art of teaching, create environments that cultivate empowered learners.

Pam shares how she creates moments in the classroom for students to have connective conversations.  These conversations may be about their own lives, connections to books, or as Jacob states, ‘their passions’.

Jacob also discusses how these connections create avenues for the artful teacher to use the tools and strategies to teach the students how to write and engage in their reading.

Join Jacob and Pam as they discuss knowing their students through connections, and using those connections to create a classroom of empowered learners!

The post #174 From Memories to Empowered Writers 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 think about all that hinders learning in the classroom from no time to mandates and many other factors that creep into the schools.  

Jacob takes everyone on a journey of the past. He points out, “There is so much we do not know!”  He takes that idea and begins a discussion about the hindrances to learning and how teachers ensure students’ learning opportunities stay open. 

Pam shares how when she is faced with too many hindrances such as mandates she implements short bursts of learning, writing and reading workshops. She explains that teachers must use writing and reading from choice to help students maintain a desire to learn.

Join Jacob and Pam as they finish the year talking about learning.  May you have a wonderful and happy new year, too!

The post #173 From Ancient Discoveries to Keeping Kids Learning appeared first on Craft & Draft.