#137 Lessons Through Skills, Genres, or Themes?

#137 Lessons Through Skills, Genres, or Themes?

Author: Jacob Chastain & Pam Ochoa April 14, 2023 Duration: 0:00

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.


Jacob Chastain, from Teach Me, Teacher, and Pam Ochoa, an Abydos trainer, bring their combined classroom and coaching experience to every conversation on Craft & Draft. This isn't a theoretical lecture; it's a practical dialogue built on their specific Craft & Draft approach, designed to make the reading-writing workshop model work in real secondary classrooms. You'll hear them unpack the nuances of workshop teaching, from structuring effective mini-lessons to facilitating meaningful student conferences. They delve into the intentional separation of craft study and drafting time, offering actionable strategies for fostering independent, engaged writers and readers. Each episode feels like pulling up a chair in the teachers' lounge with two insightful colleagues who aren't afraid to discuss the challenges and celebrate the breakthroughs. The podcast serves as a steady resource for educators looking to move beyond theory and into the day-to-day reality of building a dynamic literacy workshop. Tune in for honest reflections, concrete examples, and the collective wisdom of two practitioners dedicated to refining their craft alongside their listeners.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

Craft & Draft
Podcast Episodes
#164 Checkpoints for Progress (pt.2) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 0:00
You can listen to this full episode right now by supporting us on Patreon. Welcome everyone to the Craft & Draft podcast! We are so excited to bring you what we love, talking with you about workshop, literacy, writing, r…
#163 Checkpoints for Progress (pt.1) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 0:00
You can listen to this full episode right now by supporting us on Patreon. Welcome everyone to the Craft & Draft podcast! We are so excited to bring you what we love, talking with you about workshop, literacy, writing, r…
#162 When Planning in Groups Goes Right (pt.2) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 0:00
You can hear the entire episode by supporting us on Patreon today by clicking this link. Thank you for listening! If you missed part one, When Planning in Groups Goes Wrong, check it out here. Welcome everyone to the Cra…
#161 When Planning in Groups Goes Wrong (pt.1) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 0:00
You can hear the entire episode by supporting us on Patreon today by clicking this link. If you can’t no worries—part 2 will drop next week for everyone who can’t support the show directly. Thank you for listening! Welco…
#160 Getting Buy in from Students in Reading (Listener Question) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 0:00
Hello everyone! This is a sample of a bonus episode that you can get if you join us on Patreon. We answer listener questions like this all the time, and would love to tailor episodes to your needs. Click here if you woul…
#159 Are You Coachable? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:48
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 wha…
# 158 Solving Time Management with ChatGPT [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 0:00
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. Juggling the multiple obligations, necessa…
#157 Libraries Are Essential [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 0:00
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. Libraries have been a part of our communit…
#156 Teaching with LIMITED Resources [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 0:00
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 address how…
#155 Making the Curriculum Fit and Flow Through Workshop [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 0:00
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 a li…