#155 Making the Curriculum Fit and Flow Through Workshop

#155 Making the Curriculum Fit and Flow Through Workshop

Author: Jacob Chastain & Pam Ochoa August 20, 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. 

In this episode, Jacob and Pam answer a listener’s question about making the part and parcel of a new curriculum fit into the workshop so that the lessons flow.

Pam speaks to how teachers need to understand what the district expects.  What are the non-negotiables?  Jacob says to ask and create a dialogue with the district content coordinators for clarifications. 

Jacob explains how his own non-negotiables are ensuring the students read and write daily.  They each discuss how they would go about making the lessons flow. As an example Pam shares how she looks for skills, themes or generalizations on which to glue the pieces together.  

Join Jacob and Pam while they answer the question of how to include everything from the curriculum and make it flow in the reading and writing workshop! Maybe it will help you as you begin the new year, too!

The post #155 Making the Curriculum Fit and Flow Through Workshop 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
#193 How to Get an English Teaching Job [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. It’s interview time! Interviews are often…
#192 Closing the Year Strong [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 0:00
lcome 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. Another school year is coming to a close! Ho…
#191 How to Study Literature [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 discuss man…
#190 Schools Ruin Poetry [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. Do schools ruin poetry? Often…they do. But…
#189 What is an Assignment? [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. ‘What is an assignment?’ seems like a simp…
#188 How Much Do We Know About American Teachers? [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 take a quiz…
#187 What is College Readiness? [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. Jacob just took some students to visit a f…
#186 It’s That Time of Year:  To Stay or To Quit [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. Every year in the education world, educato…
#185 Test-Prep Strategies! (Patreon Episode) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 0:00
In this bonus episode for our Craft and Draft patrons we answer Courtney’s question regarding the test taking season. Jacob shares how he begins broad in his workshop and then narrows his scope as his students approach t…
#184 Reading or Writing: What Matters Most? [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. It seems that the notion, ‘Students can’t…