PoPCast: Discussing Educational Practices that Support Readers and Writers

In this episode, Whitney and Travis dive into the "Delete" component of the Patterns of Revision teaching framework. They explain how to teach students to effectively delete repetitive or unnecessary information from their writing to make it clearer and more impactful. Using mentor text examples from both elementary and middle school levels, they demonstrate their lesson structure. Click Here for...

In this episode, Whitney talks with three educators from Northwest ISD in Texas about their journey with Patterns of Revision. Kelli Palmer (Language Arts Coordinator), Caitlin Sherwood (3rd grade), and Katrina Lawyer (4th grade) share how this resource transformed their teaching of revision, fostered meaningful student discussions about writing choices, and helped both teachers and students under...

⁠Episode transcript⁠ In this episode, Travis and Whitney share an overview of each of the parts of the process of any Patterns of Revision lesson: Setting Context : Reading an excerpt of a text that will be used as the focal point of the lesson. Naming the Revision Strategy : Explicitly stating the revision strategy being focused on in the lesson. Modeling : Demonstrating the specific revision str...

In this episode of PoPCast, hosts Travis and Whitney introduce Patterns of Revision . Discover how this grade-specific tool for grades 3-8 aims to elevate students' revision skills through a systematic approach. Learn about the DRAFT framework (Delete, Rearrange, Add, Form new verbs, and Talk) and how it provides practical strategies for effective revision. Whether you're a seasoned educat...

We're joined in this episode by two amazing Texas educators. Nicola and Elizabeth share their journey of implementation of Patterns of Power at both the classroom and district levels, highlighting their three-pronged approach to getting teacher buy-in for authentic grammar instruction across grades 6-12. Episode Transcript Music by Jeff Kaale

In this episode, we connect with two brilliant educators from the Washington D.C. area, Kate Devlin and Beth Hoffmann, to hear their story about implementing Patterns of Power on their campus. They share their process of finding Patterns of Power and the insights they’ve gained from a year of trying out this process in the elementary and middle school classrooms on their campus. We're excited...

In this episode, hosts Whitney and Travis sit down with Corinne Arens and Katie White, instructional coaches from Blue Springs School District in Missouri. The discussion centers around the implementation of Patterns of Power in their district for enhancing grammar and writing education. Corinne and Katie share their experiences, challenges, and successes while emphasizing the value of collaborati...

Whitney and Travis highlight the why, the what, and the how of independent reading and connect this classroom practice into various invitations within the Patterns of Power process. episode transcript Music by Jeff Kaale Author Shout Outs & Quotable Connections: NCTE Position Statement on Independent Reading Game Changer! , by Donalyn Miller and Colby Sharp Learning To Be Literate: More Than a...

In this episode, Whitney La Rocca and Travis Leech discuss the cognitive power of comparing and contrasting and share ways to add flexibility to the Invitation to Compare & Contrast within the classroom. Episode transcript Music by Jeff Kaale Quotable references: Visible Learning , by John Hattie Getting to "Got It!" , by Betty K. Garner

In this episode, Whitney La Rocca and Travis Leech discuss strategies for enhancing the Invitation to Notice. They suggest teachers model their thought process on a sentence example, allowing students to observe the teacher's thought process before trying it out themselves. Additionally, they recommend creating and sharing visual aids that reinforce the pattern being highlighted in the Invitation...

The Patterns of Power family is excited to be back! In this episode, Travis Leech and Whitney La Rocca share a favorite "In the Classroom" strategy: using a read-aloud from the text where we've curated a lesson's model sentence to build background knowledge and engagement before starting a Patterns of Power lesson. episode transcript Music by Jeff Kaale Quotable references: ⁠A Ye...