raft writing strategy · what is raft? r.a.f.t. is a writing strategy that helps students...
Post on 05-Jun-2020
3 Views
Preview:
TRANSCRIPT
RAFT Writing Strategy
Katie BockJill Nowak
Megan Wolf
What is RAFT?
R.A.F.T. is a writing strategy that helps students understand their role as a writer, the audience they will address, the varied formats for writing, and the topic they’ll be writing about.
By using this strategy, teachers encourage students to write creatively, to consider a topic from a different perspective, and to gain practice writing for different purposes.
What does RAFT stand for?
R: Role of the writer – Who are you as a writer? (President, actor, soldier, etc.)
A: Audience – To whom are you writing? (A company, friend, parent)
F: Format: In what format are you writing? (Journal, editorial, letter)
T: Topic (What are you writing about)?
RAFT examples
Possible Ideas for a RAFTChoose ideas that advance the learning goals.
Characters
from a story
Public service
job
Key terms Scientists or
politicians
Historical
figures
Musical
instruments
Diseases Geographic
formations
Vocabulary
words
Cartoon
characters
Types of
fabric
Composers or
artists
Instruments
or tools
Shapes or
colors
Authors or
inventers
Business or
industry person
Minerals or
chemical
elements
Cities,
countries or
continents
Brand
name or
object
Technical terms
Role Audience Format Topic
G Tortoise Hare 6-panel
storyboard
How I Won the
Race
G You Teacher Bulleted list Things I do in the
morning to get
ready for school
G Sports star Reporter News item Here’s how I got
hurt … and what
I’ll do next
A Cousin You Set of directions Help me learn to
play checkers
A Hermione
Granger
Harry Potter Conversation or
dialogue
What happened to
make you so
suspicious?
A Marble Kid “Marble Raceway”
model with exhibit
card describing
each tumble or
turning point
Watch me roll!
Possible RAFT Formats to Differentiate by
Learning Modality
Written Visual Oral Kinesthetic
Diary entry
Bulleted list
Obituary
Invitation
Recipe
Movie critic
FAQs
Editorial
Gossip
column
Comic
Crossword
puzzle
Map
Graphic
organizer
Print ad
Photograph
Fashion
design
Song
Monologue
Radiocast
Museum
guide
Interview
Puppet show
Political
speech
Story teller
Model
Cheer
Mime
Demonstration
Sales pitch
with demos
Sew, cook,
build
Wax museum
Differentiating a RAFT by Readiness(Teacher assigns RAFT or choices of RAFTs based on students’ reading,
writing or performance levels)
•Roles/Audience
– Well-known people or charters to lesser known
– Basic essential items (vocabulary, inventions,
elements, etc.) to more esoteric items
– Easier to understand point-of-view to more
intangible perspective
•Formats (while offering choices to students)
– Shorter to longer (in prep, process or presentation)
– More familiar to more unfamiliar formats
– Single step to multiple steps
Differentiating a RAFT by Readiness(continued)
• Topics
– Easier to interpret to more sophisticated
– Concrete & literal to more abstract
response
– More structured to more open-ended
– Small leap in insight & application to larger
leap
Activity- Choose One
Role Audience Format Topic
Dwyane Wade LeBron James Conversation Why he made a mistake leaving Miami for
Cleveland.
Justin Bieber Law Enforcement Letter Why the police should drop all charges against
him.
Kim Kardashian Kanye West Poem of at least 8 lines Expressing your love and how it is
everlasting (not just 72 days).
You Dr. Lavoy One schmoozing song/rap
How beneficial this class has been (brownie
points).
Strengths
The writing prompt is authentic and customized to what students are learning at the time.
Creates fluent and purposeful writing for students
It helps students learn important writing skills such as audience, main idea, and organization.
Allows for a deeper understanding of informational text
Helps students learn to write creatively to different audiences while considering a topic from multiple perspectives
Allows students to use higher order thinking strategies, as there are many things to consider (such as how an audience will respond to the statements)
Can be used for all subjects
Weaknesses
Students may struggle when given the opportunity to write freely and creatively
Being able to take a different perspective can be difficult
Extra instruction may be needed to help students write in the form you’re asking them to write
Resources for Teachers
http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/printouts/raft-writing-template-30633.html
https://daretodifferentiate.wikispaces.com/R.A.F.T.+Assignments (has different formats to differentiate)
http://www.writingfix.com/WAC/Writing_Across_Curriculum_RAFTS_Math.htm
http://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/raft
http://www.slideshare.net/ulamb/differentiated-instruction-strategy-raft
Questions?
top related