Card
RAFT
This strategy enables students to create new understanding about a topic by adopting another point of view in their written responses.
RAFT
Summary
Students use the RAFT table to select one row to use as a guide to their assigned writing. Each row contains a full writing prompt: a Role for the student to take, an Audience to write for, the Format the writing should be in, and the Topic the writing should be about. Students then write from the point of view they chose from their RAFT sheets and share their responses with the class in a whole-class discussion.
Procedure
After reading an excerpt or novel or completing a unit of study, create or find a RAFT table that addresses the targeted content and objectives.
Display or distribute the RAFT to students.
Describe each of the RAFT categories (role, audience, format, and topic) using simple examples.
Model how to write responses to the prompts and discuss the key elements as a class. (Note: At first, it may be best to have all students react to the same prompt so the class can learn from varied responses.)
Students then choose a row of the RAFT to use as a prompt.
Students write their assignment based on the prompt they selected.
Have a few students read their RAFTs aloud.
Have a whole-class discussion about all of the RAFTs that were read out loud—even if they used the same role, audience, format, and topic.
West Virginia Department of Education. (n.d.) RAFT. Retrieved from https://wvde.state.wv.us/strategybank/RAFT.html
Publisher
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Placement In Lesson
- Evaluate/Assessment
- Explain/Closing
- Extend/Additional Learning Activity
Intention/Purpose
- Critical Thinking
- Identify
- Student Choice
- Synthesize
- Writing
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