Writing with RAFTS - Henry County School District



Writing with RAFTS

A RAFT (Role/Audience/Format/Topic) is simply a writing strategy that engages the student by asking them to assume a role with a particular viewpoint about a topic and then to expand on the topic by addressing an audience. Students can utilize their creative and imaginative talents when writing in the RAFT format. This strategy is very useful at the end of a unit or at the close of a lesson.

How it works:

ROLE: You can assign or allow students to assume a role so that they may “write themselves into” a part of a lesson or topic.

AUDIENCE: The student chooses the audience to whom he/she is writing.

FORMATE: This is the form that the writing will take.

TOPIC: Topics are usually determined by the teacher drawn upon the material of a particular lesson or unit.

EXAMPLE A:

R (role): Magazine reporter/writer

A (audience): Magazine readers

F (format): Interview article

T (topic): The effectiveness of battle strategies of Union and Confederate generals for the Battle of Gettysburg

The student will pretend to be a reporter covering the Battle of Gettysburg during the Civil War. The student will create interview questions to ask Generals Meade and Lee about the effectiveness of their battle strategies. The student will provide possible answers that each general might have given to such questions.

With the above RAFT, the article can be addressed to soldiers or spectators about the particular topic, the effectiveness of battle strategies.

EXAMPLE B:

Role: water molecule

Audience: 6th grade student in a science class

Format: comic strip

Topic: What happens to water as it moves through the water cycle?

A RAFT does not have to be a major production, but does afford students to opportunity to write outside of a language arts class. Students generally like the creative aspects of a RAFT especially when they are given several choices about format, audience, and role.

EXAMPLE C:

R: a colonist in America in 1608

A: a friend in England

F: letter

T: conditions in America

Some suggested ROLES and/or AUDIENCES for RAFTS

Ad agency local politician

Administrator movie star

Another school museum curator

Artist national politician (current or past)

Athlete newspaper editor/reporter

Business executive older student

Cartoonist other class

Chamber of Commerce parent

Character in a book/story pen pal

Charity poet

Classical musician publisher

College radio station

Community figure relatives

Corporation restaurant

Dancer rock star

Doctor/dentist sales person

Drama club or director scientist

Ecologist social leader/activist

Elderly individual store

Historian teacher

Historical figure theater audience

Homesteader travel agent

Hospital patient TV character

Journalist TV station

Lawyer Writer

Younger student

A role or audience can be anything from an atom to a math formula to a slice of pizza traveling through the digestive system. Student can also brainstorm to generate more roles and/or audiences.

FORMATS FOR WRITING

The following list offers only some formats for writing in the RAFT strategy. The possible formats are myriad.

Acceptance letter job specification radio play

Advertisement joke radio script

Advice journal/diary entry recommendation

Apology legal brief CD/record album cover

Application letter to the editor rejection letter

Argument letter reminiscences and memoirs

Autobiography list requests

Bill board magazine resignation

Blog entry marriage proposal resume

Book jacket math notes review or critique

Bumper sticker memo riddle

Caption message to future satire

Cartoon/comic strip metaphors science notes

Children’s story/poem minutes of a meeting sermon

Commercial monologue ship’s log

Complaint music video sketches

Confession news story skits

Congratulations nomination speech slide show script

Contest entry obituary slogan

Dialogue/conversation observation papers song

Dictionary entry pamphlet sound tape

Dramatic monologue petition speech

Editorial photo essay story board

Epitaph photos/captions suicide note

Essay placards sympathy note

Eulogy play telegram

Expense account poetry telephone or text dialogue

Farewell poster travelogue

Fiction prayer TV script

Film profiles/portraits undercover report

Flyer promotional brochure wanted poster

Graffiti prophecy/prediction war communiqué

Human interest story protest warning

Inaugural speech psychiatrist’s notes will

Inquiry public address written debate

Invitation public notice yearbook

Again, there are many formats to use with the RAFT writing strategy. Allow your students to be creative with the many Web 2.0 applications that are available.

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download