RAFT: Role, Audience, Format, Topic

The RAFT strategy employs writing-to-learn activities to enhance understanding of informational text. Rather than write a traditional essay to explain a concept, students demonstrate their understanding in a nontraditional format. This technique encourages creative thinking and motivates students to reflect in unusual ways about concepts they have read.

RAFT is an acronym that stands for:

 

• Role of the writer: What is the writer's role: reporter, observer, eyewitness, object, number, etc.?
• Audience: Who will be reading the writing: the teacher, other students, a parent, editor, people in the community, etc.?
• Format: What is the best way to present this writing: in a letter, an article, a report, a poem, an advertisement, email, etc.?
• Topic: Who or what is the subject of this writing: a famous scientist, a prehistoric cave dweller, a character from literature, a chemical element or physical object, etc.?

 

The RAFT strategy encourages students to process information, rather than merely prepare answers to questions. Varied prompts allow students to compare and contrast multiple perspectives, deepening their understanding of the content when shared. Students are more motivated to undertake the writing assignment because it can be customized to fit different learning styles.

Implementation

 

1. Decide on an area of study currently taking place in your classroom for which you could collaborate with the students and write a class RAFT.
2. Think about the concepts or process skills that you want students to learn as they read a selected passage.
3. Imagine how writing in a fun way may enhance students' understanding of the topic or concept.
4. Brainstorm possible roles students could assume in their writing.
5. Decide who the audience would be as well as the format for writing.
6. After students have finished the reading, identify the role, audience, format and topic (RAFT) for the writing assignment.
7. Assign the same role for all students, or let them choose from several different roles.

 

Classroom Management

1. Describe the various perspectives that writers must consider when completing any writing assignment.
2. Have a class think-aloud to come up with ideas for the piece of writing that you will create as a group.
3. Review the basic content of the reading, but allow students to select the role, audience, format, and topic to write about.

• Model how you would write in response to the prompt.
• Allow student input and creativity as you craft your piece of writing.