Role-Audience-Format-Topic+(RAFT)

Role-Audience-Format-Topic (RAFT) __Description__ This strategy asks students to creatively analyze and synthesize the information from a particular text or texts by taking on a particular role or perspective, defining the target audience, and choosing an appropriate written format to convey their understanding of the content topic. (N. Vandervanter, in Adler 1982; Santa, 1988)

__Purpose__ Use before, during, and after reading to: Enhance comprehension of main ideas, organization, and point of view Process information and reflect in unusual ways about concepts they have read Provide a creative, authentic way of communicating what was learned that can enhance students’ engagement in writing or presentation tasks Encourage students to consider perspectives different than their own Help students communicate what they have learned using their preferred learning styles

Check out this website to give you ideas for the content area you work in for a RAFT: []

__Directions__ 1.Explain what a RAFT is and why it is helpful. 2.Model a RAFT for students using a simple text or well-known concept/topic. 3.Assign a text for students to read. Before reading, note the different perspectives in the text. 4.Brainstorm 3–4 possible roles that students could assume in their writing. Typically multiple roles-audiences-formats-topics are selected for a content concept, from which students may design their preferred RAFT. 5.Students select the four components that most interest them to communicate their learning.

**Examples of RAFT Assignments**
 * **Role** || **Audience** || **Format** || **Topic** ||
 * Newspaper Reporter || Readers in the 1870's || Obituary || Qualities of General Custer ||
 * Lawyer || U.S. Supreme Court || Appeal Speech || Dred Scott Decision ||
 * Abraham Lincoln || Dear Abby || Advice Column || Problems with his generals ||
 * Mike Royko || Public || News Column || Capital punishment ||
 * Frontier Woman || Self || Diary || Hardships of the West ||
 * Constituent || U.S. Senator || Letter || Gun control ||
 * News Writer || Public || News Release || Ozone layer has been formed ||
 * Chemist || Chemical company || Instructions || Combinations to avoid ||
 * Wheat Thin || Other Wheat Thins || Travel Guide || Journey through the digestive system ||
 * Plant || Sun || Thank-you note || Sun's role in plant's growth ||
 * Scientist || Charles Darwin || Letter || Refute a point in evolution theory ||
 * Square Root || Whole Number || Love letter || Explain relationship ||
 * Repeating Decimal || Set of Rational Numbers || Petition || Prove you belong to this set ||
 * Cook || Other cooks || Recipe || Alcoholism ||
 * Julia Child || TV audience || Script || Wonders of eggs ||
 * Advertiser || TV audience || Public Service || Importance of fruit ||
 * Lungs || Cigarettes || Complaint || Effects of smoking ||
 * Huck Finn || Jim || Letter || What I learned during the trip ||
 * Joseph Stalin || George Orwell || Letter || Reactions to //Animal Farm// ||
 * Comma || 9th grade students || Complaint || How it is misused ||
 * Trout || Self || Diary || Effects of acid rain on lake ||

**RAFT Examples for Math** **RAFT Examples for Science** **RAFT Examples for Social Studies**
 * **Role** || **Audience** || **Format** || **Topic** ||
 * Zero || Whole numbers || Campaign speech || Importance of the number 0 ||
 * Scale factor || Architect || Directions for a blueprint || Scale drawings ||
 * Percent || Student || Tip sheet || Mental ways to calculate percents ||
 * Repeating decimal || Customers || Petition || Proof/check for set membership ||
 * Prime number || Rational numbers || Instructions || Rules for divisibility ||
 * Parts of a graph || TV audience || Script || How to read a graph ||
 * Exponent || Jury || Instructions to the jury || Laws of exponents ||
 * One || Whole numbers || Advice column || Perfect, abundant, deficient, amicable numbers ||
 * Variable || Equations || Letter || Role of variables ||
 * Container || Self || Diary || Comparing volume measurements ||
 * Acute triangle || Obtuse triangle || Letter || Explain differences of triangles ||
 * Function || Relations || Article || Argue the importance of functions ||
 * **Role** || **Audience** || **Format** || **Topic** ||
 * Water drop || Other water drops || Travel guide || Journey through water cycle ||
 * Bean || Self || Diary || Process of germination ||
 * Frog || Tadpole || Letter || Life cycle ||
 * Electron || Fourth grade students || Letter || Journey through a parallel circuit ||
 * Limestone rock || Cave visitors || Postcard || Chemical weathering process ||
 * Statue || Dear Abby readers || Advice column || Effect of acid rain ||
 * Trout || Farmers || Letter || Effects of fertilizer runoff ||
 * Duck || U.S. Senator || Letter || Effects of oil spill ||
 * Star || Self || Diary || Life cycle ||
 * Peregrine falcon || Public || News column || Effects of DDT ||
 * Red blood cell || Lungs || Thank-you note || Journey through circulatory system ||
 * Liver || Alcohol || Complaint || Effects of drinking ||
 * Lungs || Brain || Thank-you note || Quitting smoking ||
 * Rusty old car || Previous owner || Letter || Chemical change ||
 * **Role** || **Audience** || **Format** || **Topic** ||
 * Sacajawea || Jean Baptiste || Letter || Our travels with Lewis and Clark ||
 * Newspaper Reporter || Readers in 1851 || News report || Native Americans sign treaty at Ft. Laramie ||
 * Dead Confederate Soldier || Robert E. Lee || Complaint || Pickett's Charge ||
 * Bird || Wright Brothers || Complaint || New invention disrupts skies ||
 * 21st Century Woman || Susan B. Anthony || Thank-you note || Women's Rights ||
 * Alexander the Great || Aristotle || Letter || What I have seen on my journeys ||
 * Ben Franklin || Dear Abby || Advice column || My son likes the British ||
 * Kaiser Wilhelm II || European Heads of State || Recipe || How we can start a World War ||
 * Kit Carson || Future tourists || Travel guide || Beautiful places in the West ||
 * Mohandas Gandhi || Martin Luther King Jr. || Letter || Nonviolent opposition/resistence ||
 * Great Wall of China || Self || Diary || Invaders I have seen and stopped ||
 * Colorado River || Rafters || Travel guide || What you will see if you travel my length ||
 * Rain Forest || Humans || Complaint || Deforestation ||
 * Constituent || Governor || Letter || State taxes ||
 * 21st Century American || James Madison || Thank-you note || The Constitution ||

__Extensions__ When first learning the RAFT strategy, have students work in cooperative groups. Have individual students or small groups brainstorm the four RAFT components rather than using the teacher-created list. Have students publish their RAFT writing/presentations to authentic audiences.