RAFT 

(Role, Audience, Format, Topic)

Content Area Strategy - Writing

 

What: 

RAFT is an acronym: R—role of the writer; A—audience for the writer; F—format of the writing; T—topic to be addressed in the writing.

This strategy allows students to respond from a viewpoint other than their own, to an audience other than themselves or the teacher, and in a form other than the basic answer to a question. RAFT writing can be done in any subject area and in a variety of combinations. For example, the role, audience, and format can be the same for all members of the class, or different students or groups of students can portray different roles, write to different audiences, and use different formats to portray their understanding of the content.

 

Who:

Can be utilized at any age level since the curriculum/content area and the teacher sets the complexity. The RAFT strategy can be used one-on-one, in small groups, or with whole group.

 

Why:

Writing can be an effective way to help students think about a topic being studied or the material being read. The RAFT strategy is designed to encourage students to share their understanding of the content in a creative, imaginative, and critical way.

 

When:

RAFT is generally considered an after-reading strategy, because the students are able to apply what they gleaned from the reading/content immediately. However, it can also be used before reading to determine students’ background knowledge.

 

How:

1. Help students analyze important ideas or information learned from reading a story, textbook passage, or other resource.

2. Present RAFT to the students, and explain the four components: role of the writer, audience to whom the writing is directed, format of the writing, and topic on which the writing will focus.

3. Have students generate examples and discuss the four elements until everyone understands what must be taken into consideration with each one.

4. Have students use RAFT as they plan their writing. Have all students do the same assignment the first time. Later, allow different students to take on different roles, writing formats, and so on.