Role/Audience/Format/Topic R.A.F.T Writing

What is RAFT Writing? RAFT Writing is simply a way to think about the four main things that all writers have to consider: Role of the Writer Who are you as the writer? Are you Abraham Lincoln? A warrior? A homeless person? An auto mechanic? The endangered snail darter? Audience To whom are you writing? Is your audience the American people? A friend? Your teacher? Readers of a newspaper? A local bank? Format What form will the writing take? Is it a letter? A classified ad? A speech? A poem? Topic What's the subject or the point of this piece? Is it to persuade a goddess to spare your life? To plead for a re-test? To call for stricter regulations on logging?

Generic Examples Role Audience Format Topic A black cat Trick-or treaters a letter of complaint why am I treated so unfairly over a silly superstition? A jack-o-lantern a persuasive letter Don’t smash me or fill me with shaving cream A pumpkin Children Flyer Don’t rip my insides out and carve me up Your stomach Letter of complaint Candy upsets us! A smart pumpkin Other pumpkins Instructions Disguise yourself and don’t be picked and carved for Halloween A broom The witch Letter of resignation I’m a cleaner – not a flyer! Teeth Brochure Too much candy gives us cavities! Search Engine Internet users Web page Inform internet users what you do

Examples for Social Studies Role Audience Format Topic Sacajawea Jean Baptiste Letter Our travels with Lewis and Clark 31st Century Woman Susan B. Anthony Thank you letter Women’s rights Ben Franklin Dear Abby Advice column letter My son likes the British Bird Wright brothers Letter of complaint New invention disrupts the skies Colorado River Rafters Travel guide What you will see if you travel my length Great Wall of China Self Diary Invaders I have seen and stopped

Example of Completed Raft Assignment Role – British soldier sent to the New World Audience – Parliament Format - Persuasive letter Topic – Appeal to go home

Student’s Finished Product 25 New World Street Boston, Massachusetts December 5, 1777 Dear Parliament, Why did you send us over to the New World? The colonists are not happy with us. They are demanding independence. When we walk down the road, people laugh at us. They hate us. They do not like when we sleep in their houses and eat their food and wear their clothes. Even the children make silly faces at us. They throw rocks and snowballs at us. When can we come home? Most of us are ready to leave and we miss our families. When are you going to respond? Please make it soon. Respectfully, The British Infantry