1. RAFTs for Differentiating

2. A RAFT is…
…an engaging, high level strategy that encourages writing across the curriculum.
…a way to encourage students to…
…assume a role
…consider their audience
…examine a topic from a relative perspective
…write in a particular format

3. RAFT acronym
Role of the Writer - Who are you as the writer? Are you Sir John A. Macdonald? A warrior? A homeless person? An auto mechanic? The endangered snail darter?
Audience - To whom are you writing? Is your audience the Canadian 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 + strong Verb - 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?

4. RAFTs can…
Be differentiated in a variety of ways: readiness level, learning profile, and/or student interest
Be created by students
Be used as introductory hooks into a unit of study

5. Possible RAFT Formats to Differentiate by Learning Modality
Written
Visual
Oral
Kinesthetic
Diary entry
Bulleted list
Obituary
Invitation
Game rules
Recipe
Movie critic
FAQs
Editorial
Gossip column
Cartoon/Comic
Crossword puzzle
Map
Graphic organizer
Print ad
Photograph
Fashion design
Song
Monologue
Radiocast
Museum
guide
Commercial
Interview
Puppet show
Political
speech
Story teller
Model
Cheer
Mime
Demonstration
Sales pitch
with demos
Sew, cook,
build
Wax museum
Game

6. Differentiating a RAFT by Readiness (Teacher assigns RAFT or choices of RAFTs based on students’ reading, writing or performance levels)
Roles/Audience
Well-known people or charters to lesser known
Basic essential items (vocabulary, inventions, elements, etc.) to more esoteric items
Easier to understand point-of-view to more intangible perspective
Formats (while offering choices to students)
Shorter to longer (in prep, process or presentation)
More familiar to more unfamiliar formats
Single step to multiple steps

7. Differentiating a RAFT by Readiness (continued)
Topics
Easier to interpret to more sophisticated
Concrete & literal to more abstract response
More structured to more open-ended
Small leap in insight & application to larger leap

8. Analyzing a RAFT Lesson
What are the learning goals for this lesson and are they built into every choice?
How is this RAFT being differentiated?
Does it appeal to different learning styles?
Is there a range of difficulty in the:
Roles?
Formats?
Readiness levels?
Do the roles, formats or topics appeal to a variety of interests?

9. RAFT Planning
Know (facts, vocab) – think about the know when planning the role or audience
Understand (statement) – think about the understand when writing the topics
Do (verb) – this might be the guide for the format

10. Ways to use RAFTs Assess prior knowledge before a unit
Centers/Stations
Exit Ticket
Warm Up/Bell Ringer
Formative assessment
Alternative to a traditional assignment
And the list goes on…

11. RAFTs and Word Walls
You have these lovely word walls… now what? Integrate word walls into your RAFTs! This will provide scaffolding within the differentiation by giving the students a word bank to use when they are writing. …or require students to use a certain number of words from the word wall into their RAFT assignment.
Reference: Krystal Coker, 2013