1. RAFT

2. Have you ever been white water rafting?
Well if you have you will know that you can’t get any where if you don’t have a good solid RAFT under you.
It’s the same with writing.
You need to have a good RAFT to write.
I know you all want to know what a writing RAFT is.

3. That is just what we are going to be telling you today.
So hang on to your seat and lets go on a learning adventure down the river of writing.

4. R=stands for Role. Role is the part where you are thinking about who you are in regards to writing the paper. Are you the writer reporter, observer, or eyewitness.

5. A= Audience Who will be reading this paper: teachers, other students, people in the community?

6. F= Format The way the writing is presented : in a letter, article, report or as a story.

7. T= Topic, who or what the subject is about
T= Topic, who or what the subject is about. Famous person, an event, an idea or a place.

8. Now that you know what makes up a writing RAFT lets see if we can all take a turn in the river of writing using our new RAFT.

9. Today I am writing a paragraph using the RAFT strategy that you have been introduced to.  I know that I am going to write about my rafting trip that I took this past weekend. The first thing I ask myself is... what is my role (R = role) ?  I know that for this particular writing today that I do not want my role to be as an observer or an eyewitness. I do want to tell my story; therefore I will have the role as the writer/reporter.

10. Now that I know my role in the writing of this story, I need to decide who I am writing this to. Who is my audience (A =audience) ?  I want to tell my story to my students so my audience is going to be my students. 

11. Next, I need to determine my format (F = Format)
Next, I need to determine my format (F = Format) .....what kind of paper this will be. I don't want to write my story as a poem. I know I don't want to write it as a letter. I simply want to write about my trip as a report/story to my students.
As for my topic (T = topic) it will be about my rafting trip to the Ocoee River.
Now that I have a plan. I am ready to write."

12. This past weekend I went on a very adventurous trip
This past weekend I went on a very adventurous trip. I went to the Ocoee River with some friends to go river rafting.  The trip fun and full of excitement.  When we first got to the river I was a little scared because I had never been before. Once the river guide showed us what to do I felt better. 

13. The river was calm when we first began to raft, but after a little while the water became fast and rough. My friends and I had to paddle hard. While we paddled we had to look out for big rocks. The entire rafting trip was back and forth between being calm and then rough, but it was the most fun I have ever had. The scenery on the river trip was beautiful. I can't wait to go again one day. I hope you get to go rafting one day too !

14. So now you can try to!!!!!