RAFT

The RAFT strategy (Santa,1988) employs writing-to-learn activities to enhance understanding of informational text. Instead of writing a traditional essay explaining a concept learner, students demonstrate their understanding in a nontraditional format. This technique encourages creative thinking and motivates students to reflect in unusual ways about concepts they have read. RAFT is an acronym that stands for :

· Role of the writer: What is the writer's role: reporter, observer, eyewitness, object, number,etc.?

· Audience: Who will be reading the writing: the teacher, other students, a parent, editor, people in the community, etc.?

· Format: What is the best way to present this writing: in a letter, an article, a report, a poem, an advertisement, e-mail, etc.?

· Topic: Who or what is the subject of this writing: a famous scientist, a prehistoric cave dweller, a character from literature, a chemical element or physical object, etc.?