An educational service agency RAFTing the Rapids of Content Literacy Susan Sauerland, Reading Specialist

An educational service agency

RAFTing the Rapids of Content Literacy

Susan Sauerland, Reading Specialist

copyright 2006 www.brainybetty.com

Goals and Objectives

• Explore the concept of RAFT• Introduce various RAFT

applications• Brainstorm more

applications• Practice RAFT applications

in different content areas


Why Use RAFT?

• RAFT addresses the four metacognitive conversation areas as delineated by the Reading Apprenticeship® Framework


And these are….


And these are….


And these are….


And these are….


Differentiated Instruction

• RAFT can be adapted to all reading and learning levels; from non-readers to gifted



What is RAFT?• Role-who or what you are

writing as• Audience-who or what you

are writing to• Format-type of writing• Topic-what you are writing

about

Role• Themselves• Historical figure• Fictional figure• Animal• Vegetable• Mineral


Audience• Peers• Historical contemporaries• Systems (body, plant, etc.)• Readers• Fictional characters• Teachers


Format• Letters• Memos• Poems• Ballads• Obituaries• ABC books


• Anything that puts the student into the heart of the content (or their toes in the bay!)


Topic


Literature

Hatchet memo

Hatchet postcard

NightJohn obituary


Literature Practice• Your turn!

• Role-3rd little pig (the one in the brick house)

• Audience-Mama (you know, the one who sent you out into the cold, cruel world)

• Format-Postcard (at least 6 sentences)

• Topic (choose)– My lazy brothers crashing my pad– The strength of my new brick house– The big bad wolf


Literature Practice• Your turn!

• Role-3rd little pig (the one in the brick house)

• Audience-Mama (you know, the one who sent you out into the cold, cruel world)

• Format-Postcard (at least 6 sentences)

• Topic (choose)– My lazy brothers crashing my pad– The strength of my new brick house– The big bad wolf


Social Studies

• Concentration camp letter• Constitutional Convention 2

voice poem


Social Studies Practice

• Your turn!


Role Gold miner Merchant Local farmer

Audience Family Bank loan officers Newspaper readers

Format Letter home Letter to a bank asking for a loan

Editorial drawing of farm before and after

Topic Gold Rush conditions

Gold Rush conditions

Gold Rush conditions

Health• Role-the cold virus• Audience-human body• Format-

– Diagram– Essay– Ballad

• Topic-what I’m going to do to you!


Health Practice• Format-ballad

– 4 verses• 1st what a virus is• 2nd how the virus is spread• 3rd what it does to the body• 4th how to avoid• Refrain

– I’m a common cold virus,– Happy, wild, and free– Let me invade your body– I’ll make you miserable as can be!


Science

• For example, differentiated end of unit assessment from least to most language extensive


Atmosphere Unit Assessment

Role Audience Format Topic

Advertising Agency School Poster Company Poster Earth’s Atmosphere

Tour Guide Atmosphere Tourists Travel Guide Guide through Earth’s atmosphere either from Earth’s surface to outer

space or from outer space to Earth’s surface

Environmentalist Legislators Tri-fold informational brochure

Earth’s atmosphere

Magazine writer Magazine readers Interview Interview with Planet Earth about its

relationship with its atmosphere


Math

• Often the content area most devoid of writing

• So….–What could kids do?


MathRole Teacher Song Writer

Audience Students Math Students

Format Word Problem Song

Topic Consumer Science Order of Operations


Anything Else?

• ABC books for unit vocabulary– Illustrations?–Use q and/or xyz for

summaries


To review…..

• We’ve-–Looked at how RAFT fits into

instructional framework–Seen some examples and

had some practice–Brainstormed other

applications


Reflection

• Think–About how you can use RAFT

• Pair–Talk about it with your

neighbor• Share

–With us!


Go forth and take your kids from here…


To here!


Documents

An educational service agency RAFTing the Rapids of Content Literacy Susan Sauerland, Reading Specialist