An assessment loved by students and teachers!

RAFT

RAFTAssessment Evidence

Give students a fresh way to think about assessment.

RAFTs occupy a middle ground between standard essays and more creative writing.

RAFTS give students• choice• engagement opportunities • a new approach to show what they know

RAFT Role of the WriterWho 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?

RAFTFormat: 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?

• students take on a particular role • develop a product for a specified

audience• in a particular format and • on a topic that gets at the heart

of what matters most in a particular segment of study.

Fulfilling the Promise of a Differentiated Classroom, 2003, Tomlinson 

•  

 In a RAFT,

Role Audience Format TopicHere are a few….WriterArtistCharacterScientistAdventurerInventorJurorJudgeHistorian RebelReporterTherapistJournalist

A few to get you started…SelfPeer groupGovernmentParentsFictional CharactersCommitteesJuryJudgeActivistAnimalsInanimate object

Some samples…JournalBrochureBookletInterviewVideoSong lyricGamePrimary research documentCritiqueBiographical sketchNews article

Some ideas…Issue relevant to text or time period

Topic of personal interest or concern for the specific role or audience

Topic related to an essential question

Lawyer US Supreme Court

Appeal speech Dred Scott decision

Drop of Water Other drops of water

Travel guide Journey through the water cycle