RAFT is a time management strategy but it is also the acronym for a writing strategy.
RAFT helps students understand their role as a writer, the audience they will address, the varied formats for writing, and the topic they’ll be writing about.
By using this strategy, teachers encourage students to write creatively, to consider a topic from a different perspective, and to gain practice writing for different audiences. It helps them find their voice and develop a sens of the audience.
It makes a useful pre-writing strategy and for helping pupils prepare for a discussion.
Role of the Writer
Who are you as the writer? An explorer? A detective? The Prime Minister? A feeling? A scientist? A judge? A castle? A witness? An endangered species? The human heart? Shakespeare?
Audience
To whom are you writing? A friend? An enemy? A company? A dog? A potential employer? Yourself? A country? A government? Parents? White blood cell?
Format
In what format are you writing? A letter? An advertisement? A diary entry? A newspaper? A song lyric? A cartoon? A blog? An infographic? An obituary? Advice column?
Topic
What are you writing about? What’s the subject or the point of this piece? Is this an issue relevant to the text or time period? Is the topic of personal interest or concern for the role or audience?
RAFT is a great strategy to use because it helps pupils to think creatively and critically from multiple perspectives and it can be used right across the curriculum. It gives pupils a fresh way to think about approaching their writing.