- students assume a Role
- students consider an Audience
- students communicate in a particular Format
- students consider a given Topic
How is RAFT a differentiation tool?
- They can be based on student readiness, learning style or interest.
- They may even be student created!
- They can provide varying levels of difficulty to accommodate all learners while using the same content.
- They allow for student choice.
How do I do it?
- Select a unit you’ll be teaching shortly.
- Determine the learning goals you want students to achieve. Think "KUD!" What do students need to know/already know? What do they need to understand? What should they be able to do?
- Choose whether to:
- Concentrate on reviewing key information such as people, dates, vocabulary, etc. in the Role and Audience, and then let Format and Topics be based on student interests.
- Concentrate on a skill, and incorporate that skill in either the Format or the Topic. That allows the students to engage by varying the role and audience.
- Concentrate on the big idea, the understanding, in the Topic.
- Try to have some easier and some harder RAFTs and assign them to students to provide appropriate challenge levels.
- Allow students to choose from a list of R’s, A’s, F’s and T’s to give them learning style and interest preferences.
- Develop one or two RAFT strips that would lead students to the understanding you plan for them to accomplish.
- Practice learning "RAFT" by doing one together as a class so that students understand each word in the acronym.
- A RAFT may have 5-8 strips once students have practice with them.
