RAFT – Creating a Settled Community
A RAFT is an activity that stands for role, audience, format, and topic. For the assignment, you will
write a paragraph on the lines below where YOU assume the role. This RAFT will focus on convincing
your Paleolithic “clan” that it would be better and make life easier to create a settled Neolithic
community.
Role
You are a(n) …
Audience
You are writing to …
Early human
Your clan
Format
Paragraph (six
sentences minimum –
you can write more)
Topic
Explaining the
advancements and
tools from the Neolithic
Age that would make
creating a permanent
settlement a good idea
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Speed Dating: we will spend the last ten minutes of class persuading our peers to establish a sedentary community. You
will need to convince at least two peers and have them sign in this box as we complete the speed dating.
Grading
Criteria
Full Marks (3 points)
RAFT
Requirements
Student followed a row from
the RAFT chart with a specific
role, audience, format and
topic.
Historical Content
Information included is ~90 100% historically accurate
and connects to the
Neolithic Age. Student
provides 3 or more pieces of
supportive evidence.
Information included is ~60 89% historically accurate and
connects to the Neolithic
Age and/or student provided
2 pieces of supportive
evidence.
Information included is less than
60% historically accurate and
connects to the Neolithic Age
and/or student provided 0-1
piece of supportive evidence.
Significance
Student demonstrated a
clear understanding of their
topic by explaining in detail
why agriculture helped
civilization advance (why the
Neolithic Age was better
than the Paleolithic Age).
Student demonstrated an
understanding of their topic
by briefly explaining why
agriculture helped civilization
advance (why the Neolithic
Age was better than the
Paleolithic Age).
Student could not demonstrate
an understanding of their topic could NOT explain why
agriculture helped civilization
advance (why the Neolithic Age
was better than the Paleolithic
Age).
Writing
Student’s work is neatly
written, organized, with
minimal grammatical,
formatting, and/or spelling
errors.
Student’s work is somewhat
organized but contains
noticeable grammatical,
spelling and/or formatting
errors.
Student’s work is illegible,
disorganized and contains many
grammatical, spelling and/or
formatting errors.
Persuasiveness/
Speed Dating
Student persuaded AT LEAST
two of their peers to establish
a permanent settlement (you
must have peers’ initials as
proof).
Student persuaded one of
their peers to establish a
permanent settlement (you
must have peers’ initials as
proof).
Student did NOT persuade a
peer to establish their permanent
settlement OR did not
participate in the speed dating
(you must have peers’ initials as
proof).
Total: _____________/15 points
Satisfactory (2 points)
Unsatisfactory (1 point)
Student did not follow the row
from the RAFT chart with a
specific role, audience, format
and topic and/or they created a
product with a made-up role or
topic not listed.