R.A.F.T.
A CRISS strategy
(CReating Independence through
Student-owned Strategies)
Authors: Carol Santa, Lynn Havens, and
Bonnie Valdes
Professional Development
• CRISS
• Reading and Writing Across the Curriculum
• Literacy Coaches
Four Components of Writing
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Role of the writer
Audience
Format
Topic
Quote
• “When we can explain concepts to ourselves
and to others, we can claim new knowledge as
our own” (p. 190).
R.A.F.T. is a Writing Strategy
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Is an alternative to the all-knowing essay
Shifts students out of their familiar roles
Inspires them to write for a different audience
Encourages them to infuse their work with
more voice and imagination
• Helps them find their own voice
A during or post instructional strategy
• The purpose of this strategy is use words to
– Plead
– Convince
– Complain
– Persuade
R.A.F.T.
• Developed by Nancy Vandevanter (1982) as
part of the Montana Writing Project
• Decisions are given to students before they
write.
The Process gives a framework for the
writer…
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Who they are as writers
For whom they are writing
The most important format for the piece
The tone they want to take
R.A.F.T
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Role of the Writer: Who are you?
Audience: To Whom is this written?
Format: What form will it take?
Topic + strong verb
R.A.F.T
• Role of the Writer: Who are you?
– A soldier, Abraham Lincoln, a virus, a cloud, an
integer, a place holder, an old oak tree
• Audience: To Whom is this written?
• Format: What form will it take?
• Topic + strong verb
R.A.F.T.
• Role of the Writer: Who are you?
• Audience: To Whom is this written?
– A mother, Congress, a graph, an animal, the wind
• Format: What form will it take?
• Topic + strong verb
R.A.F.T.
• Role of the Writer: Who are you?
• Audience: To Whom is this written?
• Format: What form will it take?
– A letter, speech, memo, journal, poem, rap, a
cartoon
• Topic + strong verb
R.A.F.T.
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Role of the Writer: Who are you?
Audience: To Whom is this written?
Format: What form will it take?
Topic + strong verb
– Complain, welcome, encourage, blame, advise
Sample 1
• A biology student uses a travelogue to explain
the function of red blood cells in the
circulatory system. (p. 188)
• R. Blood cell
• A. Human body
• F. Travelogue.
• T. Explain the function of blood cells as they
travel through the human body.
Sample 2
• The following is a letter that persuades the
audience of the importance of a geometric
form.
• R. point
• A. teacher
• F. letter
• T. convince your teacher that you have an
important function.
Note
• Students need to know their role before they
begin.
• If you are going to show a film, give them their
roles.
• A newspaper format is a type of RAFT
(obituaries, advertisements, Dear Soandso,
comics, letters to the editor…
Quote for Thoughts
• “Our students deserve the opportunity to
write constantly in our classes. Writing is what
we do to learn, to understand, to explore
ideas” (p. 189).
• Use writing tools as long as they need them.
Once they get the idea of structures, let them
create their own tools for processing
information.