Differentiation Strategy: RAFT is an acronym that stands for:
Role of the student. What is the students role: reporter, observer, eyewitness, object? Audience. Who will be address by this raft: the teacher, other students, a parent, people in the community, other? Format. What is the best way to present this information: in a letter, an article, a blog, a report, a poem, a monologue, a picture, a song? Topic. Who or what is the subject of this writing: a famous scientist, a prehistoric dinosaur, a reaction to a specific catastrophic event?
RAFT is a writing strategy that helps students understand their role as a writer, the audience they will address, the format they are using to write, and the content they will write about. This strategy encourages student creativity, makes students consider other perspectives, and gains writing practice all while using class content (science).
I plan to use RAFT in my classroom as an elaborate activity (from the 5E model). Student will get to use their imagination and creativity to express ideas about the content. Many of my students have lived through hurricanes on the Gulf Coast, including Katarina. I believe this activity would be an outlet for students to reflect and share experiences with one another. Purpose/Focus of Lesson (the big idea): Students will show understanding of hurricane information, including one of the following topics: Hurricane Katrina, hurricane naming system, preparing for a hurricane, and hurricane formation. Instruction Grouping: Individual Whole Group Small Group Peer Partners Homogeneous Heterogeneous
What will be differentiated: Content Process Product Learner Elements Involved: Readiness Interest Learning Profile As a result of this lesson what you hope your students will:
Students will Know: ingredients for hurricane formation, historical hurricanes that have hit the Gulf Coast, hurricane naming system, how to prepare for a hurricane
Students will Understand: the weather components needed for potential powerful hurricane destruction and how to prepare the aftermath.
Students will be able to create: writing or speaking piece displaying hurricane knowledge of their choosing. Pre-assessment: There will be no pre-assessment for this activity. This is an enjoyable assignment for students to be able to express their understanding of the content through a cross-curricular activity. Resources/References: Jill, Katie and Megans Group Presentation (C&T 803 Summer 2014)