6. RAFT (Assessment)
RAFT, which is an acronym that stands for role, audience, format, topic, this creative tool is a great strategy to use at the end of a lesson to allow students to demonstrate understanding that might have taken place throughout the lesson. Using this format, students can deepen their abilities based on their own opinions for each of these four steps. According to Harvey Daniels, "[students] create a faction that is built around the answers to four questions." By simply allowing students to recap what they learned from the day's lesson and answering the 4 RAFT questions, creativity is sparked and the previous knowledge is assimilated in their minds. Also, since they have control over this writing assignment, rather than the dictating instructions seen before the start of an essay, students are at ease and can concentrate on the task at hand instead of getting stressed and bored.
While teaching a science lesson, I will use the RAFT strategy when assignment my students to develop an article for a school or grade newspaper. For instance, if our class just took a trip to the Edible Schoolyard, each student (or team of students), would write up an article about something they learned from the museum and its garden. Instead of forcing the students to read directions that I have written out, each team can develop their idea using the RAFT format that they have come up with. This way, they will understand their goal and purpose of the assignment, as well as who the audience will be.
7. Brochure (Engage Diverse Cultures and Assessment)
Brochures are fun pamphlets to design that help bring out the creativeness in everyone. More specifically, they're advertisements used to attract the eyes of passerby's with bright pictures, attractive font, and informative writing. How they are put together is simple: students who have access to a computer can design a brochure on certain software that allow them to type in the various boxes and add/edit pictures. If a computer is not accessible, students can also design the brochures by hand and draw/glue pictures, along with the writing of required information. These projects are ideal for the struggling writers because students are encouraged to include text that will attract others and inform them on something that may be new. These projects are great to assign at the end of a unit for a formative assessment to see what the students might know. Also, it fits the learning styles of various students, such as those who are visual learners and those who learn by reading or hearing.
After reading Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story, my students could design a brochure that may depict their own experiences and compare them to Dr. Carson's story. This assignment is great in depicting the lives of various cultural backgrounds and helps each student learn about peers' personal experiences and upbringings. Also, in the brochure, they can inform their readers about how the story has influenced them and in what ways they have truly be inspired.
8. Teachers Correspondence (Engaging Diverse Learners)
This is amazing strategy that allows teachers to spend quality time working with their students at anytime throughout the school year. By staying in touch with their students, teachers are able to become familiar with each of their students and will come to know the students cultural background, their parents, and any other important information that may be vital to the teachers' lessons. The way this strategy works is simple: teachers can develop a way of interaction and make time to sit down and perform discussions with their students. Though it may sound simple, this strategy is extremely useful and important to use in hopes that better understanding of students will result in overall success in the classroom.
In a classroom, I could develop a way of correspondence through Facebook, the online network site that gained attention over the years. Having a page set up for my own class, I can communicate with my students and answer any questions that they may have for me. On Facebook, I can require students to post responses to readings from a homework assignment. With these responses, students can include any information about personal experiences or cultural upbringings that may be relevant to the discussion. This way, students, as well as myself, are learning about one another on a more personal level. Additionally, I can hold discussion nights where I can openly communicate with certain students about a project they are working on and may need help with.
Your idea of using RAFT in your classroom is great way to get students involved and to help them take ownership. I also LOVE the idea of corresponding with students via a Facebook page. You can certainly get to know some students who might not speak up in class and build relationships that way.
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