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With a combined 50+ years of teaching experience at all levels of elementary and currently teaching preservice teachers to be literacy professionals, we believe that writing is the vehicle to help students get engaged with the subject matter presented and connect on a personal level with anything that is being studied. Our thoughts echo renowned educators Daniels, Zemelman, & Steineke (2007) who claim, “Writing helps students get more actively engaged in subject matter, understand information and concepts more deeply, make connections and raise questions more fluently, remember ideas longer, and apply learning in new situations...with writing we make it our own” (p. 5). They go on to say that writing is a gift we offer students by simply having them stop what they are doing and write: “But stopping to write is enough. You give students something we almost never offer them as we relentlessly cover the material--a chance to take a breath, pull their thoughts together, reflect on their thinking, and appraise their own level of understanding. This, all by itself, is a powerful gift and a masterly teaching strategy” (Daniels, Zemelman, & Steineke, 2007, p. 29). In this article, we will outline ideas using the letters in the word WRITE to assist your students in finding their voice through giving choice in your classroom each day. With each letter, we will offer both offline and online ideas to enhance your classroom writing time. Here is a link to all ideas presented in this article.
W is for Word Choice and Written Format.
We want our students to be very considerate when selecting their words and format. This is their opportunity to give voice to their thoughts. When students are asked to choose their words wisely with conciseness, they are required to think more deeply about the message they wish to convey. We also know that when it is meaningful, it is motivational. This educational truth is further echoed in this sentiment about voice and choice: “When learners have a voice in how they learn and choice in how they engage with content and express what they know, they are more motivated to want to learn and own their learning” (Bray & McClaskey, 2015, p. 14). Daniels et al. (2007) say, “When students have opportunities to make
choices and connect most of their full selves with the work, they are almost always more engaged and more likely to assimilate the material they’ve studied” (p. 159). RAFT is a strategy that enables students to make choices in what to write (word choice) while also allowing them to use choice in the presentation (written format) of the piece. A chart with ideas is presented to the students offering suggestions for each letter in the word RAFT with R representing the role the writer is taking, A for the audience, F for the format chosen to carry the message, and T for the chosen topic of the writing piece. This template can be used for the RAFT writing strategy and can be adapted to any content area. For example, in a Social Studies unit on Lewis and Clark: The Role could be Lewis, Clark, Sacagawea, another explorer, Seaman the dog, etc. The Audience could be any of these individuals, the President, another explorer, etc. The Format could be a journal entry, a letter, an interview...really anything! The Topic could be about their journey, their discoveries, etc.
We can also do another one using the Science content topic of plants. Let’s say we are studying the life cycle of plants at any level 2nd-6th grades. Our Role could be any one part of the plant, the sun, rain, soil, etc. The Audience could be any other part of the plant, the sun, rain, soil, or the gardener, etc. The Format could be a poem, song, cartoon, friendly letter, etc. and the Topic could be “Why this life cycle needs me to be complete.” or “What is my role in the life cycle of the plant?”
If those offline options aren’t enough, we can also suggest two online options including Powtoon
and Biteable.Both of these apps will allow students to create an animated video in a short amount of time (20 minutes or less). Students can choose from ready-made templates or create their own. Drag-and-drop features make this app user-friendly. These apps allow students to upload photos and other images with ease for personalization. Using these applications encourages students to use succinct ways of writing which requires them to be considerate of word choice. Additionally, they must consider how to pair their words with visuals, music, and transitions to convey the proper tone to their audience in the given format.
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The WRITE Way to
Achieve the A’s
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By David L. Harrison