Thirty Days to Unlock FCAT Writing Success - Polk County School ...

Use RAFT to Create Content-Specific Prompts
The RAFT strategy helps students create writing prompts or topics that relate directly to the curriculum
they are studying. Using this format, teachers or students can create meaningful prompts that students
enjoy, while their writing assists the teacher to assess mastery of material.
RAFT
R = Role (Whose perspective are they writing from? Are they a student? A character?)
A = Audience (Who are they writing to?)
F = Format (Is it an essay? A letter? A brochure?)
T = Topic (What are they writing about?)
After they have identified the four elements of RAFT, have them write it out in sentence form. This way,
it looks more like the prompts (or writing topics) that they are familiar with.
I am a (Role) writing a (Format) to (Audience) about (Topic). My purpose for writing is to (Expand on
topic using a strong verb).
Day Two: Customizing and Personalizing
Rationale: We customize and upgrade everything from our homes, our cars, our coffee, to our
cellphones, and laptops. We should customize and personalize our writing. Let your unique voice shine
through your writing!
Think about the FCAT Assessor audience. They read essays from thousands of Florida students who are
limited to two prompts. How can a student customize his/her writing so it appears original, yet stays on
topic?
Description: Brainstorm strategies for addressing vague prompts. For example, in 2009 the expository
prompt directed the student to think about and explain why he, she, or someone else saves something.
There are many ways to approach “saving” something (save money, save lives, save the planet, save
your soul, save time, etc…). This activity will help students find the right combination of elaborated
detail and vivid language to unlock success on the FCAT Writing Assessment.
Complete the But the Prompt is so BORING activity.
13