On the flip side...
How can we ensure that our homework is meaningful? Is it okay to assign homework ONLY when it serves a clear purpose? How can our homeworks provide students with choices? How can we encourage a larger percentage of students to complete their homework? How can we encourage creativity in the homeworks we assign? How can we differentiate to meet the needs of our students in the classroom? How can we ensure that students with various interests and readiness levels can complete the same assignment? How can we encourage student growth and learning through homework? How can we provide appropriate feedback?
The way I do this is by assigning RAFT homeworks once every couple of units.
RAFT stands for:
- Role
- Audience
- Format
- Topic
Some examples of RAFT activities that I have assigned are:
ROLE
|
AUDIENCE
|
FORMAT
|
TOPIC
|
|
1
|
Colorado River
|
Rafters
|
Travel Guide
|
What you will see if you
travel my length
|
2
|
Pirate
|
Captain
|
Treasure Map
|
Finding the Buried
Treasure
|
3
|
Hot Air Balloon
|
Boat
|
Journal
|
What I Saw On My Trip
Across the Country
|
4
|
Cartoonist
|
Students
|
Comic Strip
|
How Indian Groups Use
Resources Around Them
|
5
|
Lakota
|
Iroquois
|
Letter
|
I Had A Great Visit
|
6
|
Teacher
|
Student
|
Test and Answer Key
|
American Indians Unit
|
7
|
Explorer
|
Potential Crew
|
Advertisement
|
A Discovery Voyage: I’m
Motivated, How About You?
|
8
|
John Cabot
|
Englishmen
|
Speech
|
The Importance of
Exploration to the English
|
9
|
Cereal Contest Winner
|
Cereal Eaters
|
Cereal Box
|
Create Your Own Cereal
Box: New England, Southern, or Mid-Atlantic
|
10
|
Sports Fan
|
American
|
Team Logo
|
Southern and Mid-Atlantic
Football Teams
|
11
|
Large Landowner
|
Indentured Servant
|
Work Contract
|
I’ll pay your voyage, but…
|
12
|
Trading Card Co.
|
Card Collector
|
Trading Cards
|
Colonial People
|
13
|
Prisoner
|
First 5 Presidents
|
Personalized License
Plates
|
Notable Accomplishments of
first 5 Presidents
|
14
|
Bill of Rights
|
Constitution
|
Love Song
|
We Belong Together
|
15
|
James Madison
|
Virginians
|
YouTube Ad
|
Ratifying the U.S.
Constitution
|
16
|
Equal Rights Advocate
|
Other Drivers
|
Bumper Stickers
|
Abolitionist and Suffrage
Movements
|
The students may choose from any of the rows that I assign (usually 6-8 options each time). So, using the samples above, a student might create a YouTube Ad from the perspective of James Madison to all Virginians encouraging them to ratify the U.S. Constitution (#15). Or, they may choose to write a work contract from the perspective of a large landowner for an indentured servant (#11).
I find that giving the chart of RAFT choices is simply not enough direction for many of my young students. So, what I do is provide a paragraph after the choices that clearly state the expectations. For example, what do I mean when I say, "Create a treasure map from the perspective of a pirate to his captain about finding buried treasure" (#2)? Here's what I write for students:
2. For this assignment, you must create a treasure map for your captain so that he may be able to find some “buried treasure.” The treasure should be hidden in southern Florida and the pirate is located in the St. Lawrence River. You should detail on your map how the captain should get to southern Florida from his current location. You must use the Mississippi River to get to the treasure. Be sure to label things clearly for your captain.
Or, for the Constitution's Love Song to the Bill of Rights, entitled, "We belong together" (#14):
14. For this assignment, you should take the role of the Bill of Rights and write a love song to the Constitution. Keep in mind that many Americans believed that the Constitution should not be ratified unless a Bill of Rights was attached to it. Also, be sure to explain why the Bill of Rights belongs with the Constitution, what it is and why it’s important, and list some examples of individual rights guaranteed in the Bill of Rights. Your song should be at least 12 lines long.
When I assign RAFTs, I do so on Mondays, and they are due on Fridays of that week. I usually assign 4-5 a semester. It's a great way to assess students on the content before they actually take the test. It's also a great opportunity for us as teachers to provide excellent feedback for students.
Because I assign homework so infrequently, I kindly remind students that not doing one will significantly affect their grade. I also inform them of the quality that I expect from them as I am giving them a whole week to complete the task.
Okay, by now you must be wondering, "Well, how does he grade these?" First off, grading these is an enjoyable experience (for the most part). It's awesome to see how hard students have worked on their RAFT, and many of the students blow me away with the amount of work and creativity that they put into making their products.
Here is my "rubric", or grading criteria. That's right! 6-8 possible RAFT activities, but only one rubric:
Your RAFT assignment properly considers a role and the corresponding audience and topic suggested. (5 points)
Your RAFT assignment is in the proper format suggested and meets or exceeds the expectations laid forth. (5 points)
Your RAFT should be creative, thoughtful, and unique. (5 points)
Your RAFT assignment is historically accurate and rich in detail. It meets or exceeds all expectations. (10 points)
|
Below each section I provide students with feedback on their work. To the left, I write the number of points they received, then tally it up below. NOTE: I use points, not percents, in my classroom.
RAFTs can be used in any content. I won't claim to know the best methods in Math or Science, but I have seen many examples of RAFTs across content areas. For more information on RAFTs, feel free to check out this site on differentiation by Carol Tomlinson: http://differentiationcentral.com/.
Thanks to the Curry professors who helped get me started with this stuff a few years ago!!!
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