R – RoleA – Audience F – FormatT – TopicS – Strong Verb

Bell work or review practice:

Your class is considering recycling on campus. Write to your principal explaining three reasons why this might be a plan that the whole school should be part of in order to help the environment.

Put it all together!

Role: you

Audience: principal

Format: essay or a letter

Topic: three reasons why recycling would be good for the school and the environment.Strong verb: explain, write, describe

Your class is considering recycling on R T campus. Write to your principal

R A explaining three reasons why this

S T might be a plan that the whole school

should be part of in order to help the

environment. Format: letter or essay

Rewrite prompt in your own words and underline and label all elements:

Brainstorm before you write!

The cafeteria manager would like audience

input about foods to add to the

cafeteria menu; write a persuasive format

letter to her about your three role

favorite foods, and convince her to topic strong verb

include them.

Rewritten Prompt

R S FI need to write a persuasive letter that S Aconvinces the cafeteria manager to add T my three favorite foods to the menu.”

Ask yourself some questions:

What should I remember about format? persuasive letter greeting, body, closing, signature, correct punctuation

What is my role? I am writing as myself.

How will my audience affect my word choice and content? I want to impress the cafeteria manager, so I will choose words carefully and proofread so my message is clear.

Am I comfortable with content? Certainly! I love food!

How will my purpose affect my word choice and content? If I’m convincing enough, she’ll take me seriously, and I’ll get my three foods added to the menu.

If necessary, create an outline or graphic organizer to plan the draft.

(prewriting)

Soft swirlyogurt

RaspberryGranola

Fresh spinach

Why?DeliciousLow fatCalcium for strong bones

Why?High fiberAlternative to sugary cerealVitamin C

Why?Folic acidVitamin DPopeye’s favorite

Example Graphic Organizer

Write the first draft of the application.

(drafting)

January 10,2020

Dear Mrs. Havill,:

My name is Jane Smith, and I am writing because I heard you’d likeinput from students about which three foods should be added to the menu. I would like you to consider adding soft swirl yogurt, raspberry granola, and fresh spinach.

Soft swirl yogurt is an excellent choice because it is a delicious treat that has less fat than ice cream. Some yogurts are fortified with calcium for strong bones, too, so students would reap health benefits from this dessert.

Raspberry granola is my second favorite food; I’d appreciate it if you’d add this tantalizing, high fiber alternative to sugar-laden cold cereal. The raspberries also contain Vitamin C, so perhaps eating the granola could help our students avoid getting colds.

Fresh spinach should be added to the cafeteria menu because if it’s good enough for Popeye, it’s good enough for our school. Spinach is chock full of Vitamin D and folic acid which are other valuable nutrients our bodies need.

Thank you for taking the time to consider adding soft swirl yogurt, raspberry granola, and fresh spinach to the school menu. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,

Jane Smith

When your rough draft is complete, go back to the R.A.F.T.S. components to make sure you accomplished the task.

Monitor word choice to make sure it is consistently appropriate for the audience. Is the writer convincing in his/her role?Is the format correct?

Did the writer stick to the topic?

Is the author’s purpose clear?

Proofread, and use the checklist provided on the test!

(editing)

Practice, practice, and practice some more!

Let’s write!

Writing Prompt: Do the steps!

• Imagine you are an endangered flying squirrel living in the forest that is about to be leveled to make way for a shopping center. Write a letter to the construction company president persuading him to find someplace else to build and leave your forest alone.

Role: youAudience: your classmatesFormat: persuasive essayTopic: why you are the best choice for class presidentStrong verb: convince

Put it all together!

Role: flying squirrel

Audience: construction company president

Format: persuasive letter

Topic: find another place to build the shopping center away from my forest

Strong verb: persuade, write

Imagine you are an endangered flying

squirrel (R) living in the forest that is about

to be leveled to make way for a shopping

center. Write(S) a letter(F) to the

construction company president (A)

persuading (S) him to find someplace else

to build and leave your forest alone. (T)

Rewrite the prompt in your own words and underline/label all the RAFTS elements:

Make a graphic organizer.Plan what to say.

Write the first draft.

Check the R.A.F.T.S. again to make sure the objectivehas been met.

Revise to improve.

Edit using checklist.

And finally…………

Be proud of your work!