Strategy 8: RAFT

Strategy 8: RAFT
Level of Expertise: 4

Name: ______________________ Date: ___________ Period: _____
Social Studies 7

The American Revolution RAFT

Directions: Create a RAFT on the topic of The American Revolution using your notes, textbook, and the books and magazines provided to you in class.
What is a RAFT?

A raft challenges students to take the role of a historical figure or period in time and write for an imaginary audience using a selected format and topic. The RAFT topics have been preselected for you and are listed below.

R= Role of the Author (Journalist)
It July 4, 1776 and The Declaration of Independence has just been approved by Congress. You are a journalist for the Boston newspaper and are creating breaking news articles about The Declaration of Independence. You will write a total of four short articles for the front page of a newspaper.

A= Audience (Newspaper Readers of mostly middle and upper class) Many colonists will be purchasing this newspaper to find out news not only about The Declaration of Independence and other important news stories that would have been relevant to Colonial Period during the year 1776.
F= Format (Front page of a newspaper)
The final newspaper product must resemble the format of a newspaper. It is up to you how you want to layout the newspaper articles and the required sections to look. Remember to include at least two pictures in your newspaper, create a title for the newspaper, headings, captions, and the date, July 4, 1776.

T= Topic (The Declaration of Independence)
To write articles to compose a front page of a Boston Massachusetts newspaper on The American Revolution and The Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.


Articles to Include: Please include the following two mandatory articles in your newspaper:


News Report- Write a news report of a factual story on The Declaration of Independence. Your story should include:

  • The purpose of the Declaration of Independence
  • Who was evolved (key figures)?
  • Where it occurred?
Interview – Create an interview with one of the key figures during The American Revolution period. You will need at three lines of dialogue for the key figure and interviewer. Topics to include:

  • Opinions these people would have
  • Events they participated in
  • Accomplishments these people have made

Possible historical figures to interview: Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, John Hancock, Alexander Hamilton, Joseph Brant, and Abigail Adams.



Articles to Include: Please select two of the following four sections to include within your newspaper (check off your selected articles to indicate which articles you will include):


Report of Event – Write a report of an event that occurred between the years of 1773-1776. Please include the following information:

  • The year
  • The location
  • The significance of the event
  • Key people
  • A summary of the event

Suggestions of possible events to write about: The Boston Tea Party, Rides of Paul Revere, Battles of Lexington and Concord, Second Continental Congress, and The Intolerable Acts

Obituaries – Create a few sentences describing a person who lived during The American Revolution. In this section, please include:

  • Create a person/figure
  • Describe who the person was (job, death, and life description that is historically accurate to the time period)
  • How they died
  • Who they are survived by


Opinion/Editorial – In this section you will state an event or topic and state your position as if you were a colonist living in Boston, Massachusetts. Remember, your opinion will be very different depending on which side of The American Revolutionary cause you support. Be sure to include:


  • If you are pro-British or Pro-American cause
  • Give an opinion on an event/topic
  • Offer one suggestion or piece of advice

Suggestions of possible topics: The Declaration of Independence, George Washington’s leadership, your thoughts on King George III and the Monarchy

Political Cartoon – Create a political cartoon about The Declaration of Independence. Please include:

  • A cartoon that you have created
  • A title for your cartoon
  • A caption of the cartoon




Extra Credit: You have bonus options available to complete for this project. You can complete any of the following sections below in your newspaper for extra credit points. Each section is worth 2 points. Please try to be as accurate as possible in these articles. Consider the location and time period when you write these categories.

  • A weather forecast for Boston, MA on July 4, 1776
  • Art and culture report
  • Style and fashion report
  • Comic section


STOP! Have you included all of the required parts to the project?

I agree that I have included the following information in my newspaper art
icle:

_______ The news report


_______ The interview

_______ Two of the four articles (report of event, obituary, editorial, and political cartoon)

_______ I have two pictures included in my article

_______ I have included all titles, captions, headings, and dates


_____________________          _____________________

               Signature                                            Date

Name: ______________________ Date: ________ Period: _____________
Social Studies 7

The American Revolution Newspaper Rubric


4-Fantastic
3-Good
2-So-So
1-Needs Work
0- Didn’t do
Information/Accuracy
The historical dates, names, places, and events are all historically accurate with no errors present. Information properly reflects the historical time period of The American Revolution. 
Few minor errors (1-2) in dates, names, places, and events are present in the RAFT articles. The articles information reflects the historical accuracy of The American Revolution period.
Several errors (3-4) distract from the historical accuracy of dates, names, places, and events in the RAFT articles. The article’s historically accuracy is not truly reflected in the information of the RAFT articles.
Numerous errors (5 or more) district the reader from the historical accuracy of the dates, names, places, and events. The articles do not reflect historical accuracy of The American Revolution time period.
Student did not complete this criteria or the project was not turned in.
Organization
The newspaper articles contain a specific central idea; order of information is plausible/presented in a logical or precise time sequence and moves the reader through the text. Ideas are fluid and articles allow readers to follow a clear introduction and conclusion of information.
The newspaper articles contain a central idea that is fairly easy to follow. The order of information flows logically based on chronological events in history, however, may contain a small error. Ideas allow reader to follow an introduction and conclusion of information.
The newspaper articles lack a central idea and the main ideas are difficult to follow. The order of information is not always chronologically accurate. The ideas presented do have a clear introduction and conclusion of information.
The newspaper articles do not contain a central idea. The information is difficult for readers to follow. Many errors in chronological order of events are inaccurate. The ideas are presented with an introduction or conclusion of information.
Student did not complete this criteria or the project was not turned in.
Voice
The tone used by the writer comes across as if that person was really writing in 1776. The message is delivered in an engaging way that is true to the historical characters and the audience of the time period and demonstrates ones knowledge of colonial writing.
The writer attempts to use a tone that seems as if they are a person writing in 1776. The message was interesting; however it may not be completely true to the characters and audience of the Colonial time period.
The writer’s voice is hard to recognize as a colonial writer. The message is lacking the role of the characters and audience. The personality and voice is not authentic to that of the Colonial period of history.
The writer voice is difficult to recognize as a colonial writer. The reader cannot distinguish the historical characters or the audience from the newspaper articles. The voice is not authentic to the Colonial period of history.
Student did not complete this criteria or the project was not turned in.
Word Choice, and Convention
A wide range of colorful, functional words are used to expand upon ideas in the articles. Many authentic names, places, and words exemplify ones knowledge of Colonial style writing. Exemplar spelling, punctuation, grammar and paragraphing are used without error.
The writer uses a variety of words to describe names, places, and knowledge of the Colonial period. Very minor errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar and paragraphing are found throughout the articles of the newspaper.
The writer uses very basic vocabulary words that are vague. The reader may miss certain information or messages due to the misunderstanding of word choice. Some words maybe used incorrectly. Several errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar and paragraphing are found in the articles.
The writer uses generic words or slag that is not authentic to the Colonial period. Some words maybe used incorrectly. The reader struggles to make meaning in some parts of the articles. Numerous spelling, punctuation, grammar and paragraphing are found in the articles.
Student did not complete this criteria or the project was not turned in.
Presentation
The author deliberately uses both visual and textual elements which are polished to help the reader better understand the text. Formatting, font, images, and captions are of superior quality. Two or more images are included in the newspaper.
The author uses visual and textual elements to help the reader understand the text. The text is easy to read, images, font, and captions help the audience understand the articles. The two required images are included.
The author’s visual and textual elements are distracting or difficult to read. Images, font, captions, and headings are inconsistent but still deliver a clear message to the reader. One of the required images is include within the newspaper.
The author’s visual and textual elements such as font, images, captions, and headings distract the reader and make the reading incomprehensible to read. Both required images are not included within the newspaper articles.
Student did not complete this criteria or the project was not turned in.



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