RAFT Act
RAFT Activity on the Holodomor
Tamara Mischena
[Excerpt From Holodomor in Ukraine, The Genocidal Famine 1932-33: Teaching Materials for Teachers and Students – By Valentina Kuryliw]
RAFT is an acronym for Role, Audience, Format, and Topic. The RAFT Activity encourages students to think historically and is an excellent way for teachers to differentiate their assessment practices. In this activity students explore and empathize with a historical perspective to learn more about the people and ideas of a historical period. Students produce a product in a format of their choice while taking on the role of a historical person. In creating their product they must address the topic or question asked and gear their product towards a specified audience. Students will enjoy their classmates presenting their product as the varied formats and topics will ensure an interesting and varied range of products and ideas. This activity is well suited to learners with various learning preferences as students have the option of creating a product that interests them.
Appropriate for students:
Grades 5 to 12
Curriculum Fit / Specific Expectations / Learning Outcomes:
Please select outcomes you wish to cover from either English language arts or social studies or history and prepare an assessment to share with the students at the outset.
Materials Required:
Copies of 3.2.10 (1) and 3.2.10 (2) [rubric] for each student.
Set-up Required:
N/A
Create additional roles, audiences, formats, and topics on the Holodomor, if desired.
PRE-TASK ACTIVITY
Discuss with students that history is made up of individuals and groups with diverse opinions, perspectives, and experiences. It is important to
understand and empathize with persons throughout history in order to develop a more thorough understanding of the events and/or time periods studied.
Do Activity 3.2.1 [pp?] or 3.3 Activities 1, 2, 3, 4 [pp?]
Have students read a selection of resources from Section II such as 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, Appendix C, Appendix D [pp? for all]
TASK
Distribute the copies of 3.2.10 (1) and 3.2.10 (2) to students
Explain that students are to take on the role of a historical person who lived through the Holodomor and review the expectations and criteria for assessment.
Students choose a role from 3.2.10 (1) and create a product that addresses the specified topic while keeping their audience in mind (e.g., students who choose Option 1 take on the role of a political prisoner who writes a song for his fellow prisoners about coping with daily life as a concentration camp worker, having been sent there as a kulak). Only 5 students per role will be accepted.
POST-TASK ACTIVITY
Students present their RAFT assignment to their classmates.
Variations
Students can prepare an outline of their ideas and submit them for peer and/or teacher feedback prior to proceeding with the assignment.
ASSESSMENT
RAFT rubric (3.2.10 (2)).
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Student RAFT Activity on the Holodomor
RAFT Activity
It is March of the year 1933. You are living in Soviet Ukraine. Assume the identity of one of the historical figures below and explore the topic and their perspective using the specified format.
| ROLE | AUDIENCE | FORMAT | TOPIC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A political prisoner constructing the White Sea Canal | Fellow prisoners | Song or poem | Coping with daily life as a concentration camp worker |
| 2 | A Ukrainiankurkul (kulak) | Self or family | Soliloquy | Choosing whether to join a collective farm or face the consequences |
| 3 | A Komsomolleader | Junior Komsomolmembers | Speech or pamphlet | Encouraging Komsomol members to continue their activism in support of the Communist Party and collectivization |
| 4 | A foreign journalist based in the Soviet Union | Self | Journal | Interactions with the starving farmers selling their goods and Soviet officials |
| 5 | A torgsin salesperson in Kharkiv | Fellow prisoners | Song or poem | Coping with daily life as a concentration camp worker |
| 6 | A factory worker in Kharkiv | Family members outside the Ukrainian SSR | Letter | Life in the city |
| 7 | Ukrainian farmer in the Kyiv region | Self and Family | Monologue | Explain to family why there is no food to eat after a decent harvest |
| 8 | Priest in Poltava | Former parishioners | Speech | Destruction of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church |
| 9 | Writer in Chernihiv | General Public | Newspaper Article | Explaining why he cannot write because of censorship due to his national background |
In your RAFT product be sure to include the following about your role:
- an introduction or description of yourself
- your feelings and beliefs
- a description of the events in Ukraine prior to the Holodomor
- a detailed description of the current state of events in Ukraine (including your experiences, the experiences of your neighbours, family, your role, etc.)
You will share your final product with your classmates. Be sure to back up your information with references.
Rubric: RAFT Assignment
| Knowledge/Understanding | LEVEL 4 | LEVEL 3 | LEVEL 2 | LEVEL 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demonstrates knowledge and understanding of key historical concepts, facts, and terminology. | Demonstrates thorough knowledge and understanding of key historical concepts, facts, and terminology. | Demonstrates considerable knowledge and understanding of key historical concepts, facts, and terminology. | Demonstrates some knowledge and understanding of key historical concepts, facts, and terminology. | Demonstrates limited knowledge and understanding of key historical concepts, facts, and terminology. |
| Uses evidence to develop empathetic understandingof a historical actor. | Uses evidence to develop empathetic understanding of a historical character with a high degree of effectiveness. | Uses evidence to develop empathetic understanding of a historical character with a considerable degree of effectiveness. | Uses evidence to develop empathetic understanding of a historical character with some degree of effectiveness. | Uses evidence to develop empathetic understanding of a historical character with a limited degree of effectiveness |
| Thinking | LEVEL 4 | LEVEL 3 | LEVEL 2 | LEVEL 1 |
| Analyzes ideas and information. | Analyzes ideas and information with exceptional depth. | Analyzes ideas and information with considerable depth. | Analyzes ideas and information with some depth. | Analyzes ideas and information with limited depth. |
| Synthesizes ideas and information. | Synthesizes ideas and information with a high degree of effectiveness. | Synthesizes ideas and information with considerable effectiveness. | Synthesizes ideas and information with some effectiveness. | Synthesizes ideas and information with a limited degree of effectiveness. |
| Communication | LEVEL 4 | LEVEL 3 | LEVEL 2 | LEVEL 1 |
| Communicates po-sition and ideas. | Communicates position and ideas with a high degree of clarity. | Communicates position and ideas with considerable clarity. | Communicates position and ideas with some clarity. | Communicates position and ideas with limited clarity. |
| Use of diction, tone, andlanguage suits the purpose and audience. | Diction, tone, and level of language suit the purpose and audience with a high degree of effectiveness. | Diction, tone, and level of language suit the purpose and audience with considerable effectiveness. | Diction, tone, and level of language suit the purpose and audience with some effectiveness. | Diction, tone, and level of language suit the purpose and audience with a limited degree of effectiveness. |
| Application | LEVEL 4 | LEVEL 3 | LEVEL 2 | LEVEL 1 |
| Draws appropriateconclusions in thechosen role. | Draws appropriate conclusions in the chosen role with a high degree of effectiveness. | Draws appropriate conclusions in the chosen role with considerable effectiveness. | Draws appropriate conclusions in the chosen role with some effectiveness. | Draws appropriate conclusions in the chosen role with a limited degree of effectiveness. |
| Uses persuasiveimages, words,and phrases true torole, audience,and format.degree of effective | Chooses persuasive images, words, and phrases true to role, audience, and format with a high able effectiveness. | Chooses persuasive images, words, and phrases true to role, audience, and format with considereffectiveness. | Chooses persuasive images, words, and phrases true to role, audience, and format with some effectiveness | Chooses persuasive images, words, and phrases true to role, audience, and format with limited ness. |
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