What is the RADD Writing Strategy?

You may have heard of the popular RACE Writing Strategy, but have you heard of the RADD strategy? This is a similar mnemonic device to help students organize their writing.

Student writing commonly lacks detail. Teachers know the struggle of trying to get their students to use enough supporting evidence. That’s where strategies like RADD come in.

What is the RADD Writing Strategy?

The RADD Writing Strategy is simply a mnemonic device. It helps kids remember the steps to a strong response paragraph:

R: Re-State the Question

A: Answer the Question

D: Detail 1

D: Detail 2

When students use the RADD strategy, they learn to answer questions with enough supporting detail.

Unlike the RACE Strategy, the focus of the RADD Strategy is getting kids to use two supporting details.

When can you use the RADD Writing Strategy?

The RADD strategy can be introduced at a young age. I’ve used it with students in 2nd grade up. This writing strategy is very helpful for all students. Whether they have a disability or simply need a little more structure, it works really well.

The strategy is perfect for preparing for standardized tests. It can be used with almost any text. Non-fiction and fiction passages can serve as the basis for RADD Strategy responses.

Tips

To begin using the RADD Strategy, try an “I do, we do, you do” approach. Included in my resources is a completed exemplar response to introduce the topic.

Furthermore, I like to provide a checklist on the bottom of each student response page. Once students complete each step of the RADD strategy, they check off each box. This helps keep students accountable as they write. It helps me grade responses as well.

Have you tried the RADD Strategy? Let me know in the comments!