I have a bunch of questions about student portfolios! In fact, I have so many questions that I think it’s only fair to make this a giveaway post!
My first question is this: do you collect work samples for student portfolios? I’ll admit that as a teacher I wasn’t very consistent when it came to student portfolios. I had great intentions—and I did fairly well during the first few months of the school year. After that, not so much!
This leads me to my next questions (for those of you who maintain student portfolios). How and when do you collect student work? For example, each year do you designate select activities and assessments as portfolio materials? Or do you randomly choose student work throughout the year? Do you invite students to add to their portfolios too?
And what about that giveaway? Is it copy paper, a stop-the-stress kit, or a free book from The Mailbox Books? Well, I’m going to let you decide! Simply respond to this post by the end of Wednesday, October 27, and your name will be entered in the drawing!
Thanks so much for sharing!
Diane
Congratulations to our winner, Maria!
Well, I pretty much stunk at portfolios but am going to try to do them again. We are putting in a sheet with their self portrait and writing their name at the beginning and end of the year. I try to put in a sample of something they are doing at least once a moth, hopefully twice a month or every week, we’ll see….such as a cutting sample, etc, or any new skill they’ve mastered.
I can’t wait to see other ideas. I need them.
What a great topic! One of my goals for the year is to build better student portfolios by setting aside certain pieces of their work. Each month students will practice their names and draw a self portrait for their portfolio. In addition to those things I’m going to try my best to put a piece of art work from each month that focuses on skills such as cutting, lacing, etc. Can’t wait to hear more ideas!
I definitely have room for improvement on this, also. I have my writers keep a notebook with 8 tabs in it. I have some sections for in progress writing, published pieces, and data. The students move writing samples between sections as needed, and the data section is where they chart growth or mastery of skills. I do a monthly fluency writing activity, and this is always added and charted in the notebook. My school mandates 3 writing samples a year—beginning, middle, and end. These three are copied and kept in their writer’s notebook, and the originals are stored in a folder that passes to each grade level at the end of the year.
Keep the ideas coming, so I can learn!!!!
I think I am so so at portfolios – I consider them a work in progress! I have my kids journal every week. (I give them a prompt they draw the picture, then we write about their picture – they are only just 4). I put all those pictures in one of those 3brad type folder and show the parents at conferences. It is amazing to watch how their drawing improves. I use different cutting skills from months, sept is an apple, october a pumpkin, nov a cornicopia, dec a candy cane. I have them do self portraits quarterly and write their name at three different times of the year. I try not to keep to much as they always want to take their work home. I also use some things like a sequence activity, show the parents the activity I used to identify numbers and letters and tell the parents how their child did. I also put observations in there for my eyes only tho. If I need to share those with parent I write them up in a better more parent friendly manner. If I had my pick I would go with a free book from mailbox – although I have so many now! my next pick would be the stress less kit! thanks so much.
I always plan to do portfolios and by the second month, I always forget to collect the information. I am trying to collect one paper per week, so that will give me 4 a month. I try to alternate each week, so that week 1 Language arts paper, week 2 math paper, week 3 science paper, week 4 social studies paper. That way I get one paper from each subject. At the end of the nine weeks, I like to share them with the parents during conferences. I then give the papers to the parents. It also lets me know which parents I have met with during conference time.
I have been doing student portfolios for the past 10 years and always receive a great response from parents at the end of the year. My portfolios are a combination of a “memory book” and work samples in several areas: fine motor, reading readiness, counting & math as well as an area for special projects. I collect samples each week as well as monthly samples (writing name, counting, etc.). By the end of the year, the student’s “special book” (a 2 or 2 1/2″ binder) is full. Samples are put in each section in order so that parents can see how their student progresses in the different areas. I try to put things in notebooks in a timely manner, but that doesn’t always work. Sometimes in May I am scrambling to get it all together. This year, I’m pleased to say that at Open House in 2 weeks, parents will see their child’s work in progress.
I also consider myself a work in progress but I keep a spiral notebook for journal writing and we have a date stamper that the kids date their work and we do different things such a reading the room for environmental print and free choice which they use a variety of materials such as markers, colored pencils, pencils, and crayons, (usually on Fridays). We work on remembering and drawing characters from a story we read earlier in the day for memory skills. Sometimes they draw what they want but they dictate what they drew or wrote because we are all writers. I also have a 3 ring binder for work samples It has the child’s height and weight for the beginning and end of the year and a picture. It has pages labeled for the months and we do work such as tearing, cutting, and gluing activities. We do counting, patterning, sequencing activities. We do collages, watercolor pictures, fingerpaint pictures, etc. Some are done as a large group and some are done at center-time while they are in the art center. I pull these out for parent/teacher conferences and I have documentation for them to see how their child is doing and when they started doing it.
Our class portfolios are ever evolving.
I have the students keep a writing journal, I teach kindergarten so I give them a prompt, they draw then write as best they can. By the end of the year we can see thier progress. I started a math journal this year. This is also simply, I give then a math sentence, it can be simply like ” I can draw my shapes” or later a little harder like 2 dogs went to play 3 dogs joined them…
I keep a monthly name sample also. I pick an assignment every month to keep also. I use the portfolios at conference time.
I look forward to reading what others are doing.
I think I would like either a book from Mailbox or the stress less kit.
Great question and no magic answer here . Total work and i am usually pushing to try to have enough stuff so i can see where children came and went . but you gave me a thought i need to add some beginning of the year work . the only things i do each year is a self picture ? i make a file for each child in a folder . Glad to hear am not the only one not great at this .
I used portfolios when I taught public school and I am using portfolios as a homeschooler. Basically, I keep the work that reflects the students on thinking (such a journals, science notebooks), drawing out solutions to math problems, etc. I let the student choose their favorites, and this could be indicated by letting put a shiny star sticker (for example) on it to show it was a student choice. I would initial the top of the student works that I choose. I started choosing a few b/c sometimes the kids would skip over something that really showed great improvement, and I wanted to make sure the child and the parents saw this progress documented.
I also used basic rubrics that helped the kids choose what works reflected their best work. I wanted the kids to be able to communicate why each piece was chosen.
Other ideas (as age appropriate): take digital pictures of thing like pattern block creations, letting the kids read into a tape recorders, or videoing students reading, working with others, conducting a science experiment, etc.
As a homeschooler, I am choosing most of the work because my daughter just turned 4. However, she enjoys looking back at her work and seeing how she has grown. I think that reviewing portfolios and having those conversations are very important and a great confidence builder for kids.
I hope that helps!
My assistant collects some of the art work she does with the students throughout the year as projects are finished. I use her binders to go along with the work samples that I collect to share with parents. I try to collect something each week but it varies. Pictures are a great way to get share/document things that cannot be kept (block towers, patterns with manipulatives etc.). Since I am in special ed I have a ton of data that supports our instruction and can be shared as well. With my data it is sometimes taken on individual sheets or on group sheets. If it is a group sheet it has to be transferred if parents are to see it.
I have been doing student portfolios for 5 years. My portfolios are work samples of several areas: art, language and literacy, math, science, and social studies. I TRY to collect samples each week. By the end of the year, the student’s portfolio (several pocket folders bound together by a plastic spiral) is full. Usually I have too many pieces and I have to take some work out. Last year I had my fives help select their best pieces for each area. The work samples help parents visually see how their student has progressed in different areas. Like others in this blog, I try to have these complete by our final conference with the parents but I am usually scrambling to get it all together or same them for the last day before kindergarten begins.
I keep student portfolios with work samples throughout the year. I try to make sure I have writing samples, math and language arts work. I collect them for the beginning, middle and end of the year and sometime in between. The samples are usually from the major skills they need to learn.
During the first 2 weeks of kindergarten I collect writing their name, writing their numbers from 1-10, color/shape identification, alphabetletter/sound identification, and a self portrait/picture. Then each quarter I add to this. Each year it varies depending on academic assessments and also the themes, curriculum and projects that are being covered for the year. I have a hanging file folder for each child inside a large crate box near my desk so I can easily add as needed. I usally have Language Arts assessments, Math, Social Studies and Science assessments seperated and put together by subject. I include cutting/art projects, writing and photographs. I always keep a copy of what I keep in the portfolio for that year so I can review it later. At the end of the year I go back and review what I collected. I enjoyed reading all others comments and ideas. 🙂
I do try to collect things for a portofolio. But it is hard. This year I started checking off activitiesthat are for the collection. I set up a small file box with each child having their own file for their things.
So far it is working but then again it still is the beginning of the year. Looking forward to other ideas.
I use designated activities for portfolio pieces. I use journal entries, cutting samples, pictures of activities and this year, I want to include video samples. I try to collect one sample every week, but I’m happy with a sample every two weeks.
My intentions are so good but, *sigh*, I am not great at staying on top of my student portfolios. My goal for this year is to be much better at this task…I am writing it into my lesson plans. I like to have samples of name writing, self portrait, artwork, math skills, ect. This way each parent can see the progression of their child over the year. Hhhmm…I think if I am chosen as the give away winner, I would like an Anti-Stree Kit or another Mailbox book…one can never have too many!:)
Lol…just saw that I said Anti-Stee Kit…Um, guess I really do need an Anti-STRESS kit!;)
I have portfolios for my preschoolers. All of my students have an IEP and are student with special needs. At the beginning of the school year, I keep a copy or the original of pretty much everything and then as the year goes on I pick random samples of their work. I also have monthly activities that I have them practice their names, or designs. I take pictures of them doing different activities and that is included in the portfolio along with other pictures from the year.
My district requires writing samples from students to be placed into a continuing portfolio. These samples follow students through elementary school and middle school. Most of the time, I have select the same assignment for all students to use as the sample, while other times I let them choose their work they are most proud of for the quarter’s entry. At the end of the year, each student chooses the sample they are most proud of to add to their continuing portfolio. This follows them to their next year’s teacher. When students graduate from middle school, they are presented with all of their writing samples from kindergarten-8th grade bound into a book. The kids really enjoy this.
I am a preschool teacher with 3-5 year old. I am finding it difficult to find enough artifacts for this age group. I collect name samples, cuttings, story dictation and samples of art. For the older students I try to gather evidence of letters and number knowledge. I also try to include photographs and writing samples.I also have a lot of ELL learners what do I use for artifacts for them? Any other ideas would be appreciated.
I have always loved the idea of portfolios, but have not been consisent in collecting samples for one. BUT this year is different. I have collected at least one sample per week for each of my students (special ed pre-k). Samples are from each students’ IEP goals and the Texas Pre-K Guidelines.
Yes, students collect best-work samples for their portfolios. Each student has a 3″ binder with dividers for each class. Each week I hand back corrected assignments and assessment. They keep all returned work behind the correct tab in the binder. Students receive a sticker on their paper if they receive a 90% or better on the first attempt. At the end of each trimester/semester, students purge papers they did not reach mastery on. Of the remaining papers, they choose the work they feel best portrays the learning targets. Students write best-work sample explanations as to what the learning target was, why they chose it as a sample, and what was good about it.
Students share this information with parents at student-led conferences in the spring. They look forward to spring beginning after fall conferences!
I’ve always wanted to do portfolios for my students but I wasn’t sure what to include or where to start. I would like to do a combination of a portfolio and a memory book. Does The Mailbox have any books on this that could help?
Keep the great ideas coming everyone! You’re inspiring me start doing portfolios!
I collect student samples weekly. I give the students the option to select their best work for the portfolio. At the end of the year, we are able to see the enormous amount of progress the students made.
I was very suprised to read so many teachers collect weekly samples for portfolios. I guess it depends on what you want the portfolio to show, maybe make a checklist of what you would like to see from your students. I think weekly would be overwhelming. In my classroom I use portfolios to showcase their best work in different areas. There are also photos of the process. I think there are many ways the students can be involved in selecting. I have conferences with students and we look through and pick based on criteria already in place.
Portfolios – oh, who has time?
My students make a self portrait once a month, and I hole punch them with a science punch (two holes at the top) and put them in a science folder that has the two fasteners at the top. Next month’s portrait goes on top so I don’t have to take them all out each month. Parents can see the improvement in their child’s name writing as well as drawing. By May, nobody has arms and legs coming out of their heads anymore!
Those of you who add a sample every week from different subjects are fantastic!
Presently, I am teaching preschool so like someone else mentioned, my books are a combination of memory book and portfolio of work.
The best thing I ever did was forgive myself for not measuring up to someone else and to find what my parents liked best (since I am not mandated to complete portfolios).
My parents like to see the ‘cute’ stuff as well as see the growth of their child – developmentally and physically!
At the beginning and end of the year, my students create a “Look at me Now” booklet which includes their photo, height, weight, footprint, hand print, and signature. In between these pages I add at 1-2 pages per month of their work…usually worksheets that are related to the month or season, yet show skills. I add notes to the bottoms of the pages…”look how much my coloring has improved!”, “I cut this all by myself!”, etc.
I also have a worksheet with grid of 9 squares, each with a cute character praising the child’s accomplishments. Picture this: top left square has a squirrel holding a crayon and says, “I know my colors!” with a line where I fill in the date accomplished; middle top square has a bear and says, “I know my shapes!” with a line for date, etc.
The other thing I have found most treasured by my parents is the CD. Instead of having to go through tons of school photos, I simply do a ‘class CD’ and include it in the portfolio.
When there is NO money in the budget for binders and folders, I simply three-hole punch the 20 or so pages and tie them with yard, with the kids help. The kids decorate a sheet of cardstock to make the front cover and I glue a CD envelope to the inside back cardstock ‘cover.’
Hope these ideas help someone. For me, remembering it’s not about ‘me’ but about the student’s work, sure took the pressure off when it came to making the portfolios – (which, btw, I keep the students work in one large expandable monthly file so it’s easy to put together at the end of the year).
I am a teacher at a HeadStart classroom and I do portfolios. When I first began doing them I hated them because I never had time and they always looked a mess. When I finally found an easier way, I decided I enjoy doing them. I love seeing their parents eyes light up when they look at all the pictures and improvements their child has made through out the year. The way I made the portfolio easier to do is…I began with a 1 1/2 in binder. I encouraged the children to decorate the front cover with their names and an illustration. To make the inside easier, I put tabs and divided each month. Inside each month I provided activities for writing their names, making shapes and blank pages for drawing or writing practice. I also add pictures of the child’s creations, field trip pictures, any accomplishments, etc. Three times a year we also measure and weigh the child and add it in the portfolio.
I have various ways of collecting student work throughout the year. I keep a red bin in the classroom as a designated “done bin.” My kindergartners place all of their completed work into the bin, I then review the work every few days (or weekly). I stamp or add stickers and return some work to them and keep some for their portfolios. We keep writing and poetry journals, which are kept organized by having them stamp the date on their own work. (They love using the date stamps; eventually they date their own work) I also introduce a new poem each week for shared reading, they completed various activities throughout the week… complete poem puzzles, illustrate it, and highlight sight words. At the end of each week the poem is added to their journals for them to read, highlight text, and illustrate. Each journal is labeled and placed in specified bins, this ensures they are accessible to the students and myself at all times, avoiding misplaced journals. Both journals are kept and used as an ongoing record of progress during assessments and conferences. I then put their paperwork and pictures taken into files. I’ve found having a designated spot (red bin) for student work helps me stay organized. I can always find student work and usually have more than enough work for portfolios.
I have struggled with portfolios in my classes. I’m always really good at getting started. Not so good at following up. It’s also hard to know what to include. A must have are writing samples throughout the year. Reading and math are a little trickier. Math work is done in a workbook and it’s hard for students to remove pages on their own. For reading, I include learning graphs that show progress towards sight word and guided reading goals. I’m just never sure what to include and what to send home!
As a Head Start teacher of preschoolers I am required to have a portfolios for each child. With just a simple two pocket folder I have sheets on check points of Letters, Numbers, colors, shapes, scissor skills, printing name, art and / or pictures of activities that shows goals working on. Three or more times a year for these check points .