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Helen
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If you have to (or like to) make a portfolio for your child's school year, how do you go about it? (Some states require a portfolio review.)
Do you set up the binder in the beginning of the year?
Do you think about the portfolio during the school year and set aside certain sample work?
Do you create the portfolio at the end of the year?
a combination?
I would love to hear how you've managed.
I did a search for some old posts on this topic. If you know of any here at 4Real or a blog post, feel free to link. Thanks!
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Ave Maria!
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Mary Vitamin & Castle of the Immaculate
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KackyK
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I have absolutely nothing to add here...but hoping there will be someone(s) who can!!! I was going to start the very topic, thanks Helen!
I'd also like to know, from those that have done it with high schoolers, how do you get the portfolio to the colleges for admission purposes? Are you photocopying it? Or what? I can't wrap my mind around that works...I guess it all depends on how you create it...back to Helen's main questions.
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KackyK
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mom3aut1not
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Helen and KackyK,
I do have to present portfolios twice a year. What I present depends on the child and his or her level of language skills. (This will become clear later.) For many years now, I have included a list (for perusal only -- I do not allow copies) of goals and materials I plan for each child. This is fairly detailed and looks impressive which can be helpful. I also include any syllabi (again, only for perusal) I make -- especially where my student does not have a "paper trail."
For an advanced student (one with reasonably good language skills), I include 3 or 4 samples of each area of study. If I am combining areas like composition and history, I make sure to mention it to a reviewer. (I find it helpful to be proactive and mention anything unusual like "I have an autistic child, and his language skills are very severely delayed" or "I integrated composition work with a study of history so my daughter wrote summaries of each chapter of her history book.")
For a child about to finish high school, we do an online portfolio of books read, areas of interest, and samples of work. (We just did this for our youngest dd. This is the third and most elaborate one we have done.) Clonlara requires a portfolio as well as a list of books read outside of course work. Because we are enrolled in Clonlara, we get a regular transcript and diploma. We don't have to show the portfolio to colleges. It's just for us and our advisor.
For a child unable to read but with some conversational skills, I made sure (this was a long time ago now) to summarize our discussions. I was using a great program (sadly now unavailable) that had a very detailed outline of topics and activities that could easily be adapted to children unable to read. I made small scrapbooks for science and socials studies with the summaries and activities included. I made it past a hostile reviewer this way.
RIght now I have only one child for whom I have to prepare a portfolio, and it is more difficult. My little guy is autistic with a severe language delay, and so we don't have much of a paper trail. Let me put it this way; we are working on "How?" and "Why?" (he has a lot of trouble understanding what we want or how to answer) and verb tenses (another thing with which he struggles). For him I show my teacher planning book. whatever papers I do have for him (mostly handwriting, math, and sequences), and a scrapbook filled with photos of science, art, social, PE, math, etc. activities. He has a scrapbook (12" x 12") for each school year and at least four pages for each month. I do put in things I want to remember; why go to all this trouble and expense just for the school system? I have also made small scrapbooks or project books that were focused on specific topics like "My Health and Safety Rules" and presented them along with the big scrapbook.
The key is preparation in my experience. My recent reviewers have not looked at my whole portfolio, but I could show we had done *something* in each category -- usually fairly regularly as well. If they wanted to see "Health," I could show Cub Scout activities in my scrapbook. If they wanted to see math, I could show both things in my scrapbook as well as some papers.
General advice? It is easier if you collect samples as you go, or at least have them readily available. I have a big three-ring binder with divisions for each area required by the state. I put in my list of goals and materials first and follow with the dividers. I update my scrapbook every month or two in a similar fashion. Then at the time of my review, I may add in an art project, samples of recent work, and anything I think relevant. (E.g., I include speech and language evaluations.) Again, I do not allow any copies (and I have been asked.)
HTH!
In Christ,
Deborah
Mom of Lisa (25), Katie (22), Kristin (20), and Joseph (8) -- three of whom are ASD
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mariB
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One of the choices in the state of Vermont is to submit portfolios with a teacher review (being the parent).
The sections are:
1. math and language arts
2. history and government ( pictures drawn and papers written)
3. PE and health ed. (copies of certificates and schedules for sports teams.)
4. English, American, and other literature (A list of books read.)
5. Natural Sciences(copies of pictures drawn, dates of experiments,photos of experiments)
6. Fine Arts (music and art...recital rehearsal schedules, lists of songs played, photos, etc.)
I use a flimsy three ringed binder with six tabbed pages labeled. I then copy the childs original paper and slide copy right in to the appropriate section. It's best put accomplishments in the binder throughout the year. I have been guilty of waiting and it not nearly as fun!
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K&Rs Mom
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I don't have to (MI) but keep a sampling of their work anyway, in case I ever need "proof" and just because it's fun to look back through. At the end of each schooltime, I put any completed papers in a file folder, and periodically go through it and select some to keep in folders for each child by year. Because we don't really have grades, it's easier to go by their ages. So I have a file folder labeled "K 5 years" with a sample of the stuff she's done between her fifth and sixth birthdays, plus maybe some programs/tickets from places we've gone. We also have done a lapbook and history pockets, so I keep those also, with dates written on most of the projects, and completed workbooks (with dates written on many of the pages) go on a bookshelf, probably on their way to the attic someday. I take pictures of the big projects, but don't usually remember to print them out. If I do, they'll go in that year's folder too. I also have a separate file folder for completed lesson plans (I write my own), and try to write occasional "progress reports," basically a journal of what they have accomplished lately and what they need to work on, which also go in with the completed lesson plans. HTH!
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Aubrey
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Helen
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| Posted: June 07 2008 at 7:43pm | IP Logged
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Thanks Deborah, Marianne and Aubrey! Your experiences are very helpful to me.
Maybe I should use the filing crate as well Aubrey. I've always meant to do that. I think I've gotten lost because I have a bunch of littles
Deborah,
I now realize, from your post, that I need to make specific plans regarding the creation of my portfolio. Most of my littles don't leave a huge paper trail. I think this has been my stumbling block.
Marianne, what do you mean by teacher review?
Does that mean you interpret the portfolio for the examiner?
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Ave Maria!
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Mary Vitamin & Castle of the Immaculate
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Donna
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| Posted: June 09 2008 at 4:11am | IP Logged
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When I first started homeschooling, I found myself scrambling to put together our required portfolios at the end of each school year. It would take days...even weeks...to finish them up.
Now, I simply store all the "portfolio worthy" projects and papers in a drawer as we go along through the school year. I set up a drawer for each of my kids in September and add to it all year long.
In April I start going through all the work and choose what will go into our portfolios. We've used scrapbooks, binders, and most recently these expandable file folders to store our selected work in. They seem to require the least amount of work. With the scrapbook, we'd have to glue things in....etc. With binders, I needed to punch holes...etc. These are great just to tuck the papers, and even lapbooks, into.
I take pictures of projects (weaving, woodworking, clay animal reports, bug collections, anything that wouldn't fit) and put the photo in the portfolio as well.
They are also easy to store year after year.
We are required to show a child's progress in the year-end portfolio so I add work from the beginning, middle and end of year, usually 3 or 4 samples of each subject.
I keep a running list of books that my kids have read, on the computer, and just add the most recent title once they are finished reading it. I try to keep up with it as we go to make less work in the spring.
With littles that don't necessarily have alot of papers to fill their portfolios, you can make a copy of the book, CD or DVD that they've used and place that in the portfolio showing that they've listened to or read that particular book. We used the Living Adventure Series
this year for history; we copied the front of the CD jacket and put it in the portfolio with a statement written on the copy that we've listened to the CD and that the child has narrarated the story back to me. (My evaluator said this is fine for the younger child's portfolio, but certainly not enough for a high schooler.)
Are you in a state that requires a portfolio? Here is a link for other ideas as well.
Creating portfolios used to be a chore for me...now, I enjoy re-discovering all that we've accomplished through the year. I think the key is to plan ahead!
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mariB
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Helen,
Yes! We get to sum up what the child has covered in each area in a nut shell.
Example:
Jane really enjoyed her math book Modern Curriculum Press Level C. We played a bingo game three times a week called Multiplication Bingo. We used dominoes for mental math. our math days consisted of 5 days a week with biweekly tests. We used the following books from our local library to bring some real life math into our home throughout each month.
Poetic math booklist (from Emmanuel Books)
We will be working on multiplication, division,addition, and subtraction math facts throughout the summer using games and flash cards as this is the area in which Jane needs the most work.
etc.
That would be the "teacher review" in one area :)
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saigemom
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| Posted: June 11 2008 at 6:09pm | IP Logged
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We present a portfolio at the end of every year for the end of yr. evaluation. Here's what I do:
At the begining of every year I get a large binder for each child and let them decorate the cover.
Then I make tabs and stick them on the end of a page protector for each subject I will be including.
Ex. My 3rd graders tabs were: History, FIAR, Science, coop classes, spelling. then I have an extras one for whatever I want to include that doesn't fit in a specific spot. I don't include a math one b/c we just take his math wkbk.
I buy a big box of page protectors from Sam's club and several times a wk. I add pages. I don't put in EVERYTHING. Ex. for spelling I might put in one wk. page and the test page, but not everything we have done for that chapter.
I have found that this keeps me sane. I don't have big mounds of paper sitting around and it's already set up in an organized way that makes it easy to file. Actually, my 3rd grader files his own work half the time. Hope this helps.
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Helen
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| Posted: June 16 2008 at 6:55pm | IP Logged
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You've all helped me very much. Much to my surprise, you've also shown me that my husband has been right about me along. 
I'm an unschooler!!!!!
I never knew it until now. (My husband has insisted that I unschool, but I didn't think so because I used MODG or other lesson plans.)
So....I began another thread
If you plan...how do you plan?
because I have to manage my planning time better. I realize now I have to plan the creation of my portfolio. It won't just happen (for me.)
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Ave Maria!
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Mary Vitamin & Castle of the Immaculate
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Helen
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| Posted: June 18 2008 at 4:26pm | IP Logged
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How long does it take you to make your portfolios? How much time should I be spending on this?
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Ave Maria!
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Mary Vitamin & Castle of the Immaculate
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mariB
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| Posted: June 20 2008 at 5:38am | IP Logged
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Don't spend too much time. Actually, it is better to add a few items throughout the year. Like in math...I have 12 samples. In science our state requires about six items! (Not very much.)
So it shouldn't be too much of a chore. Although, it really adds up if you are doing a lot of them at once! We did four portfolios this year.
MODG works in nicely because you end up having a nice poetry and literature list. Also if you are drawing in science, it also doubles at art. (MODG grade 4 science...all the sketches of the birds...I loved that science and I am doing it with our 4th grader this coming year.)
Hope this helps!
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4Real Forums : Living Learning
Topic: portfolio creators...
