- Reviewing and relishing all that we have learned during the academic year
- Recognizing any academic areas in which we should be doing more work
- Creating a fabulous record and keepsake of the school year for each child
Putting together the academic portfolios actually begins at the very start of the school year. There are several tasks that I do throughout the year that really help with keeping school papers organized for the portfolios.
- I keep a running list on our computer of books, field trips, and educational videos that we have read, attended, and watched during the school year.
- Each of my children also has a reading record on which we keep track of all of the books each of them has read both independently and for school.
- I also take pictures of all art projects completed for school projects. After loading them onto my computer, I load them to Shutterfly in a special album named “Art Projects, School Year 20– to 20–).” Then when I’m ready to put together the portfolios, I can have the pictures printed all at once.
In addition to those records, I have a specific area where I put all of the “portfolio-worthy” papers during the course of the year. Here are some examples of items that I put in the “portfolio-worthy” pile:
- math tests
- brochures, maps, and ticket stubs from educational field trips
- certificates of completion for swimming lessons/results from swim meets
- copies of any awards that have been granted
- copies of completed essays/writing projects
- completed handwriting booklets
- tables of contents from curriculum texts
- tests from English
About a month before my scheduled portfolio review, I start working on the portfolios so that I can compile them without feeling stressed and rushed. I work on each portfolio one section at a time. Each child’s portfolio is compiled into a 1″ three ring binder. I use the binders that allow you to slide a piece of paper in the clear front pocket to make a cover for the binder.
I make the portfolio covers on PrintMaster with cute school-themed borders. On the front is written:
- Academic Portfolio
- Child’s Name
- Child’s Grade Level
- Academic Years for the Portfolio
I divide the portfolio into the following sections:
- Mathematics
- Language Arts
- Science
- History and Geography
- Physical Education
- Fine Arts
I also made a little photo album of each child’s art projects from the year and tucked that into the front inner pocket of the portfolio binder.
If you would like to read a complete list of what I included in each section of my 6th grade daughter’s academic portfolio last year, you can find that information here.
Putting together the children’s portfolios is a lot of work but the results are definitely more than worth the effort!
Samantha writes about homeschooling and family life at tobebusyathome.
This post is linked to Works for Me Wednesday.
Thank you for this post! We do not have these requirements for my state, but I would love to start doing this for my kids anyway.
My biggest question is this: Do you then “release” the rest of their work from that year or do you store it? Currently I have their work in cardboard filing boxes…and I know this isn’t a long term solution I want to continue!
Nice! My portfolios are very similar. I don’t wait until the end of the year though to compile them: every 6-8 weeks I go through papers and such and put the ones that are “best work” or “something new” into their binders. I found that waiting until the last month or so to compile portfolios doesn’t work for me – I’m ready for a break then and don’t spend as much time as I should on them.
I don’t live in a state that requires portfolios, or much of anything, but I love this idea just for our own keepsake! Thanks for sharing how you do it.
Mary
Traci Best,
Thank you for your comment! Yes, I do “release” the majority of my children’s schoolwork for the year after preparing the portfolios. I do keep any lapbooks, essays, or larger written projects. I also keep tests. I throw away (recycle) most workbook pages unless they may be needed in the next course. For example, I won’t get rid of anything from Algebra I because my daughter may need to refer to her notes in Algebra II. I hope that helps! Don’t be afraid to get rid of some of their papers!
Samantha
Our state doesn’t require this kind of thing, but all state universities require an academic portfolio of 9th-12th grade work in lieu of transcripts for homeschool students. My question is, what would you include in this kind of portfolio? Even though my children are still a few years away from even 9th grade, I still find myself feeling a little panicky about it!
I don’t do portfolio reviews or testing of any sort. However, I love this idea for a Yearbook/Scrapbook of sorts!
Thanks for the tips! Our state doesn’t require portfolios ( we do the standardized test thing!), but these are great to do anyway!