Keeping track: K-5 Portfolios

a 4th grade portfolio

**update 09/2014 - new portfolios available on my Teachers Pay Teachers store :http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Mrs-Knights-Smartest-Artists
  We are trying out new portfolios this year, and I thought I'd share our progress at the mid-year point.  We've always used paper folders for collecting our work, but this year I decided to try printed portfolios where we can keep up with vocabulary words, artist names and other important concepts so that students can easily recall these things throughout the year without having to sort through lots of papers.  I am hoping this will be a great way to assess - kind of like an open-book test - where all the answers to the questions are on their portfolio.  So far, it's going really well - the kids seem to have more respect for their portfolios this year than the years when we just "decorated" them. They are also more patient about keeping all their work here until the end of the year, knowing they are creating a fantastic collection.  I started with a format based on a portfolio cover I had seen over at The Art of Education, (thanks again for that, Jessica!) but added more spaces and included a back sheet so there would be space to add info all year long.  I printed them on the school copier using 11x17" paper. I thought about making a different one for each grade level, but then this year was the "trying it out" phase so I stuck with the same format for all levels.  I left the sections basically blank so that we could use them for different things at different grade levels.  Here's how they look at the beginning of the second semester - I'll share again at the end of the year, after I've fine tuned this thing.  I am happy to send my portfolio word docs format through email if you'd like to get a copy to try yourself... paying it forward!

a 2nd grade example, front and back view, CLICK to view larger

first day, checking them out

a kindergarten example

5th grade front and back view