Lesson 15: Portfolios and Wrap Up

Click HERE to read the full article on "The Power of Documentation in the Early Childhood Classroom"

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this lesson's material, students will be able to:

• Discuss how to use portfolios to connect with families
  
• Define multiple ways to collect and organize portfolio data
  
• Describe the use of portfolios as an authentic assessment tool

Teaching

Read Chapter 14 in Week by Week

As stated in previous lessons, portfolios are a valuable tool that can be used for assessment of development as well as to share information with families. There are a variety of ways to organize them. Some teachers organize them by content area, ex: Math, Literacy, Science etc., or chronologically-Fall to Spring. Children can choose work samples to include in the portfolio as well. Sometimes teachers include “best work” examples, while others may show various artifacts that demonstrate improvement over time. Portfolios can include artwork, worksheets, photos, videos, assessments etc. They can also be used as assessment tools. Teachers can use artifacts from the portfolio to document what the child has learned throughout the year.

Read the article in the Attention section and use it as a reference in your Essay question:

Assessment

Lesson 15 Quiz

Write a single essay (MINIMUM of three - five sentences per question) to address each of the following questions:

1. As a teacher, how would you collect data for a portfolio?
2. What would you include and how would you organize it?
3. Would you allow students to choose work to include in it?
4. How would you share it with families?
5. Would they get to keep it?
6. How can you use it as an authentic assessment tool?

Reference the text and articles.

Lesson 15 Discussion

What is your biggest “take away” from this class? (Your Aha moment or something tangible you may use in the future)