Our preschool is just starting to do portfolios. Any tips for making good portfolio's?

starting a little young are we

It can seem a bit overwhelming. Most preschool classes I've worked with have about 20 children between 2 or 3 teachers. It can feel like a lot.

However, if you break it down into smaller parts, much like how you teach your kids new concepts, it can become part of your daily routine. The most organized and successful teachers I know who did portfolios made it part of their every day work.

Some tips to keep it easy:

*Keep a post-it pad in your pocket. When you see something you want to document, write a quick note or summary and put it in the folder area for later. Fill out the summary report during naptime.

*Focus on one activity or time of day each day. Look for literacy skills one day, math the next, social the third, etc.

*Each teacher focuses on specific children. You can rotate half way through the year to keep it interesting and, obviously if someone sees a good activity, they can write a note for the other teacher.

*Extend activities. When a student is working on hands on stuff like writing or art and you want to keep an example for their portfolio, ask them to make two. Remind them that you want one to hang up or to send home with their parents and that you want to keep the other one for your collection. This will also focus their attention for longer.

*Get access to a digital camera and photo printer. Leave the camera somewhere that all the teachers can see it but away from small hands. Whenever a great moment is happening, take photos. Pick a day each week (or every other week) to print out all the photos and add them to your portfolios.

Clearly this is going to be a bit more paperwork and organization for you. But it's a great tool to monitor your students' development and can become part of your daily routine.

Good luck!

The portfolios I have done are samples of work completed over the course of the year. Are these the type you are referring to? If so, designate an activity for a portfolio activity. Do this for different concepts (math, reading, science, etc. ) throughout the year. They really aren't as overwhelming as you think. They are a good indicator as to how a student is doing. You should be able to see the progress at the end of the year. Add photos of activities if you like. Maybe photos of large motor activities, art projects.

My school is all about portfolios and I also teach preK to 19 children. I keep a folder with each child's name on it in the classroom that they have access to. I have taught the children to place their writing samples, artwork, sketches, etc. in their own folders when finished...so far it's been a life-saver! The kids are so excited to show me what is in their folder...it's like a surprise everytime I look through them. We also put samples of patterns. We take pictures of their activities during centers, playground time, and during small groups. We also take annecdotal notes for each child by placing clipboards and blank paper around the room so we are ready to write down info. whenever it occurs...which is all the time. Just be organized and prepared.

Good Luck

1