- the attendance log- a record of days of attendance
- the reading log- a record of books and/or textbooks used
- samples of work- examples of completed work from the beginning, middle and end of the year
- test scores if applicable (3rd, 5th, & 8th grade)
The Attendance Log
Here are a number of attendance logs I've used. I really can't say I prefer any one of them over the others:The Reading Log
This is quite simple and no form is really needed. Just write ortype a list of books your child has read. You may use just titles or add author, genre, date finished. Howebver, none of this extra information is required- just a list of books used for instruction.
Samples of Work
Admit it, this is where you are losing your mind. What's "good enough" and what will be rejected? How much is "enough? Are some types of things better than others? RELAX!!!
Nothing can be rejected as a sample of your child's work. Whatever your child has done is good enough to show. No one is comparing against state or national benchmarks of any kind. We just want to see what you've enjoyed learning!
Enough is a pretty simple thing too. The idea is the samples shouldcome from the beginning, middle and end of the year. This means that three pages in whatever subjects you have done is "enough". As for the types of things to include- whatever you enjoyed most is the best to show off in your portfolio! If you're truly stuck, here are things you may have done that would be great to include:
- math and other worksheet type pages
- writings- creative, essays or paragraphs, book reports, copywork or written narrations or oral narrations transcribed by you. PRintouts of powerpoint presentations are also great.
- drawings of things studied or coloring pages that correspond to a lesson (where age/ability appropriate)
- maps and timeline work
- nature journal pages or nature photos taken by the child
- photos of other things- field trips, projects, experiments, cooking/baking, life skills, working with letter tiles or math manipulatives
- printouts of recipes, experiments,sheet music, etc
- actual samples of recipes made (baking or cooking, home canning, etc to sample)
- lists of videos, documentaries, educational tv shows, etc used as instruction
- lists of outside classes taken or outside activities
- lapbooks
- Lists of educational sites and games used
- a checklist of skills you are working on with dates mastered
Test Results
This is pretty self explanatory. There are a number of great places to get tests. Seton, Christian Liberty, and Academic Excellence are just a few of your options. You can choose online or paper tests. With my impatience, I prefer online, however the choice is yours.
Putting it all Together
So what to do with all of this once you have gathered it? Many people use a binder, but I've seen lots of other ways to organize it including an expanding file folder, a large manila envelope, and even a large box!