How to create a student portfolio
Published: 07.09.2021
Student portfolios have only recently become popular, but they quickly gained popularity. A student portfolio typically includes basic information about the student: their name, surname, grade, list of interests, hobbies, and information about their parents. It may also include a list of the student's achievements and victories. Many include a section with wishes from classmates and friends. It is best to start keeping a child's portfolio from a young age. When they grow up, they will be interested in looking back at the history of their development. Portfolios can be created independently or using ready-made templates. On our website, we offer templates for portfolios where everyone can insert their photos and add descriptions. Let's understand why a student portfolio is necessary and how to correctly compile it.
Why does a student need a portfolio?
A portfolio for a schoolchild is not a whim, but a good developmental tool for the child. Compiling a portfolio is a creative task that helps the student to understand their abilities and successes. Recognizing one's achievements positively influences motivation for learning and contributes to the all-round development of the student.
The portfolio includes certificates, awards, victories in competitions and Olympiads. When a student sees the results of their hard work beautifully presented on the pages of their portfolio, it motivates them to become even better and strive for new victories.
Useful tips and little tricks
A portfolio for a kindergarten will help children when they enter school. The teacher will receive information about the child, understand their strengths, and focus on further developing them.
Elementary school students' portfolios, where reviews from their first teacher are written, will help other teachers form an impression of each child's personality.
A good portfolio for a high school student will be a plus when applying to college. Parents will enjoy reviewing the portfolio and being proud of their child's accomplishments. In any case, it will be useful for the student, parents, and teachers.
How to create a portfolio based on the child's age
It is important to take into account the child's age when compiling a portfolio. The older the child gets, the more complete and comprehensive the portfolio can be. However, you should not wait until the schoolchild grows up and can make the portfolio themselves. Many parents start keeping a portfolio from kindergarten. This is the time when the child makes their first friends, develops interests, and actively grows and learns. Include in the kindergarten portfolio photos of teachers, classmates, pictures from holidays and performances. Be sure to capture the first graduation. These moments will not repeat themselves, and it is very important to preserve the history of your son's or daughter's growing up.
What to include in an elementary school student's portfolio
A first grader's portfolio is created together with parents. At this age, children are still too young to fill out all the sections about themselves independently. But that doesn't mean that parents should do all the work; let the child actively participate, choose photos, and suggest ideas for captions. The portfolio consists of the following sections:
- 2. About Me section. In this section, place a full-length photo of the child, you can insert a picture from the first day of school or a student sitting at a desk. The main thing is that the photo is related to the school theme. The text should contain information about the student, written in a free form. If the child has an unusual name, you can write what it means and how it reflects the student's character. You can include brief information about the parents and even include a drawing made by the child in the portfolio. Briefly write about the student's interests, what are his favorite subjects, what he enjoys besides school.
- 4. "My achievements" section. In elementary school, students usually do not have many achievements yet, but if they do, don't forget to mention them. It could be graduating from the first grade with honors, winning sports competitions, participating in various contests and tournaments, etc. Notice even the small successes of the student, take photos of them with certificates, awards, and add these photos to the portfolio.
- 6. For 4th grade students, add a section called "My Graduation". Saying goodbye to elementary school is an important event. Be sure to take photos at the first school graduation and caption them, summarizing the student's achievements in the early grades.
1. Cover containing information about the student. Choose the most successful photo of the child for the cover. It is preferable for it to be a school photo, in formal or dressy attire. Do not use photos from the playground or from a vacation at the sea, stick to an official style. Include the student's name, surname, date of birth, school number, and class on the cover.
3. Section "My Hobby". Include here all the student's favorite activities. If he enjoys drawing, take photos of his drawings or the process of creating them. If the child beautifully sculpts figures from clay, confidently take photos of them and include them in the portfolio. Here you can include photos from sports or dance classes, music lessons, or vocal lessons. Be sure to describe what the child is doing and what extracurricular activities he attends.
5. Section "My impressions". It is desirable to ask the student to write the text himself or tell about his impressions of interesting events in his life. For example, a visit to an excursion, theater, exhibition. In the first grader's portfolio, you can include impressions of the first days of school or meeting the first school friends. Illustrate the student's impressions with bright photos.
What to include in a high school student's portfolio
High school students can already independently create a portfolio, choose photos, and write descriptions for them. Parents only need to check the correctness of the filling. In addition to the above sections, add a class photo, descriptions of friends, their wishes. It is also worth including a section on the student's participation in school life: photos of school newspapers, participation in clean-up days, performances at school events, etc. Describe the child's academic achievements in more detail, take pictures with favorite teachers. If the student is interested in chemistry, take photos of them with test tubes and flasks; if they love geography, have a photoshoot with globes and maps. Who knows, maybe in the future the student will choose a profession related to these subjects.
What to include in a high school student's portfolio
A high school student's portfolio is a serious dossier that will help the student prepare and apply to college. Portfolios in high school are compiled without the involvement of parents, providing a unique look at the student's achievements and self-reflection. The dossier includes an autobiography, information about academic and extracurricular successes, awards, medals, photos from competitions, Olympiads, and performances. The student's creative achievements are also mentioned.
You can add drawings, poems, photos from theatrical performances - everything that expresses the creative development of the student. The portfolio also includes a description of goals and vision for the future. The student can write about who he plans to be, what profession he wants to pursue, what he sees as his strengths, and how this will help him in the future.
The final part of a high school student's portfolio - a description of teachers and the class advisor, wishes from classmates, and photos from graduation.
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A student's portfolio is the best story of their school education. To make it look presentable, approach its compilation responsibly. Choose high-quality photos, think about their descriptions, beautifully design and print them on good quality paper. By ordering the Light album, you will receive a well-designed portfolio that will preserve school memories for years to come.
