Personal Writing Portfolders

Teaching writing...a little detour while I'm thinking about it...

Children--actually, PEOPLE--retain better if they learn in context. We remember math vocabulary when we use the words in meaningful ways. Scientific terms become real when we use them during a real, hands-on experiment.

I spent countless hours in school learning rules. Few rules stuck. I want to make better use of my child's time through engaging, in-context learning. Here's one way I teach writing in context...

We've been making Portfolders for years. Originally, we used them for reflection on learning. Later, we made writing resource Portfolders.

Each child has a single Portfolder for use during writing. When a child is working on revision and comes to something he doesn't know--grammar, word choice, punctuation--we do a "mini lesson."

Example:

When do I use its vs. it's?

The child is revising a piece of writing. S/he doesn't know whether to use an apostrophe with "its." You discuss the uses and look it up in a reference book, if needed. (Note: One of my favorite little writing reference books is The Painless Path to Proper English Usage containing cartoon illustrations with words like effect/affect.) You write a brief explanation on the front of a notecard. On the back of the notecard, the child records two sentences featuring each use of the word. (If it's a punctuation rule, the child writes a sentence using the punctuation on the back of the card.)

The next time the child comes to that convention, s/he is responsible for it and refers to the Portfolder for review, as needed. The Portfolder, made from tagboard, can be stood on end as a little work station during writing.

Index cards are mounted in a staggered fashion with labels on the bottom of each card so the rule can be found with a quick glance. I use packing tape to adhere each card to the folder.

If you use Workboxes, the Personal Writing Portfolder can be kept with the Writing Workbox.

I began this yesterday with my 8yo. (I did it years ago with my older children.) We made three cards. I told him we were done with writing. His response? "Can't we make some more??" :)

He remembers the rules and conventions of writing when learned in the context of his own work. He values the information because he has a need to know.

And that's real life.