[.ca] Power and Portfolios: Best Practices for High School ... (ISBN 0867095296)

Proof There's Power in Portfolios:
Jim Mahoney, a veteran high school English teacher, provides us with a look inside his classroom. He successfully used both the writing and reading workshop approaches in his classroom (teaching junior and senior high school students)and gives us specific examples of how he developed his program. Most helpful to me were the details of the student created portfolio. In Chapter 3, "The Nitty-Gritty Details," Mahoney breaks down the portfolio into its components and explains the hows and whys of each. Throughout the book, Mahoney includes forms he has used in conferences, for student reflection on their Writer's Notebook and Literary Log, and for thorough student self-evaluation. You'll even find creative ideas for the portfolio cover itself (save your pizza boxes). Mahoney skillfully weaves stories from his own classroom into his explanations and shares with us some exceptional writing done by students. He describes how the portfolios become more than a grade to the students, many of whom are willing to stay after school on the LAST day to perfect their portfolios, even though grades have been given and report cards issued. Portfolios are a way to give students ownership of their work and to involve them in assessing their own writing. These creations become more than just projects to both Mahoney's students and their families. They become a way to explore their lives and communicate with others in a powerful and moving way.