College and Career Ready Standards (CCR)

06 December 2018, 2:24 PM

Many students struggle to write well, yet English learners face the added challenge of following the conventions of a second language as they express their thoughts. Writing portfolios are a powerful tool to motivate students by revealing their progress as writers.

Students can select a few written pieces to include in their portfolio, building a collection that demonstrates their growing writing skills. By encouraging goal-setting, monitoring, and reflection, educators can ensure that students reap the full benefits of a writing portfolio.

First, provide a goal-setting checklist to guide students in setting targets for both language and content. This can support greater creativity by addressing concerns about “correct” language so they do not govern the entire writing exercise. Next, remind students to monitor their goals while writing, perhaps even offering rubrics aligned to those goals. When conferencing with students, ensure that your feedback relates to these goals. Lastly, urge students to reflect on the completed writing piece as well as their overall writing development. These reflections don’t necessarily need to be completed in English—any language that feels comfortable to the student is fine.

To learn more about writing portfolios and to download free worksheets, visit this post from Edutopia.