As kids get older, they tend to share less with parents about what happens in their school day. Portfolio Day in Upper Elementary (UE) this morning was an opportunity for parents to lift the curtain on what and how their child is learning. Parents get to see how their child interacts with teachers and uses the learning materials.
Students in UE spent most of this week preparing for Portfolio Day. It took a lot of work, planning, and focused attention. They prepared a presentation about the Roald Dahl books they’ve read this term. In math, students created a math problem that they could demonstrate for parents using the Montessori materials, and also created a math problem for the parents to solve, and provided coaching as needed. They shared examples in their Portfolio related to all of their classes, and showed how they stay on task each week with the work plan they create with the teacher’s oversight. Portfolio Day provides an opportunity for students to internalize and deepen their understanding by having to explain what they’ve learned to their parents.
This afternoon, teachers sent student progress reports home for the first academic term. From a parent perspective, spending time with their child at school today is the perfect way to gain more context about the report they will receive to review over the weekend. The experience with their child in the classroom today provides a deeper understanding of how their child is doing in school, including areas of mastery and areas for growth.
