Assignment - Portfolio

Assignment: Social Studies Methods Portfolio
Due Date: May 3 (Draft); May 7 by noon PST (Final)
Link to Word File: http://coe.nevada.edu/ckeeler/SSM/Assignments/PortfolioGradingRubric.doc

Description:

This assignment requires you develop a peer-reviewed portfolio. The portfolio and all its component parts are due no later than noon PST on May 7 though a refined draft must be available for peer reviews by class time on May 3.

The purpose of this portfolio is to express your ability to teach elementary-level social studies. Your audience should be potential employers (e.g., principals considering your application for a faculty position at their school, curriculum publishers). While you are welcome to include any artifacts you feel demonstrate your ability to teach social studies or integrate it with other disciplines, you must primarily use artifacts from this course. The portfolio may exist in hard copy or electronic format. Both formats must display professionalism, your individual personality, and be visually pleasing.

Based on current research, it is important that your portfolio include a brief snapshot of your skills — a “one minute commercial” suitable for potential employers. This should appear at the beginning of your portfolio as an opening statement addressing your overall ability to teach elementary-level social studies. Follow the statement with a table of contents (or links) leading to artifacts demonstrating your ability to utilize the skills expressed in that statement. In addition, include reflective statements for each artifact.

Reflective statements for artifacts must include a description of the artifact and what you learned from the artifact. They may also include:

An analysis of the quality of the artifact;
An explanation of how the artifact demonstrates your dedication to education, K-8 students, or social studies; and,
A notation of how the artifact changed over time or changed your thinking over time.

At a minimum, your portfolio must include:

An opening statement
A table of contents
Three artifacts from this class (not including those listed below)
Your unit plan, at least one of the associated lesson plans and its related support materials, and the unit assessment – each with a reflective statement
A description of favorite readings from this course and how these guide your teaching philosophy as it relates to social studies

Portfolio Grading Rubric

Name: ________________________________________ Section: __001 __002 __004 Total: ___/75

	6	5	4	3	2	1	0	Score
Content
Purpose is clear, concise, and professional (4)			Throughout the portfolio, there is evidence of professionalism and the purpose of the portfolio. The portfolio clearly shows readers the author's abilities to implement quality social studies teaching within an elementary school setting. Portfolio displays a clear and concise presentation style reflecting the author's personal teaching philosophy.	Throughout the portfolio, there is evidence of professionalism and the purpose of the portfolio. The portfolio shows readers the author's abilities to implement quality social studies teaching within an elementary school setting.	Throughout the portfolio, there is evidence of professionalism and the purpose of the portfolio. The portfolio shows readers the author's abilities to implement social studies teaching.	Throughout the portfolio, the author demonstrates methods of teaching elementary-level social studies.	Portfolio lacks a clear, concise, and professional tone.
Three artifacts with rich description and reflection (18) Each section worth 3 points	Includes three artifacts, each with a reflection statement . Reflections provide detailed descriptions of the artifacts, notations of what the author learned from the artifacts, and additional information relating to artifacts' qualities or the author as his/her philosophy relates to the artifacts. 18 points	Includes three artifacts, each with a reflection statement. Reflections provide detailed descriptions of the artifacts and notations of what the author learned from the artifacts. 15 points	Includes two artifacts, each with a reflection statement. Reflections provide detailed descriptions of the artifacts, notations of what the author learned from the artifacts, and additional information relating to artifacts' qualities or the author as his/her philosophy relates to the artifacts. 12 points	Includes two artifacts, each with a reflection statement. Reflections provide descriptions of the artifacts and notations of what the author learned from the artifacts. 9 points	Includes one artifact with a reflection statement. Reflection provides a detailed description of the artifact, a notation of what the author learned from the artifact, and additional information relating to the artifact's quality or the author as his/her philosophy relates to the artifact. 6 points	Includes one artifact with a reflection statement. Reflection provides a description of the artifact. 3 points	Includes less than one artifact with an accompanying reflection.
Unit plan with rich description and reflection (4)			Includes unit plan and a reflection. Reflection provides a detailed description of the artifact, a notation of what the author learned from the artifact,and additional information relating to the artifact's quality or the author as his/her philosophy relates to the artifact.	Includes unit plan and a reflection. Reflection provides a detailed description of the artifact and a clear notation of what the author learned from the artifact.	Includes unit plan and a reflection. Reflection provides a description of the artifact and a notation of what the author learned from the artifact.	Includes unit plan and a reflection.	Does not include both the unit plan and unit plan reflection.
Lesson plan and related material with rich description and reflection (4)			Includes lesson plan, related material, and a reflection. Reflection provides a detailed description of the artifact, a notation of what the author learned from the artifact,and additional information relating to the artifact's quality or the author as his/her philosophy relates to the artifact.	Includes lesson plan, related material, and a reflection. Reflection provides a detailed description of the artifact and a clear notation of what the author learned from the artifact.	Includes lesson plan, related material, and a reflection. Reflection provides a description of the artifact and a notation of what the author learned from the artifact.	Includes lesson plan, related material, and a reflection.	Does not include either the lesson plan, related material, or lesson plan reflection.
Assessment with rich description and reflection (4)			Includes assessment and a reflection. Reflection provides a detailed description of the artifact, a notation of what the author learned from the artifact, and additional information relating to the artifact's quality or the author as his/her philosophy relates to the artifact.	Includes assessment and a reflection. Reflection provides a detailed description of the artifact and a clear notation of what the author learned from the artifact.	Includes assessment and a reflection. Reflection provides a description of the artifact and a notation of what the author learned from the artifact.	Includes assessment and a reflection.	Does not include both the assessment and assessment reflection.
Detailed description of favorite readings (3)				Provides a thorough and detailed description of favorite reading(s).	Provides a thorough or detailed description of favorite reading(s).	Provides a superficial description of reading(s), omitting some key concepts presented by the manuscript's author(s).	Does not include a reading description.
Notation of how readings affected social studies teaching philosophy (3)				Includes a description of how reading(s) affected the authors' teaching philosophy by showing interrelationships between the manuscript author's arguements and the portfolio author's beliefs.	Includes a description of how reading(s) affected the authors' teaching philosophy.	Includes a reflection on reading(s).	Does not include a reading reflection.
Opening Statement
Purpose is clear, concise, and professional (10) Each section worth 2 points		The opening statement is clear, concise, and professionally presented. It addresses authors' personal social studies teaching philosophy and provide a "one-minute commercial" demonstrating the abilities of the author to engage in quality social studies teaching. Contains no syntactical errors. 10 points		The opening statement is clear, concise, and professionally presented. It addresses authors' personal social studies teaching philosophy and provides a "one-minute commercial" demonstrating the abilities of the author to engage in quality social studies teaching. Contains few syntactical errors. 6 points	4 points	The opening statement addresses authors' personal social studies teaching philosophy and demonstrates the abilities of the author to engage in quality social studies teaching. 2 points	There is no opening statement.
Focuses on elementary-level social studies (5)		Focus is consistently on elementary-level social studies teaching and learning.		Focus is consistently on elementary-level or social studies teaching and learning.			Focus is not on elementary-level social studies teaching and learning.
Design Features
Professional appearance (4)			Portfolio displays characteristics of professionalism through use of a welcoming exterior (or opening), professionally prepared opening statement, clear and intuitive organization based on a table of contents, and visually appealling and consistent design. Educators and business leaders would recognize the portfolio as a professional product based on its visual and textual contents.	Portfolio displays all of the following characteristics: -Welcoming exterior (or opening) -Professionally prepared opening statement -Clear and intuitive organization based on a table of contents -Visually appealling and consistent design.	Portfolio displays three of the following characteristics: -Welcoming exterior (or opening) -Professionally prepared opening statement -Clear and intuitive organization based on a table of contents -Visually appealling and consistent design.	Portfolio displays two of the following characteristics: -Welcoming exterior (or opening) -Professionally prepared opening statement -Clear and intuitive organization based on a table of contents -Visually appealling and consistent design.	Portfolio lacks a welcoming exterior (or opening), professionally prepared opening statement, clear and intuitive organization based on a table of contents, and visually appealling and consistent design.
Visually appealing (3)				Portfolio is visually appealing and aligns with the style of the author. The design visually suggests the author's teaching style.	Portfolio is visually appealing and aligns with the style of the author.	Portfolio is visually appropriate, but lacks visual clues suggesting the author's personal teaching philosophy.	Portfolio is messy; shoddily compiled.
Visually consistent throughout portfolio (2)					Design is visually consistent creating a visual tone for the portfolio.	Design is similar across all pages within the portfolio.	Visual design lacks consistency.
Design is intuitive for the reviewer (3)				There is a nicely organized and presented table of contents aligning with a clear and intuitive organizational schema. Reader can easily and quickly find artifacts.	There is a nicely organized and presented table of contents aligning with a clear organizational schema.	There is a table of contents.	There is no table of contents.
Free of syntactical errors (3)				No spelling, grammatical, or textual formatting errors. Proper use of fonts.	Few syntactical errors.	Many sytactical errors.	Replete with syntactical errors.
Peer Reviews
Reviewed by two individuals (5)		Reviewed by two individuals.			Reviewed by one individual.		No peer reviewed.