What is a Language Portfolio?
Passport / Biography section
The aim of creating a Language Portfolio with your pupils
is to promote the learning of languages in general, and to
record and validate all their linguistic abilities and language
learning experiences (including those from outside the
classroom).
The European Language Portfolio
The Council of Europe is promoting the use of the ‘European
Language Portfolio’, a three-part portfolio that has the aim
of encouraging lifelong language learning, providing a
record of linguistic skills that is internationally recognized,
and promoting tolerance and cultural awareness through
learning other languages. The intention is that each student
has their own personal Portfolio that will accompany
them throughout their learning experience. The European
Language Portfolio is divided into the following sections:
Passport
The Passport section provides an overview of each student’s
ability in a language or languages. It includes self-evaluation
and teacher assessment as well as any certificates a student
may have received or records of courses they have completed.
Biography
The Biography section allows the student to reflect upon
and assess his or her progress. It encourages the student to
think about what he / she can do in the language.
Dossier
The Dossier contains selected pieces of work that illustrate
the student’s achievements, abilities, and experiences, as
recorded in the Biography or Passport.
What is the Incredible English Kit
Portfolio?
The idea of the Incredible English Kit Portfolio is to raise
awareness of the existence of the European Language
Portfolio and to prepare children to use future portfolios
in the secondary education system. It is a useful tool for
teachers in future years as it allows them to see what each
child has studied so far. It is also extremely motivating as it
gives children the opportunity to be responsible for their
own learning as they indicate what they can do in English
and decide autonomously what work to include in their
Portfolio.
The Incredible English Kit Portfolio does not aim to exactly
match the structure of the European Language Portfolio,
but instead takes the elements from it that are most relevant
for children of this age.
Each child’s personalized Incredible English Kit Portfolio might
consist of a selection of the following, stored together in a
designated file, folder, or box:
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• Photocopies of My English pages, completed
at the end of each term.
• Completed Unit, Review, and Skills tests.
• Certificates of any external exams pupils have sat,
e.g. CYL Movers tests.
Dossier section
• Posters, projects, displays, etc. that the pupils have done
throughout the course.
• Photocopies of completed pages from the Activity Book
and / or the PMB.
• Cassette or video recordings of pupils singing songs or
acting out stories, e.g. the unit stories.
• Other (see ‘Further ideas’ below).
The Incredible English Kit Portfolio can be included in the
classroom routine as much or as little as you choose. A good
point to start working on the Portfolio would be towards
the end of the first term, when you can explain to the pupils
what a Language Portfolio is, let them make the cover pages
and complete the first My English page (see below), and
tell them that they will be responsible for choosing which
pieces of work they would like to include in the Dossier
section (they can choose the pieces of work that they are
most proud of, that they have most enjoyed doing, or that
they think would be most interesting to other people).
Parents should be encouraged to support their children’s
language learning by helping them collect items for their
Portfolio or making suggestions about what pieces of work
to include in the Dossier section.
The Incredible English Kit Portfolio for Level 5 contains the
following material:
Portfolio cover
Pupils fill this in and stick it on the cover of the file, folder,
or box that they are going to use for their Incredible English
Kit Portfolio. They can also stick on a photo or a drawing of
themselves.
 My English pages
These summary / self-evaluation pages are intended to be
completed at the end of each term, and are divided into
three sections: My words, My sentences, and My work.
My words
Pupils tick the boxes to indicate which vocabulary sets they
have studied, and then complete the self-evaluation line to
say how many of the words they can remember (go through
the language with them for this first).
My sentences
Pupils tick the boxes to indicate which language functions
they are able to perform. Go through the ‘I can’ statements
with the pupils first to make sure they understand them, and
help them as necessary by reminding them of the language
from the relevant units and writing examples on the board.
My work
Pupils tick the boxes to say which items they have made.
The blank line can be used to write any additional items or
projects that they have completed. If pupils have chosen
to include any of these items in the Dossier section of their
Portfolio, they can draw or stick a star next to the item to
indicate this. (It will be very motivating for pupils if you can
provide them with gold star stickers to use for this section.)
The items listed are taken from the following sections
of the course:
(Units 1–3)
A vocabulary record (Units 1–3, PMB pp5, 11, 16)
A book review (Unit 1, Lesson 8)
A concept map (Unit 1, PMB p7)
A dinosaur fact card (Unit 2, Lesson 8)
A cave painting (Unit 2, PMB p12)
A leaflet for a tourist attraction (Unit 3, Lesson 8)
A Roman numbers game (Unit 3, PMB p17)
Me and my world (a review of a Music Day, PMB pp 18–19)
(Units 4–6)
A vocabulary record (Units 4–6, PMB pp23, 28, 33)
A description of how I made an object (Unit 4, Lesson 8)
A picture timeline about my family (Unit 4, PMB p24)
A programme note about myself (Unit 5, Lesson 8)
Musical instruments (Unit 5, PMB p29)
A concept map about food (Unit 6, Lesson 8)
A food package (Unit 6, PMB p34)
Me and my world (A leaflet about a theme park,
PMB pp35–36)
(Units 7–9)
A vocabulary record (Units 7–9, PMB pp40, 45, 50)
A text about a day out (Unit 7, Lesson 8)
A food chain game (Unit 7, PMB p41)
A letter about an interesting job (Unit 8, Lesson 8)
Tessellated shapes (Unit 8, PMB p46)
A holiday diary entry (Unit 9, Lesson 8)
A wind gauge (Unit 9, PMB p51)
Me and my world (A diary entry, PMB pp52–53)
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Dossier cover (My work)
At primary school level, the Dossier of the work chosen by
the pupil will probably be the largest section of the Portfolio.
This page, entitled My work, will be the cover of that section,
which can either be included within a ring-binder for the
whole Portfolio, or kept in a separate folder or box. Pupils
colour the page, and can also create a list of the Dossier
contents if they wish.
What does the Dossier contain?
It is important that pupils understand that they make the
choice of which pieces of work to include in their personal
Dossier. They can choose the pieces of work that they are
most proud of, that they have most enjoyed doing, or that
they think would be most interesting to other people. In
addition to the My work items suggested on the My English
pages, pupils may like to include photocopies of their
favourite pages from the Activity Book (e.g. any of the writing
or drawing activities), and video or cassette recordings of
themselves singing songs or doing role-plays from the course
(e.g. acting out the unit stories with the finger puppets).
Further ideas
English language learning is not restricted to the classroom,
and as part of the Portfolio’s aim to foster positive attitudes
towards other cultures, pupils should be encouraged
to notice any examples of English language and culture
around them. Pupils can collect (or photocopy) comics, food
packaging, CD and DVD covers, stamps, tickets, postcards,
song lyrics, etc. and keep them in their Portfolio folder or
box. Alternatively, you could create an ‘English corner’ in the
classroom where such objects could be displayed for the
whole class to see.
Pupils can also write (in L1) about their experiences with
English, e.g. listing any projects they have done, performances
of plays, courses attended (including after-school classes
and summer schools), details of trips to English-speaking
countries, communication / exchanges with pen pals, and
simply a list of English-speaking people they know. They can
illustrate their work with pictures of their experiences.
Encourage pupils to take pride in their Portfolios, and
to regularly go through the Dossier section, tidying and
organizing it, and adding work as necessary to keep it
updated. Encourage them to show their Portfolios to
friends, family, and other teachers in the school, and remind
them that it is a valuable record of their achievements in
English. Fostering early pride and motivation in this way will
encourage pupils to continue learning and using English
(and other languages) throughout their lives.
 3rd EDITION

Stick your
photo here

Name 
Age 
Class 
School 
Teacher 

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My English (Units 1–3)

My words
I can say words for:

Things we read Animals

Design features Places in town

Kitchen items Numbers and maths

I can remember: some of the words.

most of the words.

all of the words.

My sentences
I can …
say what was in a place ask what people could do
There was a dictionary in the library. Could she swim? No, she couldn’t.
say what wasn’t in a place say what people did
There weren’t any comics on the shelf. She bought a rubber.
say what people could do say what people didn’t do
He could run. He didn’t go to the museum.
say what people couldn’t do ask what people did
They couldn’t fly. Did he take a photo?

My work
I have made:
A vocabulary record A leaflet for a tourist attraction

A book review A Roman numbers game

A concept map Me and my world

(a review of a Music Day)
A dinosaur fact card

A cave painting

= my best work (look in my Dossier)

Incredible English Kit 3rd Edition 5 PHOTOCOPIABLE © Oxford University Press

My English (Units 4–6)

My words
I can say words for:

Craft items Musical instruments

Inventions Food and drink

Jobs in the house Nutrients

I can remember: some of the words.

most of the words.

all of the words.

My sentences
I can …
ask about the past using questions say what people were doing
Who did you see? She was cooking the dinner.
say what people did in the past say how much people have got
He invented the sandwich. She’s got too much sugar.
ask what people were doing say how many things people have
What was she doing at eight o’clock? They haven’t got enough eggs.

My work
I have made:
A vocabulary record A concept map about food

A description of how I made an object A food package

A picture timeline about my family Me and my world

(A leaflet about a theme park)
A programme note about myself

Musical instruments

= my best work (look in my Dossier)

Incredible English Kit 3rd Edition 5 PHOTOCOPIABLE © Oxford University Press

My English (Units 7–9)

My words
I can say words for:

Woodland animals Polygons

Food chains Adventure sports

Jobs The Beaufort scale

I can remember: some of the words.

most of the words.

all of the words.

My sentences
I can …
say what people are going to do
ask questions without question words
in the future Does he fight fires?
He’s going to take a photo.
answer questions with short answers
say what people aren’t going to do Yes, he does.
in the future
talk about experiences
She isn’t going to win.
She’s ridden a horse.
ask what people are going to do
talk about things you haven’t done
in the future
I’ve never climbed a mountain.
Are they going to win?

My work
I have made:
A vocabulary record A holiday diary entry

A text about a day out A wind gauge

A food chain game Me and my world

(A diary entry)
A letter about an interesting job

Tessellated shapes

= my best work (look in my Dossier)

Incredible English Kit 3rd Edition 5 PHOTOCOPIABLE © Oxford University Press

 3rd EDITION

Portfolio Dossier (Level 5)

stories

writing projects

songs acting

✄
Incredible English Kit 3rd Edition 5 PHOTOCOPIABLE © Oxford University Press