A Pupil's Reference Guide To Using Graphics and

Presenting Projects in the School Curriculum

How do you set out your Project Presentation Folder? (2)

Presenting a good quality folder will never be an alternative means of getting high marks.

To reach gold standard, the content, the communication of that content and the presentation of the whole project or task, will need to be carefully considered.

A well cut cover, neat binding with numerous images will attract praise but not valuable marks on its own. Most of the assessable elements are contained in the content inside. The exception exists where presentation is part of the awarded marks and it is consistent throughout. Find out what marks are given to presentation. They can vary dependent upon the syllabus or subject being followed.

The point to be made is that if higher levels are the aim, then effort is needed to present and organise work well.

It should be emphasised at the beginning that the protection of your work when in progress, carried about or when stored is equally important.

Some schoolwork presentations are controlled by the physical difficulty of marking or postal costs, so it is always advisable to discuss your intentions with staff. Models, mock ups or other three dimensional work can be photographed for evidence purposes. Ensure these photographs are put in the work folio.

Binding the work together

Binding can vary from a string passed through holes in the papers, paper and bulldog or crocodile clips to the extremes of professional book-binding techniques. The most readily available and common practice is to buy ring binders or use a plastic, self-adhesive film, cover or wallet product.

Most schools and offices have plastic spine binding devices and some have heat and laminate devices.

Time spent to identify the differing methods and to choose appropriately is worth the effort considering the range and quantity of work that will be submitted by you and time spent on producing it.

Seek help from those with design expertise and do not assume that expensive methods will attract high marks.

Size and arrangement of Presentation Folio or Folder

If staff allow you to decide then consider the following points carefully:

Is it purely written work?
Is it better to use word-processing printouts or write by hand?
Should written work be all one size or colour?
Should different sections be colour-coded or numbered?
Should different colour paper or card thickness be used?
If graphics are to be included, what size will be needed to show sufficient range and detail?
How will Computer printouts be mixed with notes or drawings?
Will cutting and pasting be needed?
Can models be folded flat or is it better to use photo images?
Is there a method of neatly securing flat models in the folder?
Is there such a thing as "rough-work" and if so, should it be included?
Is "research work" just impressive padding or is it clearly linked to the folder content.

What should go where?

There are many examples that can be looked at that show good organisation. A holiday brochure, newspaper, magazine, website, book or poster can be considered in terms of:

Size of letters,
Use and mix of colours,
Shape of the blocks of writing,
Positioning of text or graphics,
The spacing between different parts,
Methods of making selected or important parts stand out,
organising complicated information into more easily read forms using tables or graphs,
guiding the reader or observer by means of start, middle and end sections,
the content, giving a clear association and logic to what order it is placed within.

The next guidance sheet sets out some starting ideas about folio/folder presentation.