This is the year students start thinking like media makers, not just consumers of videos and images. Students plan a project from a first idea, shape it through drafts, and polish it for an audience. Along the way they look at how their own life and the world around them show up in the work. By spring, students can share a finished video, photo, or digital piece and explain the choices behind it.
Students brainstorm ideas for media projects like short videos, podcasts, animations, or digital images. They learn to pull from their own experiences and from work they have seen to come up with something worth making.
Students organize their ideas into a plan, then start producing. They practice the tools and techniques needed to put a project together, whether that means filming a scene, editing audio, or designing on a screen.
Students step back from a draft, decide what is working, and fix what is not. They learn that finishing a media project means more than one pass, and they get their work ready to share with an audience.
Students present finished projects and look closely at media made by classmates and professionals. They talk about what the work means, how it connects to culture and history, and use clear reasons to judge whether it works.
Students connect something they already know or have lived through to a media arts project, using that personal knowledge to shape the choices they make while creating.
Students look at a piece of media art and connect it to the time, place, or culture it came from. Understanding that context helps them make sense of what the artist was doing and why.
| Standard | Definition | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art | Students connect something they already know or have lived through to a media arts project, using that personal knowledge to shape the choices they make while creating. | MA:Cn10.6 |
| Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural | Students look at a piece of media art and connect it to the time, place, or culture it came from. Understanding that context helps them make sense of what the artist was doing and why. | MA:Cn11.6 |
Students brainstorm and develop original ideas for media art projects, such as short films, photo essays, or digital animations, before they start making anything.
Students plan and arrange their media project before building it, making deliberate choices about images, sound, or layout that support the idea they want to communicate.
Students review and revise a media art project until it's ready to share, making deliberate choices about what to keep, cut, or improve before calling it finished.
| Standard | Definition | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work | Students brainstorm and develop original ideas for media art projects, such as short films, photo essays, or digital animations, before they start making anything. | MA:Cr1.6 |
| Organize and develop artistic ideas and work | Students plan and arrange their media project before building it, making deliberate choices about images, sound, or layout that support the idea they want to communicate. | MA:Cr2.6 |
| Refine and complete artistic work | Students review and revise a media art project until it's ready to share, making deliberate choices about what to keep, cut, or improve before calling it finished. | MA:Cr3.6 |
Students choose a piece of media work to share with an audience and explain why it fits the message or purpose they have in mind.
Students practice and improve a media project (a short film, a digital image, a podcast) until it's ready to share with an audience. The focus is on craft: making deliberate choices about how the final piece looks, sounds, or reads.
Students share their media art project with an audience and make deliberate choices about how it looks, sounds, or reads so the message comes through clearly.
| Standard | Definition | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Analyze, interpret, and select artistic work for presentation | Students choose a piece of media work to share with an audience and explain why it fits the message or purpose they have in mind. | MA:Pr4.6 |
| Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation | Students practice and improve a media project (a short film, a digital image, a podcast) until it's ready to share with an audience. The focus is on craft: making deliberate choices about how the final piece looks, sounds, or reads. | MA:Pr5.6 |
| Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work | Students share their media art project with an audience and make deliberate choices about how it looks, sounds, or reads so the message comes through clearly. | MA:Pr6.6 |
Students look closely at a media artwork, like a short film or a designed image, and explain what choices the creator made and why those choices work.
Students explain what a media artwork is trying to say and why the creator made the choices they did, such as color, sound, or camera angle.
Students use a checklist or set of criteria to judge a piece of media art, explaining why it works or where it falls short.
| Standard | Definition | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Perceive and analyze artistic work | Students look closely at a media artwork, like a short film or a designed image, and explain what choices the creator made and why those choices work. | MA:Re7.6 |
| Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work | Students explain what a media artwork is trying to say and why the creator made the choices they did, such as color, sound, or camera angle. | MA:Re8.6 |
| Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work | Students use a checklist or set of criteria to judge a piece of media art, explaining why it works or where it falls short. | MA:Re9.6 |
Students make short videos, animations, podcasts, photo projects, and simple digital designs. They plan an idea, build it, get feedback, and revise before sharing. The focus is on telling a clear story or message with sound, images, and timing.
A phone camera and free editing apps are plenty. Ask students to film a 30 second video about something they care about, then watch it together and talk about what works and what they would change. The thinking matters more than the tools.
Students should plan a media project from a rough idea, build a draft, take feedback, and finish a polished version. They should also be able to explain why they made choices about sound, images, and pacing, and respond thoughtfully to other students' work.
Start with short, low-stakes projects so students learn the tools and the feedback routine. Move into longer projects that pull in research or personal experience. End the year with a project students plan, produce, and present with clear intent.
Watching is useful if it turns into noticing. Ask what the creator did with music, cuts, or camera angles to make a moment feel funny, scary, or sad. That kind of talk builds the same analysis skills students practice in class.
Planning before producing and revising after feedback are the two big ones. Students often want to record once and call it done. Build in storyboarding, peer review, and a required second draft so revision becomes part of the process.
Projects are usually scored on the idea, the craft, and the revision, not just the finished look. A simple project with clear intent and thoughtful editing often scores higher than a flashy one with no plan behind it.
They can take a project from idea to finished piece without being walked through each step. They can give specific feedback on another student's work, name what choices a creator made, and connect a piece to its audience or cultural context.