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Learning Standards Standards

What does a student learn in ?

This is the year students start making simple media projects, like short videos, slideshows, or sound recordings, instead of just watching them. Students come up with their own ideas, choose pictures or sounds that fit, and share the result with the class. They also start talking about why a video or picture was made and what it means. By spring, students can plan a short media project, finish it, and explain their choices to a parent.

  • Making videos
  • Sharing ideas
  • Choosing images and sounds
  • Talking about media
  • Finishing a project
Source: Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Core Standards
Year at a glance
How the year usually goes. Every school and district set their own curriculum, so treat this as a guide, not official pacing.
  1. 1

    Starting with ideas

    Students come up with ideas for their own media projects, like a short video, a drawing on a tablet, or a simple slideshow. They learn that an idea can come from a story they heard or something they saw.

  2. 2

    Making and building

    Students start putting pieces together to make something they can show. They pick photos, sounds, or drawings and arrange them in an order that makes sense.

  3. 3

    Practicing the tools

    Students try out the buttons, apps, and basic moves that go into making media. They practice things like snapping a photo, recording a voice, or dragging items on a screen.

  4. 4

    Sharing the finished work

    Students fix up their project and show it to others. They think about what they want viewers to notice and how to make the meaning clear.

  5. 5

    Looking and talking about media

    Students watch and listen to media made by themselves and others. They talk about what they liked, what the maker might have meant, and what makes a project work well.

Mastery Learning Standards
The required skills a student should display by the end of Grade 1.
Connecting

  • Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art

    MA:Cn10.1

    Students connect something from their own life, like a memory or a feeling, to create a piece of media art. The personal connection shapes what they make and how they make it.

  • Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural

    MA:Cn11.1

    Students look at a photo, video, or drawing and talk about when it was made, who made it, and what was happening in the world at that time.

Creating

  • Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work

    MA:Cr1.1

    Students come up with ideas for a media art project, like a drawing, photo, or short video, and start planning what they want to make.

  • Organize and develop artistic ideas and work

    MA:Cr2.1

    Students pick the tools, sounds, or images they want to use and arrange them into a simple media project, like a short photo story or a drawing with recorded words.

  • Refine and complete artistic work

    MA:Cr3.1

    Students look back at a media project they started, make changes to improve it, and decide when it is done.

Performing/Presenting/Producing

  • Analyze, interpret, and select artistic work for presentation

    MA:Pr4.1

    Students choose which of their media projects to share and explain why they picked it.

  • Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation

    MA:Pr5.1

    Students practice and improve a media project, like a photo, short video, or digital drawing, until it is ready to share with an audience.

  • Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work

    MA:Pr6.1

    Students share a media project (a drawing, photo, or short video) and explain what they wanted the audience to feel or understand when they made it.

Responding

  • Perceive and analyze artistic work

    MA:Re7.1

    Students look closely at a photo, video, or digital image and describe what they notice, such as the colors, shapes, or mood the creator chose.

  • Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work

    MA:Re8.1

    Students look at a photo, video, or drawing and explain what they think the creator was trying to say or show.

  • Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work

    MA:Re9.1

    Students look at a piece of media art and say what makes it good or not so good, using a simple set of questions or rules to explain their thinking.

Common Questions
  • What is media arts in first grade?

    Media arts means making things like short videos, photos, drawings on a tablet, simple animations, and sound recordings. Students learn that a story can be told with pictures, sound, or a mix of both. The focus is on playing with ideas, not on fancy equipment.

  • How can I support media arts at home?

    Hand over a phone or tablet for a few minutes and ask students to take three photos that tell a story, or record a short voice memo about their day. Talk about what they chose to show and why. That conversation is the real learning.

  • What should students be able to do by the end of the year?

    Students should be able to come up with a small idea, make a short media piece such as a drawing, photo, or recording, and share it with someone. They should also be able to say what they like about their work and what they might change.

  • How should I sequence media arts across the year?

    Start with exploring tools and noticing how pictures and sounds tell stories. Move into making short pieces with a clear idea behind them. End the year with simple revision, where students look at a draft, change one thing, and share a finished version.

  • Does a six year old need a tablet or special software for this?

    No. Crayons, paper, a basic camera, and a voice recorder cover most of first grade. If a tablet is around, a free drawing app or the built-in camera is plenty.

  • Which skills usually need the most reteaching?

    Two areas tend to lag. First, finishing a piece rather than abandoning it once the novelty wears off. Second, talking about choices, such as why a student picked a certain picture or sound. Build short routines around both from the start.

  • How do I help students talk about other people's work?

    Use three simple prompts on repeat: what do you notice, what do you think it means, and what would you try. First graders can answer all three with practice. The goal is honest noticing, not polished critique.

  • How will I know students are ready for second grade?

    A ready first grader can plan a small media piece, make it, share it, and say one thing they would change next time. They can also connect a piece of art to something from their own life or community.

  • What if my child says their work is bad?

    Ask what part they would change and try just that one part together. Keep the first version so they can see the difference. Most first graders feel better about their work once they see they can fix small pieces of it.