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Learning Standards Standards

What does a student learn in ?

This is the year students start treating videos, photos, and sound recordings as things they can make on purpose. Students come up with an idea, plan it out, and put the pieces together with help from a teacher. They also look at media made by other people and talk about what it means and whether it works. By spring, students can share a short project they made, like a slideshow or recorded story, and explain why they chose the pictures and sounds.

  • Making videos
  • Photos and sound
  • Planning a project
  • Sharing your work
  • Talking about media
Source: Maine Maine Learning Results
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

    Sparking ideas for media

    Students come up with ideas for short videos, drawings on a tablet, audio clips, or simple animations. They pull from their own lives and what they notice around them.

  2. 2

    Planning and building projects

    Students organize their ideas into a rough plan and start making the project. They try out tools like a camera, a recorder, or a drawing app and keep adjusting as they go.

  3. 3

    Sharing work with an audience

    Students pick which version of their project to show and add small touches that make the meaning clearer. They practice presenting it so classmates and family understand what it is about.

  4. 4

    Looking closely at media

    Students watch, listen to, and talk about media made by themselves and others. They notice what the maker was trying to say and what makes a piece work well or fall flat.

Mastery Learning Standards
The required skills a student should display by the end of Grade 2.
Connecting

  • Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art

    MA:Cn10.2

    Students connect something from their own life to a media art project, using a personal memory or experience as the starting point for what they make.

  • Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural

    MA:Cn11.2

    Students look at a piece of media art, such as a photo, video, or animation, and talk about where it came from, who made it, and what was happening in the world at the time.

Creating

  • Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work

    MA:Cr1.2

    Students brainstorm ideas for a media project, like a short video, a photo story, or a simple animation, then sketch or plan how to bring that idea to life.

  • Organize and develop artistic ideas and work

    MA:Cr2.2

    Students arrange images, sounds, or other media elements into a short project with a clear beginning and end. They make choices about what to include and how to put it together.

  • Refine and complete artistic work

    MA:Cr3.2

    Students revisit a media project, make changes to improve it, and decide when the work is finished.

Performing/Presenting/Producing

  • Analyze, interpret, and select artistic work for presentation

    MA:Pr4.2

    Students pick media art projects worth sharing and explain why they chose them. They think about what makes a piece interesting or effective before deciding to present it.

  • Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation

    MA:Pr5.2

    Students practice and improve a media project (like a photo, video, or digital drawing) until it's ready to share with an audience.

  • Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work

    MA:Pr6.2

    Students share a finished media project with an audience and explain what idea or feeling they wanted it to express.

Responding

  • Perceive and analyze artistic work

    MA:Re7.2

    Students look closely at a short video, photo, or digital image and describe what they notice, from the colors and shapes they see to the story or idea the creator was trying to share.

  • Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work

    MA:Re8.2

    Students look at a photo, video, or other media artwork and explain what they think the creator was trying to say. They use details from the work to back up their thinking.

  • Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work

    MA:Re9.2

    Students look at a piece of media art and decide what makes it work well or fall flat. They use a short list of criteria, like whether the images and sounds fit together, to explain their thinking.

Common Questions
  • What is media arts at this age?

    Media arts means making things with cameras, audio recorders, drawing apps, slideshows, and simple video tools. Students tell stories and share ideas using pictures, sound, and short clips, not just paper and pencil.

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

    Students should plan a small project, like a short video, a photo story, or an animated drawing, and finish it from start to end. They should be able to explain what their piece is about and what they would change next time.

  • How can families help at home in 10 minutes?

    Hand over a phone or tablet and ask students to take five photos that tell a story, or record a short voice memo about their day. Then sit and look at the result together and ask what they liked and what they would redo.

  • Do students need fancy apps or expensive gear?

    No. A basic camera app, a free drawing app, and a voice recorder cover almost everything at this level. The skill being built is planning and choosing, not using advanced software.

  • How should projects be sequenced across the year?

    Start with single-medium pieces like a photo or a sound clip, then move to short combinations like a photo with narration. Save longer pieces, such as a three-shot video or a small animation, for the second half of the year once planning habits are in place.

  • Which skills usually need the most reteaching?

    Planning before recording and stopping to revise are the two big sticking points. Most students want to hit record and call it done, so build in a quick sketch or storyboard step and a required second take.

  • How do students learn to talk about media they see?

    Show a short clip, ad, or picture book page and ask what the maker wanted people to feel and how they did it. Two or three minutes of this kind of talk, a few times a week, builds the habit of noticing choices in color, sound, and framing.

  • What does a good critique sound like at this age?

    Students should point to one specific part of a piece and say why it works or what is confusing, using words like loud, quiet, bright, dark, fast, or slow. The goal is honest noticing tied to a clear reason, not a thumbs up or down.

  • How do families know students are ready for next year?

    By spring, students should be able to start a small media project, stick with it past the first try, and talk about why they made the choices they did. If they can plan, make, and revise a short piece on their own, they are ready.