This is the year students start making media projects with real intention behind the choices. Students plan a video, podcast, or digital piece, then revise it based on feedback before sharing it with an audience. They also learn to look at media made by others and explain how the choices shape the message. By spring, students can pitch an idea, produce a finished piece, and talk about why they made the calls they made.
Students start the year sketching out ideas for videos, animations, podcasts, or digital art. They learn to pull from their own lives and interests, then shape rough thoughts into a plan they can actually build.
Students move from plan to product. They shoot, record, edit, or design, and learn how to organize files, layers, and timelines so a project holds together from start to finish.
Students revisit their work to improve specific skills, like cleaner audio, steadier shots, or better timing. They practice the editing and design choices that separate a rough draft from a finished piece.
Students choose which pieces to share and how to share them. They think about who is watching, what message comes through, and how small choices in framing or sound change how the work lands.
Students study media made by others and by their classmates. They learn to describe what a creator was going for, judge whether it worked, and connect the choices to the time, place, or culture behind the piece.
Students pull from things they already know and moments from their own lives to shape media art projects with a clear personal point of view.
Students look at a media artwork (a photo, film, advertisement, or game) and explain how the time period, culture, or events around it shaped what the creator made and why it still matters.
| Standard | Definition | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art | Students pull from things they already know and moments from their own lives to shape media art projects with a clear personal point of view. | MA:Cn10.7 |
| Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural | Students look at a media artwork (a photo, film, advertisement, or game) and explain how the time period, culture, or events around it shaped what the creator made and why it still matters. | MA:Cn11.7 |
Students brainstorm and develop original ideas for media art projects, deciding what message or story they want their work to communicate before they start building it.
Students plan and shape a media project by making deliberate choices about images, sound, or text. The goal is a finished piece that reflects a clear creative idea, not just a collection of parts.
Students review their media art project, make purposeful edits, and bring it to a finished state. The goal is a final piece that reflects their clearest thinking and best craft.
| Standard | Definition | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work | Students brainstorm and develop original ideas for media art projects, deciding what message or story they want their work to communicate before they start building it. | MA:Cr1.7 |
| Organize and develop artistic ideas and work | Students plan and shape a media project by making deliberate choices about images, sound, or text. The goal is a finished piece that reflects a clear creative idea, not just a collection of parts. | MA:Cr2.7 |
| Refine and complete artistic work | Students review their media art project, make purposeful edits, and bring it to a finished state. The goal is a final piece that reflects their clearest thinking and best craft. | MA:Cr3.7 |
Students review a collection of media pieces, decide which ones are strong enough to share, and explain why those choices fit the purpose of the presentation.
Students revise and improve their media project before sharing it with an audience. That might mean adjusting audio, editing footage, or reworking a design until it does what they intended.
Students present their media project to an audience and make deliberate choices about how to share it so the idea or feeling behind the work comes through clearly.
| Standard | Definition | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Analyze, interpret, and select artistic work for presentation | Students review a collection of media pieces, decide which ones are strong enough to share, and explain why those choices fit the purpose of the presentation. | MA:Pr4.7 |
| Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation | Students revise and improve their media project before sharing it with an audience. That might mean adjusting audio, editing footage, or reworking a design until it does what they intended. | MA:Pr5.7 |
| Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work | Students present their media project to an audience and make deliberate choices about how to share it so the idea or feeling behind the work comes through clearly. | MA:Pr6.7 |
Students study a media piece closely, noticing how the creator's choices about image, sound, or layout shape the message. Then they explain what those choices do and why they matter.
Students explain what a media artist was trying to say and why specific choices, like color, sound, or framing, support that meaning.
Students use a set of criteria (like originality, technique, or purpose) to judge a piece of media art and explain why it does or does not work.
| Standard | Definition | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Perceive and analyze artistic work | Students study a media piece closely, noticing how the creator's choices about image, sound, or layout shape the message. Then they explain what those choices do and why they matter. | MA:Re7.7 |
| Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work | Students explain what a media artist was trying to say and why specific choices, like color, sound, or framing, support that meaning. | MA:Re8.7 |
| Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work | Students use a set of criteria (like originality, technique, or purpose) to judge a piece of media art and explain why it does or does not work. | MA:Re9.7 |
Media arts covers projects students make with cameras, microphones, and computers. Think short videos, podcasts, animations, photo essays, and simple graphic design. Students learn to plan a piece, make it, share it with an audience, and talk about what works.
By spring, students should be able to plan a short media project, draft it, revise it based on feedback, and present a finished version. They should also be able to explain why they made the choices they made, like why they picked a certain shot, song, or pace.
A phone is enough. Ask students to show a video or photo they made and explain one choice behind it. Watch a short film or ad together and ask what the maker wanted the audience to feel. Five minutes of that kind of talk builds the same thinking the class is working on.
No. It sits alongside them. Students still benefit from sketching, taking photos, writing, and listening to music, because those skills feed into stronger media projects.
A common shape is to start with short, low-stakes pieces that build one skill at a time, like a 30-second video or a single audio clip. Move into longer projects in the middle of the year that combine skills. End with a portfolio piece students plan, revise, and present to a real audience.
Two areas tend to lag: revising based on feedback rather than just adding more, and connecting a project to a clear purpose or audience. Building in short critique routines and a one-sentence intent statement for each project helps both.
Less than parents often expect. A lot of the work happens off-screen: planning shots, writing scripts, sketching storyboards, and giving feedback to classmates. The editing itself is usually a smaller slice of the project.
Look for students who can take a rough idea, plan it on paper, produce a clean version, and explain how their choices affect the viewer or listener. They should also be able to give a classmate specific feedback, not just say they liked it.