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Learning Standards Standards

What does a student learn in ?

This is the year students start telling small stories with media tools like cameras, drawing apps, and simple recordings. Students plan an idea, try it out, then go back and fix the parts that did not work. They also look at videos, photos, and ads and talk about what the maker was trying to say. By spring, students can make a short video or slideshow about something from their own life and explain why they chose each piece.

  • Making videos
  • Photos and pictures
  • Planning an idea
  • Editing and revising
  • Talking about media
  • Sharing your work
Source: Texas Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills
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 projects

    Students collect ideas from things they already know and like, such as a favorite show, a family story, or a pet. They start small projects like short videos, drawings on a tablet, or simple audio clips.

  2. 2

    Building and organizing a project

    Students plan what comes first, next, and last in a project. They try out tools like cameras, recording apps, or drawing programs and learn to save their work as they go.

  3. 3

    Refining the work

    Students go back to a project and make it better. They might re-record a line, swap a picture, or trim a clip so the final piece is clearer to a viewer.

  4. 4

    Sharing with an audience

    Students pick which project to share and practice presenting it to the class or a small group. They think about what they want the audience to feel or understand.

  5. 5

    Looking at media together

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

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 arts project, using what they know and what they've experienced to shape what they make.

  • Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural

    MA:Cn11.2

    Students look at media art (photos, videos, animations) and talk about where, when, or why it was made. That context helps them understand what the artist was trying to say.

Creating

  • Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work

    MA:Cr1.2

    Students brainstorm and sketch out ideas for a media project, like a short video, a photo story, or a simple animation, before they start making it.

  • Organize and develop artistic ideas and work

    MA:Cr2.2

    Students arrange images, sounds, or other media elements to build a short project that shows a clear idea. The choices they make, like what to include or leave out, shape the final piece.

  • Refine and complete artistic work

    MA:Cr3.2

    Students look back at a media project they started, fix what isn't working, and finish it. The goal is a piece that matches what they first set out to make.

Performing/Presenting/Producing

  • Analyze, interpret, and select artistic work for presentation

    MA:Pr4.2

    Students choose which of their media projects to share and explain why that piece best shows what they were trying to make.

  • 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. The goal is to make intentional choices about how the final piece looks or sounds.

  • Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work

    MA:Pr6.2

    Students share a finished media project (a photo, short video, or digital image) and explain what idea or feeling they wanted it to communicate.

Responding

  • Perceive and analyze artistic work

    MA:Re7.2

    Students look closely at a short video, photo, or digital image and explain what they notice. They describe what stands out and begin to think about why the creator made those choices.

  • Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work

    MA:Re8.2

    Students look at a piece of media art, such as a photo, animation, or short video, and explain what they think the artist was trying to say. They back up their thinking with something specific they noticed in the work.

  • Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work

    MA:Re9.2

    Students look at a piece of media art and explain what makes it work well or fall short, using a short checklist or set of questions as their guide.

Common Questions
  • What is media arts at this age?

    Media arts means making things with cameras, microphones, and simple apps. Students take photos, record short videos, make slideshows, draw on a tablet, or record their voice telling a story. It blends art, technology, and storytelling.

  • What should media arts look like by the end of the year?

    By spring, students should be able to plan a short project, record or build it, and share it with a small group. Expect a one-minute video, a short slideshow, a sound recording, or a digital drawing with a clear idea behind it.

  • How can families support media arts at home?

    Let students borrow a phone or tablet to record a short video about something they love, like a pet or a snack they made. Watch it back together and ask what they would change next time. Ten minutes is plenty.

  • Do students need fancy software or a good camera?

    No. A basic phone, tablet, or school laptop covers everything at this age. Free built-in tools for photos, voice memos, and slideshows are more than enough. The thinking matters more than the gear.

  • How should media arts projects be sequenced across the year?

    Start with single-image work like photos and digital drawings, then move to sound recordings, then to short videos or slideshows that combine both. Save group projects for the spring once students can handle the tools on their own.

  • Which skills usually need the most reteaching?

    Saving files, naming files, and finding them again. Also holding a camera steady and recording sound without background noise. Build short practice routines for these before any bigger project, or finished work will get lost.

  • How do students talk about their work and other people's work?

    Students should be able to say what their project is about, what choices they made, and what they might change. When watching a classmate's work, they should point to one specific part they liked and one question it raised.

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

    They can plan a small project, finish it, and explain their choices in a sentence or two. They can give a kind, specific comment on a classmate's work. They can open, save, and find a file without help.