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Learning Standards Standards

What does a student learn in ?

This is the year students start making little media projects of their own, like a short video, a slideshow, or a drawing on a tablet. Students come up with an idea, try it out, and fix what is not working before sharing it. They also talk about what they see in their own work and in pictures, songs, and videos made by other people. By spring, students can plan a small project, finish it, and explain what it means to a friend or family member.

  • Making media
  • Sharing ideas
  • Using tablets
  • Talking about art
  • Fixing your work
Source: Massachusetts Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks
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

    Exploring ideas for media projects

    Students come up with ideas for their own media projects, like a short video, a drawing on a tablet, or a sound recording. They start connecting what they make to things they already know from home and school.

  2. 2

    Building and shaping a project

    Students organize their ideas into a real piece of work. They try out tools like cameras, microphones, or drawing apps, and learn how to put pictures, sounds, and words together.

  3. 3

    Polishing work for an audience

    Students pick which pieces are ready to share and clean them up. They practice small fixes that make a project clearer, like trimming a recording or adjusting a picture.

  4. 4

    Sharing and talking about media

    Students present their projects to classmates and family. They also look closely at other media, talk about what it might mean, and say 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 to a media arts project, using a memory or feeling to shape what they make.

  • Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural

    MA:Cn11.1

    Students look at a piece of media art, like a photo or short video, and talk about where it came from or why someone made it. Connecting the work to real life helps students understand what it means.

Creating

  • Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work

    MA:Cr1.1

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

  • Organize and develop artistic ideas and work

    MA:Cr2.1

    Students pick the images, sounds, or movements they want to use and arrange them into a short media project, like a simple photo story or drawing on a screen.

  • Refine and complete artistic work

    MA:Cr3.1

    Students review a media project they started, make changes to improve it, and decide when it is finished.

Performing/Presenting/Producing

  • Analyze, interpret, and select artistic work for presentation

    MA:Pr4.1

    Students pick a piece of media work they made, such as a drawing, photo, or short video, and explain why they chose it to share with others.

  • Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation

    MA:Pr5.1

    Students practice and improve a media project, like a simple photo or short video, before sharing it with others.

  • Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work

    MA:Pr6.1

    Students share a drawing, photo, or short video they made and explain what idea or feeling they wanted it to show.

Responding

  • Perceive and analyze artistic work

    MA:Re7.1

    Students look closely at media art (a photo, a video, a simple animation) and describe what they notice, like colors, sounds, or how it makes them feel.

  • Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work

    MA:Re8.1

    Students look at a media artwork, such as a photo or short video, 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 photo, video, or drawing and explain what they like about it and why. They use simple ideas like color, story, or mood to say what makes it work.

Common Questions
  • What is media arts in first grade?

    Media arts covers things like photos, short videos, simple animations, audio recordings, and digital drawings. Students start making little media pieces with help, talk about what they made, and share them with classmates.

  • What should a first grader be able to do by the end of the year?

    By June, students can come up with an idea for a short media piece, put it together with help, and share it. They can also talk about what they like in a video or picture and say what someone might have meant by it.

  • How can families support this work at home?

    Let students take photos on a phone or tablet, record a short story with their voice, or draw a picture on a screen. Then ask them to explain what it is about. Five minutes of making and talking is plenty.

  • Does a child need a fancy camera or app for this?

    No. A phone camera, a free drawing app, or even paper photos cut and arranged into a story all count. The point is having an idea and putting it into a form other people can see or hear.

  • What questions can be asked while watching a show or looking at a picture together?

    Try asking what the maker wanted people to feel, what part stood out, and why. Ask if anything reminds them of their own life. These short chats build the same thinking students do in class.

  • How should media arts be sequenced across the year?

    Start with generating ideas and short making tasks, then add simple choices about how to organize a piece, like which photo goes first. Save refining and presenting for later in the year once routines for tools and sharing are steady.

  • Which skills usually need the most reteaching?

    Refining work and applying criteria are the hardest at this age. Students want to call a piece done after one try. Build in short revisit moments and a simple two- or three-question checklist for looking at their own work and a classmate's.

  • How does media arts connect to other subjects?

    A photo story can retell a book. A short recording can explain a science observation. Plan one or two media pieces each term that double as evidence in reading, writing, or science, so the work pulls weight in more than one place.

  • How is readiness for second grade shown?

    Students are ready when they can plan a small media piece, make changes after feedback, present it to the class, and say something thoughtful about a classmate's work. The pieces stay short and simple, but the thinking behind them is visible.