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Learning Standards Standards

What does a student learn in ?

This is the year students start making media projects on purpose instead of just playing with the tools. Students plan a short video, photo story, or sound piece, then revise it before sharing with the class. They talk about why an artist made certain choices and what the work is trying to say. By spring, students can share a finished media piece and explain one choice they made to get their idea across.

  • Making media
  • Planning projects
  • Revising work
  • Sharing with an audience
  • Talking about art
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

    Sparking ideas for media projects

    Students start the year by coming up with ideas for things like short videos, drawings on a tablet, or simple sound clips. They pull from their own lives and what they like to make a plan for a project.

  2. 2

    Building and shaping the work

    Students try out tools and put pieces together, like recording a voice, taking photos, or arranging images on a screen. They practice the steps it takes to turn an idea into something they can show.

  3. 3

    Polishing and sharing

    Students pick their best work, fix the rough spots, and get it ready for an audience. They think about what they want viewers to notice and how to share the piece so the message comes through.

  4. 4

    Looking at and talking about media

    Students watch and listen to media made by others and by classmates. They describe what they see, guess what the maker was trying to say, and tell what works well and what could be stronger.

  5. 5

    Connecting media to life

    Students link projects to their own experiences and to stories from family, school, and community. They notice how media from different places and times can shape what people think and feel.

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 that personal experience to shape what they make and why they make it.

  • Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural

    MA:Cn11.2

    Students look at a piece of media art, like a photo or short video, 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 come up with ideas for media art projects, like a short video, a photo, or a digital drawing, before they start making them.

  • Organize and develop artistic ideas and work

    MA:Cr2.2

    Students choose images, sounds, or text and arrange them into a simple media project, like a short slideshow or digital collage. They make decisions 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 it feels finished and ready to share.

Performing/Presenting/Producing

  • Analyze, interpret, and select artistic work for presentation

    MA:Pr4.2

    Students choose a piece of media work they've made, such as a drawing, photo, or short video, and explain why it shows their best thinking or tells a story clearly.

  • Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation

    MA:Pr5.2

    Students practice and improve their media art projects before sharing them with an audience. That means fixing, adjusting, and polishing the work until it's ready to present.

  • Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work

    MA:Pr6.2

    Students share their media art projects with an audience and explain what they were trying to say or show. The choices they made, like color, sound, or image, should connect to the message they wanted to send.

Responding

  • Perceive and analyze artistic work

    MA:Re7.2

    Students look closely at a media artwork, such as a photo, video, or digital image, and describe what they notice about how it was made and what it shows.

  • Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work

    MA:Re8.2

    Students look at a media artwork, such as a photo, video, or animation, and explain what they think the creator was trying to say or show.

  • Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work

    MA:Re9.2

    Students look at a piece of media art and decide what makes it good or not so good, using a simple set of questions or rules to back up their opinion.

Common Questions
  • What is media arts at this age?

    Media arts means making things with cameras, recorders, computers, and simple editing tools. Students take photos, record short videos or sounds, make slideshows, and put pictures and words together to tell a story or share an idea.

  • How can I support media arts at home?

    Let students use a phone or tablet to take photos, record a short video about a pet or a meal, or make a slideshow of family pictures. Ask what they wanted the viewer to notice. Five minutes of playing with sound and pictures goes a long way.

  • My child just wants to play with the camera. Is that learning?

    Yes, early on. Taking lots of photos and short clips is how students learn what a camera can do. After they explore, ask one focused question: which picture tells the story best, and why? That turns play into thinking.

  • Does my child need a fancy device or app?

    No. A basic phone or tablet camera, a free voice recorder, and a simple slideshow tool cover almost everything for this age. The thinking matters more than the software.

  • How should I sequence media arts across the year?

    Start with one tool at a time: still images first, then sound, then short video, then combining them in a slideshow or simple movie. End the year with a small project where students choose the tool that fits the message.

  • What does mastery look like by the end of the year?

    Students can plan a short media piece, gather images or sounds with a purpose, make small revisions, and share the finished work with a class. They can also say what another student's piece is about and what they noticed about how it was made.

  • Which skills usually need the most reteaching?

    Framing a shot on purpose, recording clean sound, and trimming or reordering clips. Students also need repeated practice giving useful feedback, such as naming one thing that worked and one thing to try next, instead of just saying they liked it.

  • How is this connected to reading, writing, and other subjects?

    Planning a video or slideshow is a lot like planning a story or a how-to piece: a beginning, a point to make, and an ending. Students can also make media about a science observation, a math pattern, or a moment from history.