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Learning Standards Standards

What does a student learn in ?

This is the year students start making things with cameras, drawings, sounds, and simple computer tools. Students come up with ideas from their own lives, try them out, and share what they made with the class. They also look at media made by others and talk about what they see and how it makes them feel. By spring, students can plan a small project, finish it, and explain why they made it that way.

  • Making media
  • Sharing ideas
  • Pictures and sound
  • Talking about art
  • Finishing a project
Source: Connecticut Connecticut Core Standards
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 and tools

    Students start the year noticing media art around them, like videos, photos, and cartoons. They share ideas for their own projects and try out simple tools with a teacher's help.

  2. 2

    Making and shaping projects

    Students begin building small media projects, such as a digital drawing, a short recording, or a photo story. They learn to plan a little before they make and to keep going when something does not work the first time.

  3. 3

    Polishing and sharing work

    Students pick a favorite project and clean it up to show others. They practice presenting it to the class and talking about what their work is trying to say.

  4. 4

    Looking at and talking about art

    Students watch and look at media made by classmates and others. They describe what they see, guess what the maker meant, and say what they liked and what could be better.

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

  • Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art

    MA:Cn10.k

    Students connect what they already know and what they've lived through to the media art they make, using real memories or ideas as the starting point for their work.

  • Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural

    MA:Cn11.k

    Students look at a photo, drawing, or video and talk about where it came from or what was happening in the world when it was made.

Creating

  • Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work

    MA:Cr1.k

    Students come up with ideas for media art projects, like deciding what kind of picture, video, or sound to make before they start creating.

  • Organize and develop artistic ideas and work

    MA:Cr2.k

    Students sort and arrange their media art ideas, like choosing which pictures or sounds go together, to build a simple project that makes sense to them.

  • Refine and complete artistic work

    MA:Cr3.k

    Students finish a media arts project by looking it over and making small fixes before calling it done.

Performing/Presenting/Producing

  • Analyze, interpret, and select artistic work for presentation

    MA:Pr4.k

    Students choose which of their media projects to share with the class and explain why they picked it.

  • Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation

    MA:Pr5.k

    Students practice and improve a media arts project (like a drawing, photo, or short video) until it is ready to share with others.

  • Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work

    MA:Pr6.k

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

Responding

  • Perceive and analyze artistic work

    MA:Re7.k

    Students look at photos, videos, or digital images and talk about what they notice. They describe what they see and share what they think it means.

  • Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work

    MA:Re8.k

    Students look at a photo, video, or drawing and say what they think it means or how it makes them feel.

  • Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work

    MA:Re9.k

    Students look at a piece of media art and say what they like about it and why. They practice using simple reasons to judge whether something works.

Common Questions
  • What is media arts in kindergarten?

    Students make and share work using things like cameras, tablets, drawings, sounds, and short videos. Most of the year is about exploring tools, telling small stories, and talking about what they see and hear.

  • How can families support media arts at home?

    Let students take photos, record short voice messages, or make a quick video of a pet or a toy. Ask them to tell the story behind it. Five minutes of play with a phone or tablet, with an adult nearby, goes a long way.

  • Does a child need a fancy camera or computer?

    No. A phone camera, a tablet, paper, crayons, and a quiet corner cover almost everything at this age. The skill is in noticing, choosing, and explaining, not in the device.

  • What should media arts time look like across the year?

    Start with exploring one tool at a time, such as photos, then drawings on a tablet, then short recorded sounds. Move into tiny projects where students plan a picture or story, make it, and share it with the class.

  • How much should kindergartners talk about their work?

    A lot. Most growth this year comes from students saying what their picture or video is about, what they liked, and what they might change. Short turn-and-talks after a project work better than long discussions.

  • How can a parent help when a child says their project is bad?

    Ask what part they like and what part feels tricky. Then suggest one small change, like trying again with better light or a clearer voice. Kindergartners need to learn that redoing a piece is normal, not a punishment.

  • What does end-of-year readiness look like?

    By spring, students can come up with an idea for a picture, photo, or short video, make it with some help, and tell a classmate what it means. They can also point to something they like in someone else's work and say why.