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Learning Standards Standards

What does a student learn in ?

This is the year students start making media art on purpose, not by accident. Students come up with their own ideas for short videos, drawings on a screen, or sound pieces, then practice the tools to shape them. They also look at what other people made and say what they notice. By spring, students can plan a small media project, finish it, and explain what it means to a classmate.

  • Making media
  • Sharing ideas
  • Using tech tools
  • Talking about art
  • Connecting to life
Source: Illinois Illinois Learning 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

    Getting ideas for media projects

    Students start the year exploring how stories, photos, videos, and sounds can come from their own lives. They try out simple ideas for a picture, a short video, or a sound clip and talk about what they want to make.

  2. 2

    Building and shaping a project

    Students learn to put pieces together, like choosing pictures for a slideshow or recording a short voice clip. They practice tools and tricks for making their idea clearer, then go back and fix parts that need work.

  3. 3

    Sharing work with an audience

    Students pick which projects to show and think about how to present them so others understand. They practice small choices, like picking the best photo or rerecording a line, so the meaning comes through.

  4. 4

    Looking at and talking about media

    Students watch, listen, and notice what choices other creators made in videos, songs, and pictures. They share what they think a piece means and use simple words like clear, fun, or confusing to talk about what works.

  5. 5

    Connecting media to the wider world

    By the end of the year, students notice how media fits into family life, school, and the community. They talk about where they see videos, music, and pictures every day and how those choices shape what people think and feel.

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 personal memory or experience to shape what they make.

  • Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural

    MA:Cn11.1

    Students look at a photo, video, or artwork and talk about what was happening in the world when it was made. That connection helps them understand why it looks or feels the way it does.

Creating

  • Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work

    MA:Cr1.1

    Students come up with ideas for a media project, like a short video, a drawing made on a tablet, or a photo that tells a story.

  • Organize and develop artistic ideas and work

    MA:Cr2.1

    Students pick the images, sounds, or movements that best fit their idea, then arrange them into a short piece they can show others.

  • Refine and complete artistic work

    MA:Cr3.1

    Students revisit a media project they started, making small changes to improve it before calling it finished.

Performing/Presenting/Producing

  • Analyze, interpret, and select artistic work for presentation

    MA:Pr4.1

    Students pick a media project to share and explain why they chose it over others they made.

  • Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation

    MA:Pr5.1

    Students practice and improve a media arts project (like a photo, video, or digital drawing) until it is ready to share 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 at images, videos, or sounds made by others and describe what they notice. They explain what the media work shows and how it makes them feel.

  • Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work

    MA:Re8.1

    Students look at a photo, video, or other media project 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 piece of media art and decide what makes it work well or fall flat, using a simple set of criteria like color, message, or how it makes you feel.

Common Questions
  • What is media arts in first grade?

    Media arts means making and sharing things like short videos, photos, drawings on a tablet, simple animations, and recorded sounds. Students learn that pictures, sound, and words can be put together to tell a story or share an idea.

  • What should students be able to do by the end of the year?

    Students should come up with an idea, make a short media piece like a recorded story or a sequence of pictures, share it with the class, and say something about what they liked in someone else's work. The piece does not need to be polished.

  • How can families support media arts at home?

    Let students take photos, record short voice memos, or draw a sequence of pictures that tells a story. Ask them to explain what is happening and why they chose those pictures or sounds. Ten minutes is plenty.

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

    No. A phone camera, a voice recorder, paper for a flipbook, or crayons for a story strip all count. The point is choosing pictures, sounds, or words on purpose, not using any specific tool.

  • How should media arts be sequenced across the year?

    Start with noticing how pictures and sounds tell a story in books and short clips. Move into making simple pieces with one tool at a time, then combine tools later in the year. End with sharing and talking about choices.

  • Which skills usually need the most reteaching?

    Putting pictures or scenes in an order that makes sense gives most first graders trouble, and so does talking about why they made a choice. Plan to revisit sequencing and simple self-reflection across several projects, not just once.

  • How can a parent help when a child gets stuck on an idea?

    Ask what the story is about and who is in it. Then ask what should happen first, next, and at the end. Drawing three boxes on a page and filling them in often gets a stuck student moving again.

  • What does mastery look like at this grade?

    A first grader can plan a small media piece, finish it, present it to others, and answer simple questions about what they made and why. Mastery is about making thoughtful choices, not technical polish.

  • How do students learn to talk about each other's work?

    Give them a few set sentence starters such as I noticed, I liked, and I wonder. Model the starters during shares, then let students use them in pairs. Keep feedback short and focused on one thing at a time.