Unit 1 — Creating
Description
Students connect with multiple art movements, diverse artists and a variety of cultural art throughout history to inspire their own artwork. In media arts, students create visual representations that communicate, challenge and express ideas as both artist and audience. In visual arts, students demonstrate understanding of elements and principles governing the creation of works of visual art. Students explore creative processes through sketching, brainstorming, improvising and prototyping. They develop skills in overcoming creative blocks, taking creative risks and documenting artistic processes. Students practice persistence and experimentation while developing awareness of ethical responsibility in artmaking, including environmental implications, appropriation and intellectual property.
Essential Questions
- What conditions, attitudes and behaviors support creativity and innovative thinking?
- How do artists and designers experiment with forms, structures, materials and approaches?
- What role does persistence play in revising, refining and developing work?
- How do artists determine what resources and criteria are needed to formulate artistic investigations?
Learning Objectives
- Generate a variety of ideas, goals and solutions for media artworks using creative processes such as sketching, brainstorming, improvising and prototyping.
- Demonstrate understanding of elements and principles of art in visual artworks.
- Organize and design artistic ideas for media arts productions.
- Demonstrate persistence and willingness to experiment and take risks during the artistic process.
- Apply ethical responsibility in artmaking including environmental implications and intellectual property ethics.
- Use criteria to examine, reflect on and plan revisions for artwork and create artistic statements.
- Conceptualize early stages of the creative process and document processes in traditional or new media.
Supplemental Resources
- Index cards for brainstorming and idea generation
- Sketch paper and pencils for documenting creative process
- Chart paper and markers for group brainstorming sessions
- Colored pencils and crayons for exploratory visual work
- Printed images and posters of artists and art movements for inspiration
Music - Creating
Media Arts - Creating
Students apply mathematical thinking and problem-solving strategies when creating and analyzing visual compositions and designs.
Students investigate scientific concepts and natural phenomena as inspiration for creative artworks and media productions.
Students use written and verbal communication to describe artworks, construct arguments about artistic intent, and articulate personal responses to visual media.
Formative Assessments
- Group work on brainstorming and idea generation for media artwork
- Skill testing for understanding elements and principles of art
- Teacher observation during creative process and experimentation
- Question and answer discussions about artistic choices and intent
- Self and peer review of work in progress
Summative Assessment
Students apply skills, knowledge and attitudes to collaborative media artwork or completed visual art tasks that demonstrate understanding of elements and principles. Media arts are assessed using a digital rubric on a learning management system. Visual arts tasks are assessed using a rubric and may include identifying elements and principles from a variety of artworks and media.
Benchmark Assessment
— not configured —
Alternative Assessment
Students may demonstrate understanding of elements and principles of art through alternative formats such as verbal explanations of their artwork choices, annotated sketches with teacher-guided labels, or simplified visual organizers that map elements to their creative decisions. Reduced scope options may include focusing on one or two elements of art rather than the full range, with additional scaffolding provided during brainstorming and prototyping phases.
IEP (Individualized Education Program)
Students with IEPs may benefit from visual models of completed artworks and step-by-step visual breakdowns of the creative process to support understanding of elements and principles. Directions for brainstorming, sketching, and revision tasks should be provided in both oral and printed formats, with key terms highlighted. Teachers should offer alternative output modes — such as verbal explanation of artistic choices in place of written artist statements — and check in frequently during open-ended creative work to provide feedback and redirect as needed. Extended time and structured planning templates can support persistence and documentation across the unit's iterative creative process.
Section 504
Students with 504 plans should have access to extended time during skill-based tasks and creative production work, particularly when documenting their artistic process or completing reflection activities. Preferential seating near demonstration areas supports attention during direct instruction on elements and principles, and a reduced-distraction workspace helps students sustain focus during independent artmaking. Printed copies of any directions or criteria shared verbally or on a board should be made available to support consistent access throughout the unit.
ELL / MLL
Multilingual learners benefit from a visual vocabulary display featuring key art terms — such as line, shape, balance, and contrast — paired with images and examples drawn from diverse cultural artworks introduced in the unit. Directions for brainstorming and creative tasks should be kept concise and, where possible, supplemented with visual demonstrations rather than extended verbal explanation. Allowing students to sketch, label, or discuss ideas in their home language during early ideation stages supports concept development before English-language output is required. Exposure to art from a range of cultural traditions can also serve as an accessible entry point that connects to students' own backgrounds.
At Risk (RTI)
Students who need additional support should be given accessible entry points into the creative process, such as beginning with guided brainstorming prompts or a limited set of choices for their initial artwork concept, so that open-ended tasks feel manageable rather than overwhelming. Building explicit connections between new elements and principles and visual examples students have already encountered helps activate prior knowledge and reduce cognitive load. Breaking longer creative tasks into smaller checkpoints with teacher feedback at each stage encourages persistence and reduces the risk of disengagement when students encounter difficulty. Positive reinforcement for effort and risk-taking — rather than only final product quality — supports the unit's emphasis on experimentation.
Gifted & Talented
Advanced students should be encouraged to move beyond surface-level application of elements and principles by investigating how specific art movements, cultural traditions, or historical contexts have shaped the ways those concepts are used and interpreted. Students can explore ethical questions around appropriation and intellectual property with greater depth — for example, by researching real-world cases involving artists or media creators and forming their own defensible positions. Independent or self-directed creative projects that challenge students to work within constraints they set themselves, or to prototype multiple iterations of a concept across different media, provide meaningful extension without simply adding more of the same work. Opportunities to take on peer-mentor or critique-leader roles during group review can deepen both their own understanding and their communication of artistic reasoning.