Unit 2 — Producing
Description
Students demonstrate understanding of how and why art is created. Students analyze, interpret, and convey meaning in their artwork using skills, media, and methods during creating, performing, and presenting works of media and visual art. Students learn that presenting and sharing objects, artifacts, and artworks influence and shape ideas, beliefs, and experiences. The unit focuses on developing technical skills, integrating multiple forms and approaches, and understanding curation as a means of preserving and communicating meaning.
Essential Questions
- How are artworks cared for and by whom? What criteria, methods and processes are used to select work for preservation or presentation?
- What methods and processes are considered when preparing artwork for presentation or preservation?
- How does the presenting and sharing of objects, artifacts and artworks influence and shape ideas, beliefs and experiences?
- How are complex media arts experiences constructed? At what point is a work considered complete?
- How do time, place, audience, and context affect presenting or performing choices for media artworks?
Learning Objectives
- Experiment with and integrate multiple forms, approaches and content to coordinate, produce and implement media artworks
- Develop and demonstrate a variety of artistic, design, technical, and soft skills through producing media artworks
- Develop and demonstrate creativity and adaptability through testing constraints and divergent solutions
- Analyze and design various presentation formats and tasks in the distribution of media artworks
- Analyze benefits and impacts from presenting media artworks
- Investigate and analyze ways artwork is presented, preserved and experienced
- Prepare and present theme-based artwork for display and formulate exhibition narratives
Supplemental Resources
- Index cards for organizing presentation information and exhibition details
- Poster board or chart paper for creating exhibition labels and narratives
- Pocket folders for organizing and storing artwork for preservation
- Printed images or photographs for reference during curation and presentation planning
- Rulers for precise display layout and presentation design
Music - Performing
Media Arts - Presenting
Students apply mathematical thinking to art and design by measuring, calculating proportions, analyzing spatial relationships, and using geometric principles in composition and visual problem-solving.
Students investigate the properties of materials, color theory, light and optics, and sustainable practices in artmaking while developing scientific inquiry skills through experimental approaches to media and visual arts.
Students examine how artworks reflect and communicate cultural, historical, and social contexts across diverse civilizations and communities. They analyze how art forms represent group identity, preserve cultural heritage, and address global issues including climate change.
Formative Assessments
- Discussion of presentation formats and distribution strategies
- Teacher observation of students during production processes and refinement
- Question and answer about artistic decision-making in preparation for presentation
- Peer feedback on presentation plans and exhibition narratives
- Project work documenting production process and choices
Summative Assessment
Media arts students develop and demonstrate technical and soft skills through producing media artworks and analyzing benefits of presenting work in various formats, assessed using digital rubrics. Visual arts students develop a plan for displaying and conserving final artworks, considering specific criteria for presentation, portfolio, or collection, assessed using rubrics.
Benchmark Assessment
A mid-unit task in which students complete a series of quick studies or sketches experimenting with at least two different media or techniques, accompanied by brief written or oral responses identifying which choices best convey their intended meaning. This assesses experimentation with multiple forms, technical skill development, and ability to articulate creative decisions aligned to the unit's focus on developing artistic approaches and adaptability.
Alternative Assessment
Students may demonstrate understanding through a guided artist statement or recorded explanation of their creative choices and technical process instead of written reflection. Visual supports such as labeled diagrams of their artwork, step-by-step photo documentation, or simplified checklists may be provided to scaffold the production process.
IEP (Individualized Education Program)
Students with IEPs benefit from scaffolded support during the production and presentation planning process, such as graphic organizers or visual checklists that break multi-step tasks into manageable stages. Teachers should allow for flexible output modes — including verbal explanation, recorded narration, or demonstrated process — as alternatives to written exhibition narratives, ensuring students can convey artistic intent in accessible ways. Providing models of completed work and clear rubric breakdowns in advance helps students understand expectations for both technical skill development and presentation planning. Additional processing time and frequent check-ins during peer feedback and discussion activities support active and meaningful participation.
Section 504
Students supported by 504 plans should be given extended time during production phases and when preparing presentation materials or exhibition narratives. Preferential seating during demonstrations and group discussions ensures access to visual modeling and peer feedback. Reducing visual clutter on rubrics or task guides and providing directions in both written and oral formats supports focus during multi-step production and curation tasks.
ELL / MLL
Multilingual learners benefit from visual references — such as labeled examples of presentation formats, annotated model artworks, and illustrated vocabulary supports — that connect key terms like curation, distribution, and exhibition narrative to concrete images and examples. Teachers should simplify directions for production tasks and allow students to discuss their artistic decision-making in their home language before expressing ideas in English. Providing a content-specific word bank with visual cues supports participation in discussions about how and why artworks are presented and preserved.
At Risk (RTI)
Students who need additional support should be offered accessible entry points into the production process by connecting new technical skills to prior art-making experiences and familiar media. Reducing the complexity of initial production tasks — while maintaining the core expectation of demonstrating artistic decision-making — helps build confidence before students engage with presentation and curation planning. Structured templates for documenting production choices and preparing exhibition narratives can lower barriers to participation while keeping students meaningfully engaged with the unit's key concepts.
Gifted & Talented
Advanced learners should be encouraged to explore the intersection of curation and meaning-making at a deeper level, investigating how real-world artists, museums, or media platforms make intentional choices about how work is presented, preserved, and experienced by audiences. Students can be challenged to develop more complex or experimental presentation formats, considering how the mode of distribution itself shapes audience interpretation and impact. Independent research into archival practices, exhibition design principles, or the ethics of digital media distribution offers meaningful extension that broadens understanding beyond the scope of a single production project.