ABQ Media Arts Unit Plan

By Katherine Percival

Unit Title: Photography Development and Practice

Rationale: Everyone has the ability to interpret and create images and this unit will provide specific skills
and techniques that will allow students to tailor their knowledge for specific audiences and purposes

Know: how to photograph for a variety of different purposes using a variety of techniques
Be: creative photographers
Do: Students will be able to create photographs and demonstrate a message effectively for different
audiences

Media Arts Cross-Curricular Prerequisites and prior knowledge/skills:

Grade 11, ASM 3M Connections: Grade 10 Media Arts
Time (in weeks): 4 weeks Visual Arts- Basic knowledge of digital photography
and 2 days (22days give creative process Elements and principle of design
or take a few) and critical Software (Photoshop, Illustrator)
Number of Lessons: 6 analysis process
Overview:
Students will refine and extend their knowledge of photography from grade 10 Media Arts. In this unit
students will extend their photography knowledge of history, techniques, and aesthetics and will continue
practicing their skills. During this unit students will create a portfolio of their work, documenting their
creative process and experimentation focusing on how photography is used in 3 specific genres such as
photojournalism, advertisement and as contemporary art. During this exploration students will apply the
elements and principles of design to appropriately convey a message to the audiences associated with the
specific genres. Throughout this experimentation students will also continue to explore photographys
influence in the past and now to analyze photographys evolution and where it is headed in the future.

Overall Expectations:
A1. The Creative Process: apply the creative process to create media art works, individually and/or
collaboratively;
A3. Using Technologies, Tools, and Techniques: apply traditional and emerging technologies, tools,
and techniques to produce and present media art works for a variety of audiences and purposes.
B1. The Critical Analysis Process: demonstrate an understanding of the critical analysis process by
using it to monitor the creative process, and by examining, interpreting, assessing, and reflecting on
media art works;
C1. Terminology: demonstrate an understanding of, and use correct terminology when referring to,
elements, principles, and other concepts relating to media arts;
C2. Contexts and Influences: demonstrate an understanding of the sociocultural and historical
contexts of media arts

Specific Expectations:
A1.1 use a variety of strategies to investigate creative challenges and generate innovative ideas,
individually and/or collaboratively, for addressing them
A1.2 develop plans, individually and/or collaboratively, that address a variety of creative challenges
and assess and revise their plans on the basis of feedback and reflection
 A1.5 use an appropriate tracking tool to produce a detailed record of their application of the creative
process, and use this record to determine, through reflection, how effectively they applied this
process
A3.2 create and present media art works that are appropriate for specific audiences and venues,
using various technologies, tools, and techniques.
B1.2 use the critical analysis process to deconstruct, interpret, and assess media art works created by
recognized artists, and record and organize their findings using a variety of tools and formats
B1.4 use the appropriate components of the critical analysis process to assess and enhance their own
creative process, including their planning, production, and presentation decisions, and to interpret
audience responses to their media art work
C1.3 explain terminology associated with the technologies, tools, and techniques used in the
production and presentation of media art works, and use this terminology correctly and
appropriately when producing, presenting, and analysing media art works
C2.1 analyse the connections between a contemporary media art work and related historical art
works
Unit Learning Goals:
At the end of this unit
- Students will document their creative process reflecting on the choices they made to create a final
product
- Students will be able to identify and apply the appropriate techniques when creating photographs
for different purposes
- Students will have hands on experience and practise applying the elements and principles of design
and art into their artwork
- Student will be able to use terminology appropriately and correctly when reflecting, analyzing or
deconstructing a photograph
- Students will be able to deconstruct, interpret and assess photographs. Making connections between
historical and contemporary art and identifying techniques, messages and difference that are
associated with different types of photography
- Students will create a body of work that they will curate and compile into a portfolio and class
presentation

Extensions of Unit:
- Research a contemporary photographer in photojournalism, advertisement, or art and write a paper
on their journey to their career and what they focus on when they are creating.
- Individual lessons on Taking a great selfie, landscapes, macro, adding mood to a photograph
- Lesson on exposure settings
- Photomontage project

Universal Design/ Differentiated Instruction:

Students can retake as many times as they need until satisfied
Lessons will accommodate multiple learning types (for example instructions will be written out,
demonstrated and repeated verbally)
Learning Goals will be posted in a regular spot in the class for reference
Projects will be opened themes to allow for maximum creativity and for students to apply their own
interests to projects
 Resources:
- Power Point
- Projector
- Computers
- SLR Cameras
Overview of Lessons:
Specific Lesson Learning Goals
Lesson Activity/Content
Instruction Objective and
Teaching Strategies
Assessment Strategies
Lesson 2: Elements and Principles of Design Practice and Review (2 periods)
Specific Lesson Learning Goals
Lesson Activity/Content
Instruction Objective and
Teaching Strategies
Assessment Strategies
- Photoshop/ or Illustrator
- Assignment handouts
- USB sticks
- Coloured Printers
- Photo Paper
Lesson 1: Introduction and Review (1 period)
- Students will review their current understanding of photography
- Students will begin to create a glossary of terms that they will be
able to refer and add to throughout the unit
- Photography review from previous year
- Glossary of terms and definitions/examples to refer to over the
unit
- Look at examples of the elements and principles of art and design
in photography
Guided Discussion:
- Teacher lead discussion about photography
- Review terms, techniques, history, tools, etc.
- Create a class list of words, definitions and examples developed
from discussion
Diagnostic
- From class created list teacher can determine what students know
or dont know to better gage where more time needs to be spent
(i.e. in history, tools, techniques, etc.)
- Participation in class discussion
- Students will have hands on experience and practise applying the
elements and principles of design and art into their artwork
- Students will review classroom technology and practise using
classroom resources
- Working in partners or individually students will get a scavenger
hunt worksheet to complete where they have to take pictures that
captures each element or principle of design
- Review the Elements and principles of design in Photography
(pattern, symmetry, texture, depth of field, lines, framing,
perspective, space, balance, and colour)
Showing students a slideshow that gives a definition and an
example of each
- Worksheet to refer to
Diagnostic
- Observation of participation
- Analysis of students current understanding of taking photographs
- Evaluates if they have a working understanding of the elements
 Lesson 3: Where and Why is Photography used? (4-5 periods)
Specific Lesson Learning Goals
Lesson Activity/Content
Instruction Objective and
Teaching Strategies
Assessment Strategies
Specific Lesson Learning Goals
Lesson Activity/Content
Period 1-2: presentation
Period 2-3: work period/ research
Period 4-5: Presentations
- Students will understand the different uses for photography and
begin to analyze the different techniques, subject matter and
audiences that are associated with the different uses of
photography
- Students will be able to deconstruct, interpret and assess
photographs. Making connections between historical and
contemporary art and identifying techniques, messages and
difference that are associated with different types of photography
- Students will review a slideshow of different types of photography
(photojournalism, advertisement photography, photograph as art)
- After the slideshow review students will work in small groups to
further research the difference of each type of photography and
will present their findings to the class.
Questions:
How is your type of photography different from others?
Who is your audience?
How is your type of photography relevant to today?
How has your genre of photography changed in the last 50 years?
Any specific techniques used in your genre?
- Review the three main types in a slide show
- Show video/ documentaries of the three types
- Include past and contemporary examples of all three
- Give each student a work sheet to reference and make their own
notes on
Formative
- Peer evaluation
- Observation of participation
- Check List for group presentation
Lesson 4: Camera Techniques (3 periods)
- Students will begin to identify and apply the appropriate
techniques when creating photographs for different purposes
- Students will have hands on experience and practise applying a
variety of techniques to create a product
1st of 3 periods:
- Introduce the technique of the light box and how that affects
objects for advertisement photography
- Have students experiment and make their own photographs using
this technique

Instruction Objective and
Teaching Strategies
Assessment Strategies
Lesson 5: Editing and Image Curating (3 periods)
Specific Lesson Learning Goals
Question:
- How does light effect an object?
- How can I use light to make an object look bigger, more enticing?
2nd of 3 periods:
- Introduce several framing and focus techniques and how they help
capture a story
- Have students experiment and practise this technique for their
own photographs
Questions:
- How can framing add or take away detail in my photograph?
- How can I tell a story in one image? What elements help me
communicate that story?
3rd of 3 periods:
- Introduce several techniques used in photography as an art
( high speed photography, motion blur, drawing with light, long
exposure, forced perspective, etc)
- Have students experiment and practise these techniques for their
own photographs
Questions:
- How do these techniques help me express and idea, emotion or
thought?
- How can I use these techniques to enhance my art?
- How can these techniques distract from my art?
STUDENTS will post their experiments to the class blog and share tips,
tricks, problems and additional resources that might help fellow peers.
Students will also provide a star and a wish for 2-3 classmates giving
constructive positive feedback
- Each technique will be modelled for the student
- Hands outs included for reference after the lesson
- Additional resources and how-tos will be suggested for further
inquiry
- Videos of other artists using these techniques and what they use
them for will be included in the lesson
Formative
- Participation on class blog
- Evaluation of students success and reflection of the technique
- Peer evaluation: star and a wish
- Students will begin to identify and apply the appropriate
techniques when editing photographs for different purposes
- Students will have hands on experience and practise applying a
variety of editing techniques to create a product
Lesson Activity/Content 1st of 3 periods:
- Introduce the photo editing techniques of transforming a coloured
imaging into black and white and sepia tones
- Have students experiment with contrast, saturation and changing
the colours of only sections of the photographs
- Have students experiment and practise this technique for their
own photographs

2nd of 3 periods:
- Introduce the photo editing technique of monochromatic
- Have students experiment making photographs monochromatic in
a variety of colours, experimenting with contrast, saturation, and
emphasis. Have students try leaving the original colour for one
thing in their photograph and the rest in the colouring they choose
- Have students experiment and practise this technique multiple
times for their own photographs

3rd of 3 periods:
- Now that students have an understanding of transforming their
photos using colour, have students experiment with a variety of
combinations of the several techniques. Challenge students to use
their new knowledge to look at including a focus of an emphasis for
their images or trying to capture a mood

Questions:
- How can colour or the lack of colour in my photographs create
emphasis?
- How can colour affect the mood of my photographs?
- How does change my photograph to only a few colours change the
meaning/message of my image?

STUDENTS will post their experiments to the class blog and share tips,
tricks, problems and additional resources that might help fellow peers.
Students will also provide a star and a wish for 2-3 classmates giving
constructive positive feedback

Instruction Objective and
Teaching Strategies
- Each technique will be modelled for the student
- Hands outs included for reference after the lesson
- Additional resources and how-tos will be suggested for further
inquiry
- Videos of other artists using these techniques and what they use
them for will be included in the lesson

Assessment Strategies Formative

- Participation on class blog
- Evaluation of students success and reflection of the technique
- Peer evaluation: star and a wish
 Lesson 6: Portfolio- Application and Experimentation (8-10 periods)
Specific Lesson Learning Goals - Students will document their creative process reflecting on the
choices they made to create a final product
- Students will be able to identify and apply the appropriate
techniques when creating photographs for different purposes
- Students will create a body of work that they will curate and
compile into a portfolio and class presentation

Lesson Activity/Content Assignment: Photography Portfolio

- Students will create photographs that illustrate the different
techniques, editing and genre we look at in this unit.
- Students will create a photographic example of:
Photojournalism
Advertisement
Photography as art
The elements and principles of design
A camera technique
Photoshopped image
- Students will keep a photojournal/ blog/ sketchbook documenting
their creative process (ideas, inspiration for images, research,
unedited images or images that didnt make the cut)
- Students will pick their best 12-15 images from the unit and will
include a reflection on each discussing their use of techniques,
tools and choices for the final product.
- Students will present their final images in a presentation to the
class

8 periods of in class work

Half way through the work time teacher student conference to allow for
ongoing feedback
Three quarter of the way peer to peer conference for feed back
Periods 9& 10 for presentations
Instruction Objective and - Introduce the assignment
Teaching Strategies - Handout of the assignment, rubric and success criteria
- Show students previous students portfolios and how they
presented their images to the class
- Provide additional resources for personal inquiry
- Assignment checklist to help students stay organized
- Student brainstorming/ planning: allow for group brainstorming
and individual research
- Student produces 12-15 images
- Presentation of portfolio
- Class critique- students will do a gallery walk after all presentations
are complete and peers will complete an assignment checklist for
another student from what is presented in the gallery walk.
Marking the students strongest and weakest photograph
 - Students will be able to take the class critique and change anything
they feel isnt complete before submitting their portfolio for final
marks.
Assessment Strategies Formative:
- Mid-point conferences and check ins for feedback
- 3 point peer to peer conferences for feedback
Summative:
- Descriptive written and oral feedback
- Final presentation and images

Observation of participation during class work, class critique and

presentations