Teachers demonstrate mastery of and pedagogical expertise in the content they teach.
Element A
Teachers provide instruction that is aligned with the Colorado Academic Standards and their district's organized plan of instruction.
Understanding Maps & Personal Story
Week 1:
I can explain what a map is and how it can tell a story.
I can draw a map of my journey to school using pictures and symbols.
Aerial View & Story Development
Week 1-2:
I can draw my map from above (aerial view).
I can tell a story with a beginning, middle, and end on my map.
I can add details to show important places in my story.
Building & Mixed Media Exploration
Week 2:
I can build parts of my map using materials like cardboard and found objects.
I can combine drawing and building to create my map.
I can use space to organize where things go.
I can add details like mountains, grass, or buildings to show my environment.
Reflection & Critique (C3-TV)
Week 2-3:
I can share my artwork like a TV artist.
I can say what I notice about my work and others’ work.
I can listen and respond respectfully.
I can explain my story and how my map works.
Big Idea
Artists can tell stories by mapping places and showing where things happen.
Essential Question
How can I use a map to tell a story about my life or imagination?
(1st Grade)
Mapping My Story: Exploring Place, Path, and Imagination
Colorado Academic Standards – Visual Arts (1st Grade)
Observe and Learn to Comprehend
Investigate how visual art tells the many stories of people, places, or things.
Envision and Critique to Reflect
Question and respond to the stories told and the feelings expressed in works of art.
Invent and Discover to Create
Investigate the properties of materials to support planning and making works of art.
Relate and Connect to Transfer
Identify how artists make connections through personal stories between self, family, and friends.
Overview:
Students begin by reading My Map Book and discussing how maps can represent more than directions, they can tell stories. Students create personal maps of their journey to school while learning about aerial view.
Teacher modeling and collaborative storytelling support understanding, including examples such as personal maps and shared narrative creation. Students then expand their maps using mixed media, combining drawing with 3D materials like cardboard and found objects to build environments.
The unit culminates in student reflection and presentation through C3-TV, where students share and discuss their work using structured speaking and listening expectations.
Mr. Zach- Lesson Slide Deck
Student Examples
Mapping Unit- (My Map Book by Sara Fanelli)
I really enjoyed this lesson, especially being in a TAB room. We began with My Map Book by Sara Fanelli, which helped introduce the idea that maps can tell stories. Students then created their own map of their journey to school while also discussing aerial views and how that connects to mapping.
My mentor teacher and I modeled the process by creating our own maps, I made one about my grandma and Mr. K did one about his dog Smokey. We also collaborated on a story about a small gnome in the woods while camping. This provided strong visual examples and helped students better understand expectations, especially when paired with a rubric showing what a completed map story could look like.
Students really explored the idea of storytelling through mapping. They worked in both 2D and 3D, drawing on paper while also building elements like grass, mountains, and buildings using cardboard, wood, and other provided materials. This flexibility allowed for a wide range of creative outcomes.
This unit also introduced C3-TV, where students acted as art broadcasters to present and discuss their work. I introduced expectations for both the speaker and the audience, and this became a strong tool for encouraging student voice and peer discussion.
One area that was less successful was the self-assessment rubric using red, yellow, and green levels. While some students engaged with it, others relied more on teacher feedback to determine when they were finished. Moving forward, I would introduce and model the rubric process more intentionally from the beginning.
Additionally, I would like to strengthen the use of C3-TV by supporting students in using more content-specific language (CLOs and art vocabulary) and increasing audience engagement during critique.
