10th Grade — Unit 9: Photoshop Production Projects: Pin Making Using Photoshop

🗓️ Before Class: Teacher Prep

Gather/set out: Computer with Photoshop, Personal reference images (student-sourced, checking Unit 1 copyright rules), Circular pin template (provided).
If today includes physical/hands-on work: make sure the classroom cameras are charged, working, and have a cleared SD card ready for photo uploads.
Pull up today's slide deck (see 🖥️ Slide Deck below) so it's ready to project.

🖥️ Slide Deck (project or share with students)

Short, on-the-board pacing slides for today's Do Now, agenda, vocabulary, and exit ticket -- the full detail lives in the handout above, not here.

🧑‍🏫 Substitute Teacher Guide

A scripted, step-by-step runsheet for today's class -- hand this to anyone covering the room who doesn't know the daily routine.

🎯 Essential Question

How do we design a small-scale wearable graphic (a pin) in Photoshop?

📈 Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson (3 Days), students will be able to:

Use the Move tool to arrange images and the Crop tool to fit a design into a circular pin shape.
Design at least 3 pin graphics based on a personal interest (show, game, hobby, etc.).
Prepare pin designs at the correct scale/resolution for a small physical object.

📐 Standards Alignment

CDOS (Career Development & Occupational Studies)

CDOS 2 — Integrated Learning -- students will demonstrate how academic knowledge and skills are applied in the workplace and other settings.
CDOS 3a — Universal Foundation Skills -- basic literacy, communication, and problem-solving skills required for a career.

ACP (Adobe Certified Professional) Photoshop Exam Objectives

ACP 4.1 — Use core tools and features to create visual elements.
ACP 4.3 — Make, manage, and manipulate selections.
ACP 4.4 — Transform digital graphics and media.

🎓 Study this for the ACP exam: Domain 4: Creating and Modifying Visual Elements

📚 Key Vocabulary

Move Tool: The Photoshop tool used to reposition a layer or selection.
Crop Tool: The Photoshop tool used to trim an image down to a specific size or shape.
Scale (in production): Designing at the correct size so a small object like a pin still reads clearly.

🧰 Materials & Tools

Computer with Photoshop
Personal reference images (student-sourced, checking Unit 1 copyright rules)
Circular pin template (provided)

🧠 Do Now (Warm-Up)

What is one small logo or icon (from a show, game, or brand) you'd want turned into a wearable pin?

📤 How You Submit This — For Credit

How you submit today's work depends on what kind of work it was. Physical/paper work (most of this semester so far): photograph it with a classroom camera, upload the photo from its SD card onto a computer, and save it into your portfolio -- that upload is your submission, and the physical piece itself is yours to keep, the same as in Grade 9 (your notebook is the one thing with a home base in the room, and even that's your call to bring home when you want it). Digital work (once you're producing files in Photoshop, second semester on): no camera needed -- instead, EXPORT the file. Export your finished project as a JPG, as a PNG, AND save a copy as a PSD (all three), then upload all three into your portfolio. Either way: the portfolio upload, with a description, is what actually counts as turning the assignment in for credit.

📁 Portfolio Update — Once a Week

Once a week, add your best finished or in-progress piece to your portfolio (the Google Drive folder you started in Grade 9, becoming your Google Sites portfolio in Lesson 10) with a 1-2 sentence caption: what it is, what tool/skill it used, and one thing you learned. Keep it current -- don't save it all for the portfolio-website lesson.

✍️ Example description for your Google Sites portfolio (fill in YOUR blanks -- don't just copy this):

For this piece, I made ______________ (name what you made) for “Pin Making Using Photoshop.” This project asked: “How do we design a small-scale wearable graphic (a pin) in Photoshop?” I used Move Tool by ______________ (explain how you used it in THIS piece). The hardest part was ______________, and I solved it by ______________. I'm proud of ______________ because ______________.

📋 Main Workshop / Lesson Sequence

This lesson spans 3 Days. Suggested pacing:

Day	Focus	Plan
Day 1	Plan & Gather	Do Now (5 min): what logo/image would you want turned into a pin? Mini-lesson (5 min): review copyright guidelines for using images from last semester. Independent work (30 min): choose 3 personal-interest images/logos, checking each against copyright guidelines, and gather/save them. Share (5 min): show a partner your 3 choices.
Day 2	Build	Do Now (5 min): which Photoshop tool do you think you'll use most today? Mini-lesson/demo (8 min): demo the Move and Crop tools with the circular pin template. Independent build (27 min): fit each of your 3 images into the circular pin template, cleaning up edges and backgrounds. Save progress (5 min).
Day 3	Finalize & Critique	Do Now (5 min): look at your 3 pins -- which is clearest at a small size? Peer critique (10 min): get feedback on clarity at small scale. Final adjustments (20 min): revise based on feedback. Export (10 min): export your pins as a print-ready sheet.

✅ Assessment & Exit Ticket

Pin designs scored with a rubric: correct circular crop, clear/legible at small scale, and copyright guidelines followed.

Exit Ticket: Which Photoshop tool did you rely on most for this project, and what does it actually do?

📊 Pull up the anonymous Class Check-In for students to fill out before they go.

🧩 Differentiation & Accommodations

English Language Learners: provide translated or bilingual glossaries, visuals, and sentence frames; pair with a peer for meaningful participation. Students with IEPs: provide extended time, step-by-step checklists, and one-on-one or small-group support as specified in each student's plan. Attention-related needs: break the task into smaller steps, use visual timers, and minimize distractions. Students who finish early: extend the task by adding a second design variation, mentoring a classmate, or writing a short reflection connecting today's skill to a career pathway.