🗓️ Before Class: Teacher Prep
- Gather/set out: Computer with Photoshop, Pen tool practice worksheet/template.
- 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.
🧑🏫 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.
- Day 1: 📋 Open Substitute Guide
- Day 2: 📋 Open Substitute Guide
🎯 Essential Question
- How do vector shapes differ from raster images, and how can filters and layer styles add polish to a design?
📈 Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson (2 Days), students will be able to:
- Use the Pen tool to create a basic custom vector shape.
- Explain when a designer would choose a vector shape over a raster image.
- Apply at least one filter and one layer style to enhance a design element.
📐 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 4.6 — Modify the appearance of design elements by using filters and styles.
🎓 Study this for the ACP exam: Domain 4: Creating and Modifying Visual Elements
📚 Key Vocabulary
- Pen Tool
- The primary tool for drawing precise, scalable vector paths and shapes.
- Filter
- An effect applied to an image or layer (blur, sharpen, stylize, etc.).
- Layer Style
- A reusable effect (drop shadow, glow, bevel) applied to a layer without altering its pixels.
🧰 Materials & Tools
- Computer with Photoshop
- Pen tool practice worksheet/template
🧠 Do Now (Warm-Up)
Look at a logo you use every day (a brand icon on your phone, for example). Do you think it's a vector or a raster image? Why?
📋 Main Workshop / Lesson Sequence
This lesson spans 2 Days. Suggested pacing:
| Day | Focus | Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | The Pen Tool | Do Now (5 min): discussion revisiting the vector vs. raster vocabulary from Unit 2 last semester. Mini-lesson/demo (15 min): demonstrate the Pen tool step by step, practicing straight and curved paths. Guided practice (20 min): trace a simple provided shape using the Pen tool. Save progress (5 min). |
| Day 2 | Filters & Layer Styles | Do Now (5 min): name one filter or effect you've seen used in a design before. Mini-lesson/demo (10 min): filters vs. layer styles, destructive vs. non-destructive. Independent practice (25 min): apply one filter and one layer style to a design element from an earlier project (e.g. your pin or business card). Share (5 min). |
✅ Assessment & Exit Ticket
Pen tool practice + filter/style example collected and checked for basic technique.
Exit Ticket: When would a designer choose to build something as a vector instead of using a photo (raster)?
📊 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.