🗓️ Before Class: Teacher Prep
- Gather/set out: Computer with Photoshop, A simple logo or object photo to trace (teacher-provided).
- Pull up today's slide deck (see 🖥️ Slide Deck below) so it's ready to project.
- Heads-up -- This is exam-relevant: This lesson maps directly to an Adobe Certified Professional (ACP) exam domain. Keep a running personal vocabulary list all year -- it becomes your exam study guide. See the ACP Exam Prep section for a full study guide and practice questions.
🧑🏫 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
This is exam-relevant
This lesson maps directly to an Adobe Certified Professional (ACP) exam domain. Keep a running personal vocabulary list all year -- it becomes your exam study guide. See the ACP Exam Prep section for a full study guide and practice questions.
🎯 Essential Question
- How do we use the Pen tool with real precision to build clean, scalable vector artwork?
📈 Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson (2 Days), students will be able to:
- Draw precise curves using anchor points and direction handles.
- Convert a traced photo/logo into a clean vector outline.
- Explain when a designer should build something as a vector rather than edit it as a raster image.
📐 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.
🎓 Study this for the ACP exam: Domain 4: Creating and Modifying Visual Elements
📚 Key Vocabulary
- Anchor Point
- A point placed with the Pen tool that defines the path of a vector shape.
- Direction Handle
- The adjustable "arms" on a curved anchor point that control the curve's shape.
- Vector Trace
- Manually redrawing a raster image as a clean, scalable vector outline.
🧰 Materials & Tools
- Computer with Photoshop
- A simple logo or object photo to trace (teacher-provided)
🧠 Do Now (Warm-Up)
Zoom into a printed photo until it gets blurry. Now imagine a logo that never gets blurry no matter how much you zoom in. What's the difference?
📋 Main Workshop / Lesson Sequence
This lesson spans 2 Days. Suggested pacing:
| Day | Focus | Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Pen Tool Fundamentals | Do Now (5 min). Mini-lesson/demo (10 min): review anchor points and direction handles. Guided practice (25 min): straight lines, then curves with direction handles, on a structured practice sheet. Share (5 min). |
| Day 2 | Vector Trace | Do Now (5 min). Independent project (35 min): trace a provided logo or simple object photo into a clean vector outline using only the Pen tool. Peer check (5 min): smooth, accurate curves. |
✅ Assessment & Exit Ticket
Vector trace scored with a rubric: smooth, accurate curves; minimal unnecessary anchor points.
Exit Ticket: Would you build a company logo as a vector or a raster image? Explain why.
📊 Pull up the anonymous Class Check-In for students to fill out before they go.
🧩 Differentiation & Accommodations
English Language Learners: model every step live, then check in one-on-one; provide translated materials and vocabulary support as needed. Students with IEPs: apply the accommodations and modifications listed in each student's plan (examples include extended time, graphic organizers, speech-to-text tools, chunked instructions, and visual schedules). Students with attention-related needs: break tasks into short, checklist-driven steps and provide brief movement or focus breaks. Students ready for a challenge: take on a leadership role critiquing peers' work, extend the project with a second iteration, or research how today's skill is used professionally in the field.