Using formative assessment rubrics in Media Arts or Visual Arts

Creating and responding to artworksLevels 1-2

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Using formative assessment rubrics in <curriculum area>

ContentsWhat is formative assessment?.....................................................................................................4

Using formative assessment rubrics in schools..............................................................................4

The formative assessment rubric...................................................................................................5

Links to the Victorian Curriculum F–10...................................................................................5

The formative assessment task......................................................................................................8

Description of the task (administration guidelines).........................................................................8

Evidence collected from this task............................................................................................8

Interpreting evidence of student learning.....................................................................................9

Setting the scene............................................................................................................................9

Sample 1-..................................................................................................................................10

Evidence of student learning.................................................................................................10

Interpretation of evidence......................................................................................................11

Sample 2...................................................................................................................................12

Evidence of student learning.................................................................................................12

Interpretation of evidence......................................................................................................13

Sample 3...................................................................................................................................14

Evidence of student learning.................................................................................................14

Interpretation of evidence......................................................................................................15

Sample 4...................................................................................................................................16

Evidence of student learning.................................................................................................16

Interpretation of evidence......................................................................................................17

Using evidence to plan for future teaching and learning...........................................................18

Teacher reflections........................................................................................................................18

Using formative assessment rubrics in <curriculum area>

What is formative assessment?Formative assessment is any assessment that is used to improve teaching and learning. Best-practice formative assessment uses a rigorous approach in which each step of the assessment process is carefully thought through.

Assessment is a three-step process by which evidence is collected, interpreted and used. By definition, the final step of formative assessment requires a use that improves teaching and learning.

For the best results, teachers can work together to interrogate the curriculum and use their professional expertise and knowledge of their students to outline a learning continuum including a rubric of measurable, user-friendly descriptions of skills and knowledge. Teachers can draw on this learning continuum and rubric to collect evidence of each student’s current learning in order to provide formative feedback and understand what they are ready to learn next.

The VCAA’s Guide to Formative Assessment Rubrics outlines how to develop a formative assessment rubric to collect, interpret and use evidence of student learning to plan teaching and learning. For more information about formative assessment and to access a copy of the guide, please go to the Formative Assessment section of the VCAA website.

Using formative assessment rubrics in schoolsThis document is based on the material developed by one group of teachers in the 2019 Formative Assessment Rubrics project. The VCAA acknowledges the valuable contribution to this resource of the following teachers: Nicole Potter (St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Ararat), Nicholas McKinnis (Featherbrook P-9 College) and Louise Johnson (Featherbrook P-9 College). The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority partnered with the Assessment Research Centre, University of Melbourne, to provide professional learning for teachers interested in strengthening their understanding and use or formative assessment rubrics.

This resource includes a sample formative assessment rubric and task and describes how the teachers implemented the task in their schools and also includes representative student work samples.

Schools have flexibility in how they choose to use this resource, including as:

a model that they adapt to suit their own teaching and learning plans a resource to support them as they develop their own formative assessment rubrics and

tasks.This resource is not an exemplar.

Additional support and advice on high-quality curriculum planning is available from the Curriculum Planning Resource.

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The formative assessment rubricThe rubric in this document was developed to help inform teaching and learning in Media and Visual Arts. This rubric supports the explicit teaching of creating and responding to artworks in Media and Visual Arts learning contexts.

Links to the Victorian Curriculum F–10

Curriculum area: Media Arts and Visual Arts

Media Arts strands: Explore and Represent Ideas, Respond and Interpret

Visual Arts strands: Explore and Express Ideas, Respond and Interpret

Levels/Bands: Foundation, Levels 1 and 2

Achievement standard/s extract: Media Arts

Foundation

Students describe the media art works they make and view. They make ... media artworks representing ... characters.

Levels 1 and 2

Students describe the media artworks that they make and view ...

Students use ... character ... and the elements of media arts to make ... media artworks.

Visual Arts

Foundation

Students make artworks ... that express their ideas, observations and imagination.

Students identify and describe the subject matter and ideas in artworks they make and view.

Levels 1 and 2

Students make artworks ... to express their ideas, observations and imagination.

Students describe artworks they make and view ...

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Content Description/s: Media Arts

Foundation

Explore ideas characters and settings in images, sounds and multi-modal texts (VCAMAE017)

Respond to media artworks by describing ideas, characters, settings and stories (VCAMAR020)

Levels 1 and 2

Experiment with ideas and develop characters ... using images, sounds and text. (VCAMAE021)

Respond to media artworks and consider where and why people in their local area, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, make media artworks (VCAMAR024)

Visual Arts

Foundation

Explore ideas, experiences, observations and imagination to create visual artworks (VCAVAE017)

Respond to visual artworks and consider where and why people make visual artworks (VCAVAR020)

Levels 1 and 2

Explore ideas, experiences, observations and imagination and express them through subject matter in visual artworks they create (VCAVAE021)

Respond to visual artworks, including artworks by local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, by describing subject matter and ideas (VCAVAR024)

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Learning continuum Media Arts: Foundation and Levels 1 and 2Explore and Represent Ideas, and Respond and Interpret.Visual Arts: Foundation and Levels 1 and 2Explore and Express Ideas, and Respond and Interpret.

Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 Phase 4

Students can describe the artwork. Students respond to an artwork identifying features

Students use and describe elements of visual arts or media arts.

Students provide an interpretation of the artist’s intentions and how stories can be told through artworks.

Organising element Action Insufficient evidence Quality criteria

Creating Creating a media or visual artwork in response to a media or visual artwork

1.0 Insufficient evidence 1.1 Creates a media or visual artwork. 1.2 Creates an artwork in response to a media or visual artwork

1.3 Uses elements of media arts/art elements to create artwork in response to media or visual artworks

1.4 Creates an artwork that demonstrates their own interpretation of the artist’s use of elements of media/art elements.

Responding Identifies the elements of media arts/art elements

2.0 Insufficient evidence 2.1 Gives an emotional response to an artwork, such as ‘it’s good’ or ‘I don’t like it’.

2.2 Identifies features in the artwork. 2.3 Describes elements of media arts/art elements.

2.4 Interprets how an artist has used the elements of media arts/art elements to tell a story.

Identifies the materials and techniques

3.0 Insufficient evidence 3.1 Identifies either a material or technique the artist has used.

3.2 Explains how both materials and techniques are used in an artwork.

3.3 Interprets why the artist made these choices about materials and techniques.

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The formative assessment taskThe following formative assessment task was developed to elicit evidence of each student’s current learning and what they are ready to learn next.

Description of the task (administration guidelines)

Show an animation clip focusing on characters. As a class, discuss what students see and notice drawing out the use of the

elements of media/art elements, materials, technical and symbolic elements, time, sound, colour lighting and story principles such as setting and character. Record details of discussion, such as on an anchor chart or on the whiteboard.

Show an example of an annotated art work: use a character from the selected animation clip with descriptions of the elements of media/art elements, technical and symbolic elements and the techniques used to make the artwork.

Ask the students to ‘turn and talk’ to brainstorm ideas about the features of the character and ask them to share their ideas with the whole class,

Instruct the students to create a new character in response to the artwork they have viewed. Ensure they work individually on their artwork.

Inform the students that they can create their character using a range of different materials, such as pencil, watercolour, pastels, paint, textas, collage or any materials to create a two dimensional art work.

Once the art work is completed, allow sufficient time for the students to annotate their artworks by identifying the elements of media/art elements, any technical and symbolic elements, and the techniques and the materials used to create the character and their features.

ConsiderationsThe following questions could be asked of the students to help them with their annotations:Enabling:

Do you like it? Why?

Extending:

What things from the clip inspired your work?

What elements of media/art elements did you use? Why?

What materials did you select to use and why? How did you use it?

What were you trying to achieve with the material you used?

Does this look like your idea? What would you change?

Evidence collected from this task

Student’s annotated artworks

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Record of student reflections from discussions.

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Interpreting evidence of student learning Evidence collected from each student was mapped against the rubric:

The quality criteria that were achieved was shaded in blue. The phase that the student is ready to learn next was shaded in green.

Please note, the following annotated student work samples are representative examples only.

Setting the sceneThe following student work samples were collected from a Victorian school. The school has a high priority on literacy and ensures students are provided with lots of opportunities to practice literacy during specialist subjects.

Students in Grade Two were shown a short digital media clip from Alice in Wonderland and asked to create their own artwork of a character who could also be in the film.

Students were shown an example of an annotated artwork done by the teacher. The work sample was a drawing of someone who could appear at the Mad Hatter’s tea party. Elements of art used in the picture were described to the students and annotated.

The task was undertaken at the start of a new learning sequence so there was no prior learning. The task was undertaken and completed in one 55 minute lesson. Students could view the discussion notes on an anchor chart within the art room and this supported them to think about the elements of media/art elements when annotating their work.

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Sample 1-

Evidence of student learning

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Interpretation of

evidence

Annotations

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1.3 Student has used elements of art including colour, line and shape to create the response.

2.3 Student identified ‘sharp claws’ as a feature. The student was given the opportunity to discuss the art work and could verbally tell the teacher about some elements in the artwork.

Insufficient evidence:

3.0 Once the task was implemented, it became clear that more explicit instructions were required so that all students could better show what they know for Actions 2 and 3. Note that the administration guide has been updated to provide explicit teacher scaffolding with enabling and extending prompts to support students with their response and annotations.

What is the student ready to learn next?Student was able to create an artwork in response to the media clip. and was able to annotate their work and identify a feature they included in the picture. The student is ready to learn how to include and describe elements of media arts/art elements in their work.

Any feedback givenStudent was congratulated for their clean drawing lines and varied shapes in the character. Set a goal with the student that next time we create an annotated artwork to consider how to identify the elements of media arts/visual arts elements they used.

Remind the student of the anchor charts in the space with the elements for them to access when annotating elements.

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Sample 2

Evidence of student learning

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Interpretation of evidence

Annotations 1.4 Student has used the symbolic elements they observed in the media artwork. For

example, the student has used colour, line and shape and manipulated them to create her own character.

2.3 Student mentions line, shape, colour and texture in her annotations and she drew arrows to where she used them in her artwork.

3.1 Student identifies the materials she has used. For example, coloured pencil and grey lead.

What is the student ready to learn next?The student demonstrated that they were able to respond and interpret the media clip and create their own character using appropriate art elements. The next phase of learning for this student is Phase 4, where additional learning opportunities can focus on why they made particular choices in their artwork and adding more detail about elements, materials and techniques.

Any feedback givenI suggested that the student may want to brainstorm about what other art elements they could use and how they could be added to the art work. This might include considering other materials and explicitly mentioning why they used them in their annotations.

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Sample 3

Evidence of student learning

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Interpretation of evidence

Annotations 1.3: The student used art elements including a variety of shapes and lines.

Indirect evidence

2.4 and 3.2: In discussion, the student clearly identified the materials used (‘watercolours’) and could say and show large brushstrokes to create the background and small stokes to paint in the characters. I made a record of their responses on an iPad during reflection time at the end of the lesson. With prompting, the student said ‘I know why Mary Blaire used watercolours, because it looks so bright and flowy’. She also connected the artist’s use of similar shapes and colour palettes between frames of the media clip.

What is the student ready to learn next?This student ready to learn Phase 4 and to focus on interpreting the artist’s intentions. This student is already displaying some of this understanding as she can clearly explain the choices that she herself makes when creating artwork.

Any feedback given“Fantastic effort! You told me that you could see Mary Blair used watercolours paint to create her characters and you’ve used the same materials to create your artwork. I can also see you’ve used some of the same elements as Mary Blair, and these are labelled. I also really like that your flowers are characters too.”

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Sample 4

Evidence of student learning

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Interpretation of evidence

Annotations 1.3: Student used art elements to create in response to media artworks. She used the

elements of shape and line to directly respond by painting characters from the media artwork.

2.3: Student described her use of art element and she annotated her work by labelling the shapes ‘circle’ and ‘bow’ and a ‘straight’ line. She included annotations of ‘background’ ‘foreground’ and ‘mid ground’.

Indirect evidence

3.1: Teacher noted that when viewing the media art work stimulus, the student briefly mentioned ‘watercolour’ as the material the artist used.

What is the student ready to learn next?This student has clearly shown she can describe Art Elements, particularly the ones she uses when creating her own artworks. The student is ready to learn Phase 4 and to focus on how to describe how stories can be told through media and to learn about interpreting an artist’s intentions.

Any feedback given“You’ve done a great job labelling you art elements: I can clearly see your choices of shape and lines. Great work!

Congratulations for choosing to paint characters that were in the movie but that no one else chose! You have used your watercolour very well, painting a background with many colours. You chose a small brush to control where the paint went on your characters and I can see you didn’t get your paint too wet so that it stayed in your lines – well done.

Next time we look at art works from another artist, try to tell me about all of the materials that you can see they’ve used. If you can, ask or tell me how you think the artist would have made the artwork.”

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Using evidence to plan for future teaching and learning The student data showed the majority of the cohort are ready to undertake learning

relating to explaining how they are using materials and techniques. To give students practical exposure to different materials and techniques, the next

lesson could be set up with stations having different materials and techniques on each one. Students could also interview each other about what they created during the lesson with the teacher modelling some of the language they can use for this first.

Teacher reflections Once the task was implemented, it became clear that more explicit instructions were

required so that all students could better show what they know for Actions 2 and 3. The administration guide was updated to provide explicit teacher scaffolding with enabling and extending prompts to support students with their response and annotations.

The rubric should be used either to assess Media Arts or Visual arts elements. The terminology of the focus on Media Arts or Visual Arts should be unpacked for the students.

As the rubric is generic we will be able to use it within the subject again and again and support students to progress by targeting our teaching to their needs.

We hope to share the process with the other specialist teachers for them to consider implementing a formative assessment rubric in their areas.

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