05/15/2026
This is your sign to stop patchworking old lessons together and rebuild with intention.
One of the biggest mistakes I see in creative classrooms is planning projects first instead of planning outcomes.
A fun project is great, but if the skills are not intentionally building from one unit to the next, students end up learning disconnected tricks instead of developing real creative confidence.
This summer, I’m rebuilding my Photography curriculum for the first time in almost 3 years and honestly… I’m excited! But it wasn’t always that way!
Now, I start by backwards planning.
Before I even think about projects, I start mindmapping:
👉🏼What do I actually want students to KNOW?
👉🏼What do I want them to CREATE?
👉🏼What skills should they leave with by the end of the course?
Then I organize those ideas into courses (this year I’ll be teaching trimester), units inside those courses, then projects, activities, critiques, and assessments that intentionally build on each other instead of feeling random.
The goal is not just “keeping students busy,” but actually building a curriculum that flows, develops skills over time, and prepares students to create strong work independently.
I love this process, but I know it’s not everyone’s favorite… that’s why I’m building The Digital Media Teacher’s Club.
Send this to the creative arts teacher who is currently teaching 4 preps, building their own curriculum, and barely surviving the end of the year.
