Here are the basic skills fifth graders can learn in Photoshop if you’ve prepared them with basic computer skills. I’ve provided links but they aren’t live until publication:
- Photoshop artwork–live
- Photoshop actions–live
- Photoshop basics #5 (this lesson)
- Photoshop filter and rendering tools
- Photoshop starters–auto-correct with the auto-correction — quick fixes that make a photo look cleaner #6
- Photoshop crop tool–with the lasso and the magic wand #7
- Photoshop clone tool– within a picture and to another picture #8
- Photoshop–change the background–live
- Photoshop tools–add custom shapes–live
- Photoshop–start with Word –live (a little dated but still useful)
Get started
Open Photoshop. What you see will vary depending upon your Photoshop version. Adapt the lesson to what your school offers.
Notice the tool bars at the top. These will change depending upon the tool you choose from the left side. These are the crux of Photoshop. Cover about ten in fifth grade. The rest will have to wait. The right-hand tools are used independent of the left-hand tools. They are more project oriented.
- Click the File Browser tool. It shows you the folders on your computer. From here, you can select the picture you’d like to edit (or use File-open)
- Select a picture and notice how it displays all data—file name, size, date created, author, copyright and more
- Click on several tools on the left side and see how the top menu bar changes, offering different choices. Go to Help. Have students view several of the ‘How To’ wizards available. Make sure they try basic options like ‘How to paint and draw’, ‘How to print photos’, ‘How to save for other applications’. Then have them select the ‘Help’ files. This takes them to the Adobe CS website and exposes a vast database of questions and answers. Encourage them to explore, engage their critical thinking and active learning skills. Remind them this is where they can find answers independent of teacher assistance.
- Open a picture. Show how to zoom in and out. Explain pixels.
- Show how to take the paint brush and color just one pixel if they are close enough. This is how experts remove ‘red eye’ in photos.
- Introduce the History toolbar as an undo feature (like Ctrl+Z in Word). Have students open a new blank canvas and draw on it. Now use the history tool to toggle between the canvas before and after drawing on it by clicking between the original picture and the last action taken.
- Have students click through several tools on the left tool bar and show them how the top toolbar changes, depending upon the tool selected.
- Watch the layers tools. You can only paint on the highlighted layer. Notice that the top layer covers all others.
- Show how to save. The default is as a Photoshop file with a .psd extension. This won’t open in other programs, so show students how to change the file type format to a .jpg, .bmp, .tif or other for use in Word, Publisher, emails or a website.
Here’s a quick basic video:
Extensions
- Search YouTube and Google Videos for how-to videos on Photoshop. There are many. Watch several.
- There is also an endless supply of websites that teach Photoshop for beginners, as well as how to perform specific functions. Here’s one:
Troubleshooting
- I closed some of the toolbars by accident. What do I do? (Go to the menu bar. Select ‘Window workspace-
reset palette location.) - I can’t draw on the picture I opened. (Check that you’ve selected the paint or pencil tool, that you’ve selected
the correct layer and that you didn’t remove the eye tool by accident.) - I don’t have Photoshop (Adobe offers an excellent education discount, or try GIMP. It’s pretty similar and FREE)
If you’re looking for more depth, this video is six plus hours of training and troubleshooting:
Lesson plan
Here’s a long lesson plan well suited to Grades 5-8:
All of the projects in the gallery below were completed by 5th graders during Photoshop class:
As with all lessons in the Photoshop series, this is available in the book, 55 Technology Projects for the Digital Classroom Volume I on publisher’s website, Amazon.com as an ebook
Here’s the sign-up link if the image above doesn’t work:
https://forms.aweber.com/form/07/1910174607.htm
“The content presented in this blog are the result of creative imagination and not intended for use, reproduction, or incorporation into any artificial intelligence training or machine learning systems without prior written consent from the author.”
Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 30 years. She is the editor/author of over a hundred tech ed resources including a K-12 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, Master Teacher, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, and author of the tech thrillers, To Hunt a Sub and Twenty-four Days. You can find her resources at Structured Learning.
great tutorial – for any grade level – 🙂
My 5th graders had no problem with these skills, but I did teach them tech from K on. They had a good foundation. My 6-8th grades also liked most of these.
It does help that you taught them from K on – and really, what a gift that can be for students to have consistency and a good teacher.
I love having the same students for six years. It makes such a difference in teaching.
😊😊
*well not under 5th and with the right computer skills as you noted. “)
I was planning to try these with 4th graders who I’d schooled in tech for four years, but never got that far!
yes, they could be ready!
and on a side note, I have a time when it backfired to try something.
I taught art for a few years – and really enjoyed aligning lessons with Virginia’s standards (SOLs) – anyhow, I had a bright group of middle schoolers and decided to try one-point perspective – the easy intro lessons with three floating circles and then the rectangle into a modular home.
Not a good idea. Even had one boy cry.
I was puzzled and then when that same class did well the next year – and mastered two-point perspective and talked about using the ruler and not eyeballing it – I realized some things have to do with “brain readiness” and maybe even why the brightest second of third graders still will not ne able to master Algebra – sometimes training and foundation is key, other times it might just be brain readiness.
Now I am not sure about tech skills – and things must be changing for those raised with ipads and smart phones, but I never again introduced perspective lessons until 6th grade! and even then, I was careful to protect those that might struggle early on….
I agree with you–about the preparation. I have a curriculum that starts with kindergarten-appropriate tech skills and progresses carefully through fifth grade. I make sure kids never feel like failures in tech because they are prepared. That’s why these seemingly complicated skills work for 5th graders. By 2nd grade, I have parents tell me their kids are helping them with technology! amazing stuff.
oh that is so fun – having the second graders help their parents.
And in this high tech world – perhaps the tech teacher is one of the most important resources
It surprised me the first few times, and then educated me!
;0)