Substitute Teacher Guide • Grade 10 • Unit 9: Photoshop Production Projects

Creating Vectors & Adding Pizzazz in Photoshop — Day 1 of 2

Today's focus: The Pen Tool

✅ Before Students Arrive

Materials needed today:
- Computer with Photoshop
- Pen tool practice worksheet/template
Most students keep their class notebook at its usual spot in the room and use it every day (see routine below) -- but it's each student's own notebook, so a few may bring theirs from home instead. Either way, everyone should have one out.
Write today's Do Now on the board before the bell rings (see below).

📓 Daily Notebook Routine (students already know this)

Keep this going every day, in your class notebook: date today's entry, jot your Do Now response, add any new vocabulary word(s) from today's Key Vocabulary section (word + a quick picture + a simple definition in your own words), and take 60 seconds to sketch something connected to today's topic. This notebook is yours to study from, reference on projects, and pull evidence from later for your portfolio.

📁 Portfolio Update Reminder

Once a week, add your best finished or in-progress piece to your portfolio (the Google Drive folder you started in Grade 9, becoming your Google Sites portfolio in Lesson 10) with a 1-2 sentence caption: what it is, what tool/skill it used, and one thing you learned. Keep it current -- don't save it all for the portfolio-website lesson.

🗣️ Opening: Do Now

Write or project this, and have students start immediately:

“Discussion revisiting the vector vs. raster vocabulary from Unit 2 last semester.”

📋 Class Plan (step by step)

Step 1 — 15 min

🗣️ Say: "Today we're looking at ___." Then walk through the point(s) below at the front of the room.

📋 Mini-lesson/demo (15 min): demonstrate the Pen tool step by step, practicing straight and curved paths.
Step 2 — 20 min

🗣️ Say: "Let's do the first one together, then you'll try the rest on your own."

📋 Guided practice (20 min): trace a simple provided shape using the Pen tool.
Step 3 — 5 min

🗣️ Say: "Here's what we're doing next." Then read the instructions below to the class.

📋 Save progress (5 min).

🔑 Vocabulary Introduced Today

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.).

✅ Wrap-Up: Exit Ticket

A few minutes before the bell, say: "Time to finish your exit ticket."

“When would a designer choose to build something as a vector instead of using a photo (raster)?”

Collect exit tickets (or have students leave them in the usual spot) for the regular teacher to review.

⏳ If You're Short on Time

Protect the Do Now and the Exit Ticket above all else -- those are how the regular teacher tracks daily progress. If a step above is optional/homework, or is a "share out"/discussion step, shorten or skip it first.

⏳ If Students Finish Early

Have them keep working in their notebook: add extra detail to today's vocabulary sketch, review previous vocabulary, or -- if this is a portfolio update week for this class -- work on their portfolio. Early finishers should never be idle or distracting to classmates still working.

📝 For the Regular Teacher (fill in ahead of time)

Regular teacher's name / how to reach them: ______________________________
Where finished work / exit tickets go: ______________________________
Front office extension / emergency contact: ______________________________
Anything else this class needs to know today: ______________________________