Connie Malamed writes: "In visual art and graphic design, a composition is the arrangement of visual elements into one cohesive whole. In eLearning and presentation design, every slide can be seen as a composition. The way that you combine text and image (including shapes) in a slide affects the message you convey and the visual appeal of the material."
Students need exposure to graphic design techniques to address many of the CCSS. Under the speaking and listening standards, students in middle school must introduce multimedia components to "clarify information," "emphasize salient points," or "add interest," depending on the grade level. Connie gives great information here for students to create more visually appealing graphics.