Objectives:

Student holds finished paper mosaic of Irish heritage (click the image for a larger version).

As a result of the lesson students will be able to:

• Employ organizational skills
  
• Investigate their culture using primary and secondary resources.
  
• Use themes to communicate meaning in their artwork.
  
• Describe how personal experiences influence art.
  
• Compare and observe works of art and why they were created.
  
• Create a mosaic that reflects themselves.
  

Standards:

Michigan Curriculum Framework: Content Standards and Benchmarks: Arts Education
Visual Arts Standard 2 Creating
All students will apply skills and knowledge to create in the arts.
Middle School Benchmark 4
Use subjects, themes, and symbols that communicate intended meaning in artworks.

Visual Arts Standard 3 Analyzing in Context
All students will analyze, describe and evaluate works of art.
Middle School Benchmark 5
Describe how personal experiences influence the development of specific artworks.

Visual Arts Standard 4 Arts in Context
All students will understand, analyze, and describe the arts in their historical, social, and cultural contexts.
Middle School Benchmark 3
Analyze, describe, and demonstrate how factors of time and place (such as climate, resources, ideas, and technology) influence visual characteristics that give meaning and value to a work of art.

For more information about The Michigan Curriculum Framework, and the K-12 Curriculum and Standards, visit the Michigan Department of Education Web site at http://Michigan.gov/mde
The direct link to the curriculum standards is http://www.michigan.gov/mde/0,1607,7-140-5235_5682---,00.html.

Social Studies History Theme 1: (Civilization, Cultural Diffusion, and Innovation)
The movement of people, the spread of cultures and technological innovations of diverse groups and visionaries fueled the growth of America.

The History Themes Project is an effort to create for Michigan teachers and students a reasonable and valid selection of important events, people and ideas for United States History.
For more information see: http://michiganepic.org/historythemes/index.html.