• compare traditional East Asian symbols in art with traditional Western symbols in art;
   
• design and paint personal sets of symbols to communicate the harmony of yin and yang;
   
• demonstrate social studies knowledge of ancient East Asian philosophy through the design and construction of a functional hand fan.

Standards:
Curriculum Standards and Benchmarks
Excerpted from: Michigan Curriculum Framework: Content Standards and Benchmarks: Arts Education

Visual Arts

Standard 2: 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.

Standard 4: All students will understand, analyze, and describe the arts in their historical, social, and cultural contexts.
Middle School Benchmark 1: Know and compare the characteristics of artworks in various eras and cultures.

Standard 5: All students will recognize, analyze, and describe connections among the arts; between the arts and other disciplines; between the arts and everyday life.
Middle School Benchmark 4: Describe ways in which the principles and subject matter of other disciplines taught in the school are interrelated with the visual arts.

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.