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Chinese Art
Teacher's Resource
Lesson Plan: Icons and Symbols
Lessons submitted by: Patti Burkhardt

Kites
Grades 3-5
Sunshine State Standards: VAA121, VAA122, VAA123, VAA124, VAB121, VAB122, VAB123, VAB124, VAC121, VAC122

Goal:
These various activities will ready Grades PreK-12 students for their visit to the Naples Art Museum where the Gow Collection will be explored. Three lessons are included: one each for Grades PreK-2, Grades 3-5, and Grades 6-12. Additionally, two on-site lessons are included for use by students while touring the collection at the museum. They are titled Picture This, targeted at Grades 9-12, and Animal Symbols, targeted at Grades 3-5.

Background Information:
Symbolism in China is a complex system that permeates all aspects of life and thought. Because of the enormous number of symbols and their variations, entire studies have been dedicated to their meanings. Some Chinese believe that natural forces and animals possess spirits which are represented either in realistic form (birds, reptiles, insects, etc.) or mythical combinations (the phoenix, dragons, etc.)

Considered the most important symbol, the dragon is highly regarded and complex. Originally a symbol of rain, fertility, and male vigor, the dragon possesse tthe power to navigate between heaven and earth. Beginning with the Han Dynasty, the dragon became the exclusive symbol of the Emperor, the Son of Heaven, who was the person who had the power to mediate between the worldly and the heavenly.

The ancient Chinese showed concern for the structure and form of the world and the mysterious forces that operated within it. Rocks, mountains, clouds, water, and other natural forces had their own spirits and are represented in Chinese art with their own symbols. A great symbolic picture of the universe in which the world was devised could be reduced to a miniature symbolic pattern in the design of a holy shrine, the structure of a palace, the plan of a city, or the layout of a garden. The Chinese believed in the divinity of nature, and man was a natural component, not a separate entity, who was to live in harmony with nature.

SELECTED SYMBOLS

• BAT: Good luck and happiness.
• CLOUDS: Good fortune and happiness, especially when they have more than one color.
• CRANE: One of the many symbols of longevity.
• DRAGON: One of the most complex symbols. From the Han Dynasty on, it is the symbol of the Emperor or Son of Heaven. Unlike its Western counterpart, the dragon is a good-natured and benign creature.
• MOUNTAINS: Cosmic order and permanence.
• PEARL: Purity and preciousness.
• RAINBOW: Emblem of marriage.
• STONE: Longevity.
• SWASTIKA: Immortality.
• PHOENIX: The male phoenix, if represented with the female unicorn and the five magic beings, is a sign that the land is being ruled by a just king. Depicted with a dragon, it symbolizes the empress. (http://www.ucf.edu)

Objective:
The student will complete a basic eddy kite that is decorated with a Chinese symbol.

Materials:
Specific materials needed to make and decorate a paper kite as outlined in the book: Kites, Magic Wishes That Fly Up to the Sky by Demi (Crown,1999). This book is an invaluable source for the background information necessary to make the connection between the symbolism and the art (technique) of kite making.

Teacher Preparation:
Become familiar with the making of an eddy kite.

Activity Description:

1. Students will listen to the story, Kites, Magic Wishes That Fly Up to the Sky by Demi.
2. Students will choose a symbol from 3-4 symbols (such as a dragon, turtle, or butterfly) that represents what they wish to come true and enlarge this symbol on their kite paper.
3. After symbols are painted onto the sail, the crossbars are cut, notched, strung, and papers are attached.
4. The two bridle points for attaching the string should be directly over the spine and include the spine. The first point should be halfway between the top of the kite (fore) and the cross-spar bow. The other point should measure the same distance from the bottom of the kite (aft) as the cross-spar bow is from the top of the kite.

Teacher note: This activity can be changed to accommodate time or budgetary restrictions by shrinking the size of the kite or turning it into a collage of kites. Also, there are other miniature kites that can be made to fly just above the child's head on a stick.

Suggested resources:
The Magnificent Book of Kites by Maxwell Eden published by Sterling Publications, 1998 pp.356-357.

Assessment of Effort / Perseverance
Rubric

• 4- The project was continued until it was as complete as the student could make it; the student gave effort far beyond that required; the student took pride in going well beyond the requirement.
• 3- The student worked hard and completed the project, but with a little more effort it might have been outstanding.
• 2- The student finished the project, but it could have been improved with more effort; there was adequate interpretation of the assignment, but the student neglected the finishing touches; or the student chose an easy project and did it indifferently.
• 1- The project was mostly completed with a few loose ends left off; the student displayed minimum involvement and lackadaisical effort.
• 0- The student did not adequately finish major portions of the work.

(Here are related lessons for Grades PreK-2 and Grades 6-12.)