1st graders have been recently learning to tell time. When I was asked to create a lesson around this topic, the first thing the jumped into my head was Salvador Dali and his melting clocks. I began this lesson by showing Dali's "Persistence of Memory." My students loved talking about this painting. They love all the "odd" things that can be found in this painting.
To create our own "Melting Clocks," we drew unusual shape clocks onto construction paper. It is best to show the students where to put to numbers. (I found it easiest to put the 12, 6, 3, and 9 on the clock first) We then glued our clocks onto black paper. Only we didn't glue them flat, but bent to stick up off the page. My students thought this was cool!
Some of my students have told me that this was their favorite art project Ever! This surprised me, but I am glad when students are excited about their project.
Fifth graders have been recently studying the layers of the earth. When I was asked to come up with an art lesson with this topic, I was at a loss of what to do. After much consideration, I came up with this lesson. I began this lesson by showing students photos from the Grand Canyon. We noticed how sedimentary layers can be seen in the canyon. 
For our artwork, we cut strips of black paper and glued them onto white paper. Through putting down these lines, we formed shapes like squares and rectangles. Students colored these shapes using oil pastels. In honor of Mondrian, I limited my students to the primary colors (red, blue, and yellow).
I was looking through my photos from last year, and I found this project. I had almost forgotten about this lesson, and was quite excitted to find these photos tucked away in a file on my computer. The focus of this lesson was artwork of Japan. I started this lesson by showing my students both Japanese architecture and art. We then used this as inspiration to create our own Japanese landscapes. I 
