Jacqueline Abend

Lesson Plan #4

Sun Tunnel Models

Grade Level &

Duration

7th grade, 45 minutes

Materials

Cardboard tubes, scissors, different size and shape handheld hole

punchers, flashlights

Goal

Through the creation of small scale replicas of Nancy Holts famous

work, Sun Tunnels, students will experiment with model making and the
creation of sacred spaces.

Objectives

SWBAT recreate a model of Nancy Holts Sun Tunnels.

Anticipatory Set

I will ask students to recall previously our lesson about Nancy Holt and
her Sun Tunnels.
-

What are the Sun Tunnels?

Where are they located?
How are they arranged?

Instruction

I will demonstrate to students how to make the sun tunnels. I will take
the cardboard tubes (from toilet paper rolls and paper towel rolls) and
cut them, if necessary, in half with the scissors. I will then use the hole
puncher to punch holes in the tubes in a pattern of my choosing,
referencing the constellations that Holt uses in the original Sun Tunnels.
I will then arrange my tubes on the table in an intersecting formation. I
will turn the lights off in the room, pull down the shades, and show the
students the different effects I can make by shining the flashlight on the
tubes; what the inside of the tubes look like when I highlight the pattern
with the light, and the halo effect it creates when I shine it through the
tubes.

Independent
Practice

Students will then be given time to create their own tunnels. Students
can choose to directly imitate Holts work or create their own unique
formation and pattern with the tubes and different style hole punchers.

Assessment

In the last 15 minutes of class, I will shut off the lights in the room and
the class will look at each students work. The student will have a
chance to explain why they chose the layout and formation they did and
use the flashlight to highlight the forms created.

Extensions

Students who finish early can further outline the details for their sacred
space project.

Jacqueline Abend
Accommodations
and Modifications:

Modifications to the curriculum will be made ahead of time according to

a students specific disability. A student who is multiply disabled and
non-verbal will be shown pre made structures and work to arrange them
with myself or a paraprofessional, along with the demonstration of
lighting effects with a flashlight.
Accommodations in this lesson include: a choice of different sized tubes
to eliminate the need for certain students to use scissors. Hands on
project for students who are tactile and visual learners.

NJCCCS

1.1.8 B 2
1.1.8 B 3