Study Guide. Main Street Theater 3400 Main St., Suite 283 Houston, TX MainStreetTheater.com. Field Trip Info Length: 95 minutes

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1 Based on the book by Louis Sachar Study Guide Directed by Rebecca Greene Udden Educational materials produced by Philip Hays and Jenn Wigle, Assistant Branch Manager, Montgomery County Memorial Library System Main Street Theater 3400 Main St., Suite 283 Houston, TX MainStreetTheater.com Field Trip Info Length: 95 minutes Audio Description is available at all school performances with advance notice. Using a single earpiece connected to an infrared headset, patrons who are blind or have low vision can listen to trained audio describers give live, verbal descriptions of actions, costumes, scenery, and other visual elements of a performance. The theater is equipped with Listening Technologies to help patrons who require additional audio support in performances. Patrons can request use of an assisted hearing device.

2 Table of Contents Introduction for Teachers 2 Preparing Your Students 3 What Does It Take to Put On a Play? 4 About the Show and Author/Playwright 5 Cast of Characters 6 English Language Activities: Vocabulary 7 Discussion Questions 8 Poetry Activity 9 Interview a Character Activity 9 Letter to Home Activity 9 Math Activities: Circumference of a Circle Activity 13 Social Studies Activities: Science and Technology: Past, Present, and Future 15 Jim Crow Laws Activity 15 Science Activities: Biome Activity 18 Taxonomy Activity 18 Just for Fun 21 Further Reading More Like Holes 22 Books About Bad Luck 23 1

3 Introduction for Teachers Welcome to Main Street s Theater for Youth! We hope these supplemental materials will help you integrate your field trip into your classroom curriculum. We ve included a number of activities and resources to help broaden your students experience. Please make sure that each teacher that will be attending the play has a copy of these materials as they prepare to see the show. Recent studies prove that integrating the arts into education enhances a student s development and performance. Students learning through the arts are more able to think at a higher level, collaborate with their peers, and score higher on standardized tests. Before you come to the theater, please take some time to talk with your students about what to expect. Going to a live play is an experience unlike any other, and many students are more familiar with going to the movies or sporting events. Please help them prepare for what they ll see and how they should act. Here are some things to think about: How is a play different from a movie or a television show? How is a play different from real life? Can the actors see and hear the audience? Which of the following is appropriate behavior for a theater audience? Clapping, talking, eating, laughing, running, leaving during the performance. Ask students who have seen a play before to talk about what it s like to be in the audience. We invite you to have students write letters to the cast of Holes with their thoughts and comments on the production. All correspondence should be sent to: SCHOOL BOOKINGS Main Street Theater 3400 Main St. Suite 283 Houston, Texas

4 Preparing Your Students How Should I Prepare My Students for a Trip to the Theater? Discuss the page on theater etiquette with your students. Remind them that it can get very dark in the theater before the play and in between scenes. Make sure your students use the restroom before they leave school or at the theater before the performance. If you get up during the performance, you may miss your favorite part! Talk about what kind of show they are coming to see. Holes is a live theatrical performance. Talk to your students about the difference between a movie and a play. The actors are not on a screen and can hear everything the audience is doing or saying. Talk to your students about imagination. People called actors perform in the play. They pretend to be the people in the story. 12 grown-up actors perform in Holes. Watch and see how they use their voices and bodies to become the characters. After the performance, the actors will remain on stage and answer questions that the students may have. Discuss with your students what a question is. While the actors love to hear what a good time the students had or what part they like the best, they LOVE to answer questions about the show, the book, or being an actor. Don t forget to raise your hand! 3

5 Putting Preparing On Your A Play Students What Does It Take to Put On a Play? It takes many years of preparation before you see a show at our theater. Many, many people work to put all the parts of a play together. The play you re seeing today comes from the book Holes, written and adapted by author and playwright Louis Sachar. About a year before MST s production, the producer contacted the licensing agency about the rights to perform the play. Once the agency agreed, the production team was assembled. The production team is the group of people directly responsible for a how a play looks and sounds. The director is the person who makes the decisions about who is in the play, how the play looks, and what themes are emphasized to the audience. S/he works with the designers to establish the concept (or mood & themes) of the play. The director also hires the actors to play the parts in the show. Once rehearsals begin the director conveys the concept to the actors by giving them directions on their character development and by blocking their movements. The set designer creates the world that is seen when you enter the theater. S/he decides whether there will be real furniture or pretend furniture (such as cubes or chairs). The set designer decides where all of the different locations will be on the stage. The designer drafts diagrams so the carpenters can build the set. S/ he also comes back once the set is built to paint everything. The costume designer is the person who chooses what clothes the actors will wear to represent the concept of the play. The designer will sometimes shop for clothing or may build some costumes from scratch. S/he works closely with the actors to make sure that all of the clothing fits and feels comfortable. S/he also works with the set designer to make sure that the actors clothing will not clash with the colors on the set. The props designer is the person who provides all of the handheld items used by the actors during the play. This person either buys or builds everything that the actors might need to convey the story. The sound designer creates or selects all of the sound effects and music for the play. The sound designer creates the noises that are heard when someone rings a doorbell, a dog barks offstage, or a telephone rings. The sound designer can also create music pieces to aid in setting the theme or the mood of the play. The lighting designer decides how stage lighting will help tell the story. How can the color of lights complement the costumes and sets? Does the play require a scene at night? S/he will also decide when the lights should go out to cover up a scene change or when they should stay on. The actors are the people who perform the play. They are real people who are pretending to be the different characters in the story. Actors are trained to play old people, young people and sometimes even animals. It s their job to tell the story to the audience. The audience is part of the play too! Without someone to hear the story, there would be no reason to tell it. The actors want to get the audience to care about the characters, to laugh and cry, and applaud when the play is over. 4

6 About Holes About the Show Walking home from school on a day that Stanley thinks cannot possibly get worse, a $5000 pair of shoes falls from the sky and he is mistaken for a thief. Stanley s father tries to explain the curse placed on their family years ago, but nobody seems to believe him. With the choice of jail or Camp Green Lake, Stanley heads off to camp where his days are filled with digging holes. Despite the name, there is no lake at Camp Green Lake. The days are hot and the kids have to stay outside digging until their hole is exactly five feet deep and five feet wide. Soon Stanley begins to realize that there is more to the holes than just building character. The Warden has the boys digging holes to find a hidden treasure that her family has been trying to find for decades. About the Author/Playwright Louis Sachar wrote his first children s book Sideways Stories from Wayside School in 1976 after graduating from the University of California at Berkeley where he majored in Economics. Sideways Stories from Wayside School was published during Sachar s first week in law school. He went on to graduate and pass the bar exam. He continued writing children s books while doing part-time legal work. In 1989 his books finally began selling well enough for him to devote all of his time to writing. Sachar is now an award-winning author of twenty-five books for kids and young adults. His book, Holes, won both the National Book Award and the Newbery Medal. 5

7 Cast of Characters Who s Who in Holes... THE BOYS AT CAMP GREEN LAKE X-Ray: the leader of the boys at Camp Green Lake Armpit: a large and tough boy Magnet: a somewhat friendly boy Zigzag: a slightly wigged out boy Zero: a loner of the group Stanley: a 14-year-old convicted of a crime he did not commit The Toughest Kid in Camp THE ADULTS AT CAMP GREEN LAKE Mr. Sir: the head counselor at the camp. He acts much like a drill sergeant Mr. Pendanski: a seemingly caring counselor of the camp The Warden: a soft spoken woman LATVIA/AMERICA, CIRCA 1870 Elya: Stanley s no good, dirty, rotten, pig-stealing great-great-grandfather at age 16 Madame Zeroni: a gypsy fortune teller who curses Elya Yelnats and his family line Igor Barkov: a large dirty old man Myra s father: not much better than Igor Barkov Myra: the love interest of both Elya and Igor Sarah: Elya s wife Stanley Yelnats the First: a successful young businessman TOWN OF GREEN LAKE, CIRCA 1900 Sheriff Townspeople Mrs. Collingwood: a resident in Green Lake Kate Barlow: a beloved school teacher who becomes deadly outlaw Trout Walker: a handsome, wealthy young man who set his eye on the new school teache Sam: a farmer who sold onions for a living. He traded his onions with Kate Barlow in exchange for her jars of peaches Linda Walker: a former student of Kate Barlow s Jesse: a rattlesnake hunter OTHERS Ms. Morengo: Stanley s lawyer Attorney General of Texas Zero s Mother Stanley s Father Two Police Officers Judge Stanley s Mother 6

8 English Language Activities Amassed gathered together Vocabulary Auctioned the public sale where items are sold to the highest bidder Buzzard a large bird of prey Cursed to invoke or use a curse against Delirious in a state of out of control excitement Descendants the distant connection of a relative or ancestor Devotion love, loyalty, or enthusiasm for a person, activity or a certain cause Eternity never ending Gypsy a member of a traveling group of people known for trading and fortune telling Interfere to prevent something from happening Plow large farm equipment with blades pulled by tractor or animals to prepare the ground for seeds Rehabilitation restoring someone to health or normal life Sow to plant seeds Spigot a small peg or plug to fit a cask Stock Market buying or selling ownership in businesses in an attempt to make money Stranded left without a way to move from that place Suckle the feeding of a baby from their mother Warps areas that are twisted or out of shape Curriculum Standards: English Language 6-ELA b.2 7-ELA b.2 8-ELA b.2 7

9 English Language Activities Why does nobody believe Stanley or his father that their family is cursed? What did you expect Camp Green Lake to be like based on the name? Why is there no longer a lake at the camp? Why do you think the boys all come up with nicknames for each other? How does Stanley change throughout his time at camp? What reason is given for the boys to be digging the holes? What is the real reason they are digging holes? Do you think Stanley s life was more changed by his choices or by the curse and why? Why does Zero dig Stanley s hole after Stanley tells Mr. Sir that he stole his bag of sunflower seeds. Why does Stanley agree to help Zero learn to read? Why does Kate Barlow tell Sam that her heart is breaking? What is the significance of God s Thumb? Discussion Questions Why do you think Trout Walker burns the school house? Why does the Sheriff not do anything to stop him? Why does the Warden destroy all of Zero s records? Why does Kate touch the yellow spotted lizard? Why do the lizards not bite Zero or Stanley when they are surrounded by them? How is it that they are able to take Zero with them from the camp when they leave? Curriculum Standards: English Language 6-ELA b.3,5,6 7-ELA b.3,5,6 8-ELA b.3,5,6 8

10 English Language Activities Poetry Activity Print out a class set of the Poetry Activity. Have a quick discussion about the metaphors, similes, and personification used in the play Have the class write a poem using 5 examples of figurative language Examples of figurative language used in the play: He s a mole. I think he eats dirt. I can t help it. My fingers are like little magnets. Look around, the peach trees are in bloom, the lake shimmers like an emerald. It s like being the sheriff of heaven. And speaking of heaven, first prize goes to an angel, our new schoolteacher, Miss Katherine Barlow, for her spiced peaches. Her head is as empty as a flower pot It s just My heart is breaking. Interview a Character Activity Print a class set of the Interview a Character Activity. Have students select a character from the play to write the script of a mock interview. This can include a kid from the camp, the warden, or one of the characters during the time of Kissing Kate. The interview should include questions about events that happened to that character in the play. Letter to Home Activity Print a class set of the Letter to Home Activity. Have students imagine that they are Stanley and write a letter home about his time at Camp Green Lake. This letter should include many of the events that happened in the play to show their comprehension of the events. Curriculum Standards: English Language 6-ELA b.15.b.ii 7-ELA b.15.b.ii 8-ELA b15.b.ii Curriculum Standards: English Language 6-ELA b.5 7-ELA b.5 8-ELA b.5 Curriculum Standards: English Language 6-ELA b.5 7-ELA b.5 8-ELA b.5 9

11 Poetry Activity Figurative language is used quite a few times in Holes to describe people, scenery, and situations. Some examples include: He s a mole. I think he eats dirt. This is an example of a metaphor, which is a comparison between two things without using like or as. Zero is not actually a mole, but they compare him to a mole because, like a mole, he is very good at digging holes. Look around, the peach trees are in bloom, the lake shimmers like an emerald. This is an example of a simile, which is when like or as is used to compare two things. They are comparing the lake to an emerald by saying it shimmers like an emerald. Her head is as empty as a flower pot This is another example of a simile. They are saying she is not smart by saying her head is as empty as a flower pot. In the lines below, write a poem about anything you want. Use at least 5 examples of figurative language in your poem

12 Interview a Character Select one of your favorite characters from the play. This can include a child or adult at the camp or one of the characters during the time of Kissing Kate. Pretend you are a writer for a magazine and you are writing an interview with that character. The interview should include questions about events that happened to that character in the play. Question 1: Answer: Question 2: Answer: Question 3: Answer: Question 4: Answer: Question 5: Answer: 11 11

13 Letter to Home Imagine that you are Stanley Yelnats and you have been stuck at Camp Green Lake for quite a while now. Write a letter home to your parents about your time there. This letter should include many of the events that happened in the play

14 Math Activities Circumference of a Circle Activity Print a class set of the Circumference of a Circle Activity. The Warden is not happy with Stanley. She has decided that as a punishment, he has to go out and measure the circumference of the old holes that were dug in the yard. Have the students find the circumference of the holes on the worksheet. Curriculum Standards: Mathematics b b b

15 Circumference of a Circle 14 14

16 Social Studies Activities Science and Technology: Past, Present, and Future Print a class set of Science and Technology Past, Present, and Future. Stanley s dad is an inventor who is trying to find a way to recycle old sneakers. He gathered information about how many sneakers are thrown away each day and he wants to help the environment by finding a way to recycle old shoes. Have students think about scientific discoveries and technological advances that have changed daily life in the united states. Curriculum Standards: Social Studies b b b.20 This might be a good activity to work on in the library! Jim Crow Laws Activity Print a class set of the Jim Crow Laws Activity worksheet. Have a discussion about segregation in our history and why discriminatory Jim Crow laws were created. Have students use books or online resources to fill out the worksheet Curriculum Standards: Social Studies b b.1/ b.1/

17 Science and Technology: Past, Present, and Future Stanley s dad is an inventor who is trying to find a way to recycle old sneakers. He gathered information about how many sneakers are thrown away each day and he wants to help the environment by finding a way to recycle old shoes. Answer the questions below about ways that discoveries and technology have shaped our lives throughout history. What is the cotton gin? Why was this an important invention? What are some of the different types of transportation? How did this invention change lives? How would life be different today without cars, trains, planes, etc.? Do you think the internet helps us to be more innovative? How do you think it helps? Can you think of a helpful invention that does not exist yet? What would it do? 16 16

18 Jim Crow Laws In the play, the people of Green Lake are uncomfortable with the relationship between Miss Katherine and Sam. The sheriff tells Miss Katherine that it is against the law for a black man to kiss a white woman. Unfortunately, these attitudes were not uncommon in American history. In the Southern states, Jim Crow laws were passed that allowed for legal segregation. These laws created separate areas for black people and white people. How did the Jim Crow Laws discriminate against black people in the United States? Housing: Voting: Leisure: Travel: School: 17 17

19 Science Activities Print a class set of the Desert Biome Activity. Biome Activity Have students visit the library or take worksheet home to research one of the biomes of their choice. For this activity, you can list more than the 5 biomes and break students up in order to research each of the biomes and share the information as a class. Curriculum Standards: Science b b b.11 Print a class set of the Taxonomy Activity. Taxonomy Activity Have students select a type of lizard that they would like to research. Have them fill out the worksheet using the information that they find. Curriculum Standards: Science b b b

20 Biome Activity Stanley and Zero leave the camp and find themselves in the middle of the desert with other animals and plants that live in the area. The desert is an example of a type of biome. Biomes are regions of the world that share similar climate (weather), animals, and plants. There are land biomes, which are called terrestrial biomes, and water-based biomes, which are called aquatic biomes. The 5 major biomes are aquatic, desert, forest, grassland, and tundra. The types of plants that can grow in each area is dependent on the type of climate that they have. The types of animals that live in each are dependent on the type of plants and animals that are available for food. Using books or websites, select one of the main biomes and fill out the sheet below. Name of biome: Location in the world: Climate (average temperature, precipitation, etc.) Other environmental factors (soil, salinity, tides, etc.) Plants: Adaptations to environment: Animals: Adaptations to environment: 19 19

21 Taxonomy Activity In the play, the yellow-spotted lizard is known to have a deadly bite. While the yellow-spotted lizard does not exist, there are many lizards in real life that are venomous or poisonous. Choose a specific lizard species and fill out the worksheet below using a book or online resource. List 5 things that make your animal different from other animals such as birds or fish. What types of places can you find your reptile? Scientists use taxonomy classification to group similar types of animals. This allows us to better understand them and to find similarities and differences between different organisms. Using the internet or a book, find out the different classification groups that your animal belongs to. Kingdom: Phylum: Class: Order: Family: Genus: Species: 20 20

22 Just For Fun! Spiced Peaches Recipe In the play, the Sheriff gives Miss Katherine s spiced peaches first prize in a contest. If you d like to try a taste of her famous spiced peaches, here s a recipe to recreate Kate Barlow s prize-winning spiced peaches. Ingredients: 1 can (29 ounces) peach halves, drained (save the syrup in a separate bowl) 2/3 cup apple cider vinegar 1 cup light brown sugar, packed 1/4 teaspoon salt 8 whole cloves 1 cinnamon stick 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg Directions: In a saucepan, combine 2/3 cup of the peach syrup with all the other ingredients except the peaches. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Pour over peaches. Cool, then cover and chill for at least 24 hours (or 110 years!). Bring to room temperature and eat. Any leftover peaches will keep in the refrigerator for a week. Serves 6. Recipe taken from Scholastic BookFiles: A Reading Guide to Holes

23 Further Reading More Like Holes Hatched by Gary Paulsen After a plane crash, 13 year old Brian is stuck alone in the wilderness for 54 days. With only his hatchet that his mom gave him, he must learn to survive and get through his emotions about his parents divorce. Island of the Aunts by Eva Ibbotson Several sisters decide that they are going to kidnap children and bring them to their secluded island. The children are there to help care for strange sea creatures. Find out what will happen when they are discovered and the safety of the sea creatures is at risk. Scar Island by Dan Gemeinhart Twelve-year-old Jonathan has been sent to the Slabhenge Reformatory School for Troubled Boys. It is a dark place and Jonathan feels he deserves whatever punishment is headed his way. When a random accident leaves the kids without adult supervision, this freedom comes with unexpected dangers. Can Jonathan move beyond his sins of the past and 22 22

24 Further Reading Books About Bad Luck The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events: Book One) by Lemony Snicket After the sudden death of their parents, three gifted, but very unlucky siblings are sent to live with their uncle who is out to steal their fortune. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hard Luck by Jeff Kinney Greg is not having the best of luck and even his best friend has ditched him. With the hope of changing his fortune, Greg decides to take a chance and see if his decisions will turn things around for him. Fortune Falls by Jenny Goebel All of the children in Fortune Falls must take luck tests on a regular basis to see if they are worthy. In a place where superstitions are real, Sadie has always been considered unlucky and her younger, luckier brother gets all of the attention. When Sadie finds a very smart cat named Jinx, her luck begins to change for the better