HOLES A literature guide for fifth graders Laura Sharpless Spring 2012
2
HOLES A literature guide for fifth graders TABLE OF CONTENTS Summary.. 4 Rationale.. 5 Initiating Activities.. 6 Critical Thinking Activities & Questions.. 7 Mini Lessons: Making Sense of Multiple Story Lines.... 16 Uncovering Subtext... 17 Extension Activities. 18 Connections to Common Core Standards. 19 3
SUMMARY Stanley Yelnats was given a choice. The judge said, "You may go to jail, or you may go to Camp Green Lake." Stanley was from a poor family. He had never been to camp before. And so, Stanley Yelnats seems set to serve an easy sentence, which is only fair because he is as innocent as you or me. But Stanley is not going where he thinks he is. Camp Green Lake is like no other camp anywhere. It is a bizarre, almost otherworldly place that has no lake and nothing that is green. Nor is it a camp, at least not the kind of camp kids look forward to in the summertime. It is a place that once held "the largest lake in Texas," but today it is only a scorching desert wasteland, dotted with countless holes dug by the boys who live at the camp. The trouble started when Stanley was accused of stealing a pair of shoes donated by baseball great Clyde "Sweetfeet" Livingston, to a celebrity auction. In court, the judge doesn't believe Stanley's claim that the shoes fell from the sky onto his head. And yet, that's exactly what happened. Oddly, though, Stanley doesn't blame the judge for falsely convicting him. Instead, he blames the whole misadventure on his "no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-greatgrandfather." Thanks to this benighted distant relative, the Yelnats family had been cursed for generations. For Stanley, his current troubles are just a natural part of being a Yelnats. At Camp Green Lake, the warden makes the boys "build character" by spending all day, every day, digging holes: five feet wide and five feet deep. It doesn't take long for Stanley to realize there's more than character improvement going on at Camp Green Lake. The boys are digging holes because the treacherous warden is searching for something, and before long Stanley begins his own search for the truth. Fate conspires to resolve it all the family curse, the mystery of the holes, the drought that destroyed Green Lake, and also, the legend of Kissin Kate Barlow, an infamous outlaw of the Wild West. The great wheel of justice has ground slowly for generations, but now it is about to reveal its verdict. 1 1 Summary taken from Louis Sachar s official website: http://www.louissachar.com/holesbook.htm 4
RATIONALE Louis Sachar s Holes, published in 1998 and recognized with both the Newbery and National Book Awards, provides a rich literature experience for readers of all ages. I have chosen to design the instruction of Holes for fifth graders because many developmental considerations point to the fact that Holes will be interesting to ten and eleven year olds. The book also provides these students with a reading experience that meets them right where they re ready to grow along their path of developing literacy. The mystery, complex plot, secondary stories within the primary story, connection between past and present, questions of right and wrong, and the ultimate triumph of the book s main character all make Holes a compelling and educationally relevant piece of literature for fifth graders. There are many developmental considerations that make Holes a wonderful book for fifth graders. Chip Wood 2 reminds us that generally, ten year olds are increasingly able to think abstractly, highly sensitive to and able to resolve social issues, and are voracious readers. All of these skills will be required and strengthened when students read Holes. More specifically, Kasten et al. 3 site Holes as a book of interest to ten and eleven year olds for a number of reasons: These children are beginning to move to more symbolic, abstract thinking. Therefore, fifth graders will enjoy the mystery, complex plot twists, and stories within the primary story of Holes. Tens and eleven year olds believe that children are as smart and capable as adults. Stanley and Zero s independent perseverance against and ultimate success over the adults of Camp Green Lake will appeal to this sense of cognitive conceit. Children s language is expanding and becoming abstract. Therefore, they will have the stamina for Holes (233 pages) and will be able to comprehend the complex plot structure, and advanced vocabulary, concepts, and sentence structures. Fifth graders tend to hold stereotypical views of right and wrong but are developing a greater sense of the complexities of moral dilemmas. Students will therefore appreciate the slightly complex moral dilemmas that face Stanley and will be satisfied by the straightforward resolution of these issues. Children of this age are beginning to become aware that it takes effort and perseverance to succeed. As a result, Stanley s struggle to survive and ultimate success in setting right an ancient curse will be engaging for your fifth graders. Given all these considerations and the fact that Holes is a well-crafted piece of literature, it s hard to think of any reasons not to read Holes with fifth graders! I hope you enjoy your time at Camp Green Lake, it s no Girl Scout camp but it certainly is a wild ride. 2 Wood, Chip. Yardsticks: Children in the Classroom, Ages 4-14. Northeast Foundation for Children, 2007. 3 Kasten, Wendy C., Janice V. Kristo, Amy A. McClure, and Abigail Garthwait. Living Literature: Using Children's Literature to Support Reading and Language Arts. Allyn & Bacon, 2005. 5
Start your class study of Holes by INITIATING ACTIVITIES 1. Examining the cover art and making predictions about the book. What do you think the book will be about? What will the setting be? Who will the characters be? Have you read any other books by Louis Sachar? What were they like? 2. Reading the dust jacket and modifying predictions accordingly. Now that you have more information, what do you think this story will be about? Now, who do you think the characters will be? Setting? Did you have to modify your predictions? 3. Activating prior knowledge about the themes of the book. Make a class chart on which students can record their ideas about the following: What is fate? What does it mean to be courageous? What does friendship mean to you? You may choose to focus on only one of these themes or an entirely different theme depending on your students, your reading of the book, and your curriculum requirements. In any case, I suggest revisiting this chart occasionally during the reading of the book so students can record any modifications to their thinking that the book provokes. 6
CRITICAL THINKING QUESTIONS & ACTIVITIES These critical thinking questions and activities are designed to serve as a chapter-by-chapter guide to examining the story and characters of Holes. You may choose to have students log their thinking in their reading notebooks so that they (and you) can track their understanding. The questions are designed to engage students in the text at multiple levels by having them recall information, demonstrate understanding, apply their knowledge, analyze characters and situations, synthesize their ideas, and evaluate to form their own opinions. You may choose to have students revisit some questions or lines of thought multiple times throughout the reading of the book, others are meant to be considered only once. Of course, this guide is only a suggestion; let the needs and interests of your students determine the path you lead them on. Themes & Questions to consider throughout the book: How does your past and your family s past shape your present and future? What do you think plays a bigger role in determining our life path, personal choice or fate/ destiny? What does it mean to be a juvenile delinquent (or bad boy )? Can we change? How does racism play a role in Stanley s story? In what ways does friendship play a role in Stanley s story? Why is friendship important? What examples of courage do you see in the text? How do we decide if a story is real or myth? Part 1: YOU ARE ENTERING CAMP GREEN LAKE Chapter 1 Vocabulary: warden Draw and/or describe the setting of the story. How would you feel about going to Camp Green Lake (CGL)? Chapter 2 Stanley is given the choice of going to jail or CGL. Which do you think he will choose? Why? What are some of the things he might consider when making his choice? Chapter 3 Vocabulary: stifling, descendant, perseverance, stagecoach Draw a picture of Stanley. How do you know he looks like this? What do the words of Stanley s father s song mean to you? Make up a tune to go with the lyrics of Stanley s family song. Why are there so many Stanleys in Stanley s family? What do you think of Stanley s father s attempt to find a way to recycle old sneakers? Chapter 4 Vocabulary: barren, desolate What is a juvenile correction facility? 7
Why doesn t CGL have fences? Draw a picture of Mr. Sir. How do you know he looks like this? What does Mr. Sir mean when he says, This isn t a Girl Scout camp? How long does Stanley have to stay at CGL? How old will you be and what will you be doing in that many months? Chapter 5 Vocabulary: wearily Start a character map for all the characters we have met so far. What do we know about each character? How are they connected? Match campers given names to their nicknames. Why do you think the boys have these odd nicknames? Chapter 6 Vocabulary: scarcity, mere, despicable, destiny What do the line breaks in the text tell us? Why did the author include them? Why did Stanley feel like he was holding destiny s shoes? Why was Stanley arrested? What might you have done in Stanley s circumstances? Stanley is in a totally new place with no one he knows. How might that make him feel? Chapter 7 Mini-lesson: Keeping track of multiple story lines The book is full of interweaving story lines, bringing the past into the story of Stanley s present. To help students understand this literary technique, teach a mini-lesson on keeping track of multiple story lines here, where the first secondary story is introduced. Vocabulary: eternity, excavated, preposterous, staggered Why does X-Ray want to use the special shovel? What might it mean that X-Ray gets to use the special shovel? What kinds of interesting things do you think the boys might find buried in the ground? Find Latvia on a map. What do you think it means that the pig weights 50 stones? Elya decides not to carry the pig up the mountain on the last day. Why? What affect do you think this will have? Why do you think Elya didn t choose a number when Myra was trying to decide who to marry? Do you think Madame Zeroni s curse will end up affecting the Yelnats family? Why? What would Elya do if he found Madame Zeroni s son? How does Stanley feel after digging his first hole? Chapter 8 Vocabulary: predatory Draw a yellow-spotted lizard. 8
Chapter 9 Vocabulary: sprawled, wreck Why doesn t Stanley use soap in the shower on day one? How about day two? Ask when reading page 44 and again on page 47: Who is the Caveman? What is the rec room like? What is interesting about the sign on the door of the rec (wreck) room? Why does Stanley lie to his mother in his letter? What do you make of Zero s intense stare and question about the sneakers? What does it mean? Why do you think the boys nicknamed Stanley Caveman? Chapter 10 Why does Stanley hate the sun? What digging strategies does Stanley use on his second hole that he learned the day before? What does Stanley find? Why do you think the Warden isn t interested in it? Chapter 11 What is pig latin? What do you think of X-Ray s request of Stanley? What would you have said if you were Stanley? Why do you think X-Ray is the leader of the group? What is Stanley s fantasy about Derrick Dunne? How does it help him? Have you ever felt better when you imagined a different reality? Chapter 12 How would you answer Mr. Pendanski s question? What do you want to do with your life? Mr. Pendanski makes strong statements about what brought the boys to CGL and where they can go in the future. What do you think? Is he right? What do you think of Zero s response, I like digging holes? Chapter 13 Vocabulary: etched Draw the object that Stanley finds. What do you think it is? What might KB mean? What is the significance of X-Ray telling Stanley to get in line in front of Zero? What do you predict will happen to the object Stanley found? Chapter 14 Did anything about the Warden surprise you? Try drawing her. What is she like? Why do you think the Warden finds the gold tube interesting? Chapter 15 I ve waited this long, I can wait another day. (page 71) What do you think the Warden means by this? What is she waiting for? He dug the hole into his memory. (page 71) What is meant by this figurative language? What do you think they re looking for? 9
Chapter 16 Vocabulary: evict What are some ways that life at CGL is designed to be demoralizing? What is the Little Old Lady nursery rhyme? Why do you think Zero doesn t know about it? Chapter 17 What do you think of the Warden now? Has your understanding of her changed since we first met her in chapter 14? Why does the Warden tell Mr. Pendanski that he is giving the boys too much water? What are some ways that the Warden s new digging regime is affecting the boys? Chapter 18 Vocabulary: callused, penetrating (eyes) What are some ways that Stanley has changed since he arrived at CGL? How do these changes affect your understanding of him? Chapter 19 Why does Stanley keep his mouth shut most of the time? What is Stanley s relationship with the other boys like? Why might Stanley have lied to Mr. Sir about the sunflower seeds? Chapter 20 Vocabulary: condemned man, electric chair, recede, shrill We learn more about the Warden in this chapter. How is your understanding of her changing? What does the Warden mean by, Unfortunately for you? Chapter 21 In what way(s) does Stanley empathize with his great-grandfather? Who do you think dug Stanley s hole for him? How do you know? Why do you think Zero did that for Stanley? Chapter 22 Why does Stanley say that Zero has x-ray vision? If you were teaching someone to read, how would you do it? Making friends at CGL isn t easy but Stanley and Zero seem to be doing it. What might have made that possible? Stanley is forced to change his understanding of Zero. Has anything like that ever happened to you? Example of a text-to-self connection: My favorite quotation from the book is, I m not stupid. I know everybody thinks I am. I just don t like answering their questions. This reminds me that people often know more than they say and that it is unwise to judge people, especially when you don t know them. What do you think of the digging for teaching deal that Stanley and Zero make? 10
Chapter 23 When and where does this chapter take place? We ve met two new characters in this chapter: Katherine Barlow and Charles Trout Walker. Record what you know about them so far and any predictions you have for them. Chapter 24 Vocabulary: grotesque, parched How did Mr. Sir s face get so swollen? Why is he so angry? Do you think Mr. Sir will do anything to get back at Stanley? If yes, what? Try imagining what it would feel like to be Stanley watching the water spill onto the ground. Chapter 25 Mini-lesson: Uncovering subtext It is likely that fifth graders have experience with making inferences but this is a skill that needs to be taught and retaught. The subtext is often quite subtle but important in this book. I suggest teaching a mini-lesson on uncovering subtext here, where the subtext of Sam and Ms. Katherine s dialogue is integral to understanding Kissin Kate Barlow s later motivations. However, there are earlier and later points in the text when you could also teach this same lesson. Vocabulary: ointments, concoctions, Negro What clues does the author give us when the setting changes? What do we know about Sam? What text-text connections can you make about him? What does it tell us that Doc Hawthorn s head smells like onions? Why can t Sam go to classes? What does this tell us about the town and its people? Why does Miss. Katherine find so many jobs for Sam at the school? What predictions do you have for Sam and Miss. Katherine? How will their story continue? Chapter 26 Vocabulary: drawl, a hanging Why don t the children come to school? What do you think of the law against Negro s kissing whites? You decide: Whom did God punish? Why do you think that? Who does Miss. Katherine become? Why? Can you make any text-to-self connections in this chapter? Can you sympathize with Miss. Katherine? Have you ever experience racism or hatred like this? Chapter 27 Vocabulary: sparingly Why is Mr. Pendanski giving Stanley extra water? What are some ways that Stanley and Zero s arrangement affects Stanley s relationship with the other boys? Why does Stanley wait to see who is driving the truck before drinking his water? 11
What is Stanley afraid of? Why won t he drink the water that Mr. Sir gives him? What would you have done? Hector Zeroni! Notice any connections? Who do you think Hector is? Chapter 28 What is the subtext of, Oh, Linda, I m so sorry? Who did Trout Walker want to marry? Who did he end up marrying? What is she like? What killed Kate Barlow? Why did she die laughing? What do you think Linda and Trout Walker will do now? Part 2: THE LAST HOLE Chapter 29 What do you think the last hole will be? In what ways is the story mysterious so far? What questions do you have about the story? Any predictions? What do you think Stanley s great-grandfather meant by, I found refuge on God s thumb? Chapter 30 Vocabulary: my blood boiled What is X-Ray s perspective on Zero digging part of Stanley s hole? What is the subtext of the conversation leading up to Stanley going to the front of the water line? Why does Zero think that h makes the ch sound? Why might Mr. Pendanski have it in for Zero? Do you agree with the Warden that learning to read leads to trouble? Why are the counselors guarding the shower room and wreck room? What does the Warden have planned for Zero? How do you know? Chapter 31 Vocabulary: ward of the state, A.G. What are some reasons why Stanley thinks he should follow Zero? What are some reasons why he doesn t? What is the Warden s plan for dealing with Zero s disappearance? What do you think of that? Chapter 32 Vocabulary: hot wire, deftly What worries Stanley the most? Why? Can you imagine what Zero is doing right now? Stanley is trying to decide whether or not to steal the pickup truck. What decision would you make? Why? What do you predict will happen? Why? Why does Stanley run? What does it mean for Stanley that his canteen is empty, empty, empty? Why did the author write the word empty three times? 12
Chapter 33 Stanley won t admit to himself what he is looking for in the holes. What do you think he might be looking for? How do you think the sac got into the middle of the desert? Chapter 34 Vocabulary: mirage What are some things that might be motivating Stanley to keep walking? What does the author mean by, it was like chasing the moon? What do you think the mysterious object will turn out to be? Who do you think Mary Lou belonged to? How do you know? What/who is under the boat? Chapter 35 Vocabulary: sheepishly Draw your mental image of Zero s place of refuge. How do you think the sploosh got under the boat? Why is Zero so sure he doesn t want to go bak to CGL? What does Zero think that the mountain looks like? Chapter 36 Do you think Stanley and Zero are courageous? Why or why not? What do you think is on the top of God s thumb? Draw your mental image(s) of the boys climb. In what ways is it impressive? What predictions do you have for the upcoming story? Chapter 37 Vocabulary: increments What is Zero really saying when he jokes, If a gnat lands on me, it will knock me over? What do the weeds and bugs on the mountain mean? Zero isn t getting up. What do you think will happen next? Chapter 38 Vocabulary: gully What does Stanley decide to do when Zero won t get up? From where does Stanley get the energy to carry Zero up the mountain? What does Stanley find buried in the ground at the base of Big Thumb? Where else in the story have we seen onions? Chapter 39 Vocabulary: precipice, comprehend What does Zero confess to having done? Chapter 40 Vocabulary: intertwined, contritely What made Becca Tennyson sick? What saved her? 13
Why did the author include Becca s story in this chapter? What does Stanley learn about his climb up the mountain with Zero when he goes to retrieve the shovel and jars? Chapter 41 How did Zero end up at CGL? In what ways are Zero and Stanley s stories connected, both before and after they arrive at CGL? How might the story be different if it was being told from Zero s perspective? Chapter 42 Vocabulary: sundial, delirious, buzzard food What are some ways that Stanley has changed since he arrived at CGL? Why does Stanley think that the shoes falling from the sky was destiny striking him? Do you agree with him? Why? What kind of crazy plan is Stanley coming up with? Why does he ask Zero if he wants to dig one more hole? Chapter 43 Vocabulary: inexplicable, summoned, adjacent The boys are heading down the mountain and we ve almost reached the end of the book. How do you think the story will end? What evidence do you have from the text for this prediction? How are the boys mouths stubborn? What do you think of the story that Zero is revealing about his childhood? What might be making him tell it now? Chapter 44 Vocabulary: pronounced, precarious What precautions do Zero and Stanley take when they return to CGL? What does Stanley find in the hole? What do you think is inside it? The Warden has found them! How does this modify your thinking of how the story will turn out? Chapter 45 Vocabulary: commotion, suppress Why is Zero sitting as still as a statue? Imagine how Stanley feels: he found the suitcase, the Warden caught him, Mr. Sir is pointing a gun at him, and he is standing in a lizard nest. There s something crawling up the back of his neck! Who do you think that woman might be? What was the Warden s childhood like? How long has she been digging holes? Chapter 46 Vocabulary: initiate, strenuous How long is 500 seconds? 14
Who do you think that woman might be now that you ve read about what she s doing? Why aren t the lizards interested in biting Stanley and Zero? Why aren t they dead yet? What does Stanley do to help him deal with the stressful situation he is in? What memory would you bring to mind if you were trying to forget where you were? Chapter 47 Vocabulary: tarnation, authenticated, delirium Draw your mental image of the scene at the final hole. Why might Zero be asking Stanley about the spelling of his name? Who is Ms. Walker? Who else has the last name Walker? How do you think Stanley s name got on the suitcase? Chapter 48 Vocabulary: detainees, hysterical, jurisdiction, pursuant What is going through the Warden s head as the group walks back to the camp? What is her motivation? What is Zigzag apologizing to Stanley for? It s like Zero has fallen through a hole in cyberspace. How did that happen? What will it mean for his future? Chapter 49 Vocabulary: patent attorney What is the setting of the beginning of this chapter? How do you know? What s funny about Sam saying, If it doesn t, you can come back next week and I ll give you your money back? Why does the author include this story about Sam in the book? In what ways has the luck of the Yelnats men changed? What might have caused this? It rains on the lake for the first time in 100 years. Why might this be? Part 3: FILLING IN THE HOLES Chapter 50 Vocabulary: tedious, stock certificates, deeds of trust, promissory notes, neutralizes Who is the woman sitting behind Hector? How does her song compare to Stanley s? Did the story end the way you thought it would? Which of your predictions came true and which did not? It s time for you to fill in the holes. How did the boys get from Camp Green Lake to the final scene of the book? Write your explanation. If you were going to write a sequel to Holes, what would the story be? From whose perspective would it be written? Louis Sachar did write a sequel to Holes. It is entitled Small Steps (2006). Students may be interested in reading it. If they are, there is ample opportunity for comparing and contrasting the two books. Small Steps is written in quite a different style than Holes (more straight forward, less like a tall tale) and follows Armpit after he has been released from Camp Green Lake. X-Ray plays a prominent role in Small Steps but none of the other characters from Holes make an appearance. 15
MINI-LESSON: MAKING SENSE OF MULTIPLE STORY LINES Learning Goals: Students will understand that stories can be told in a non-linear fashion with multiple, connected story lines and that authors give clues when the story line is changing. Standards Addressed: RL.5.5. Explain how a series of chapters, scenes, or stanzas fits together to provide the overall structure of a particular story, drama, or poem. Mini-lesson: Activate students prior knowledge: Have you ever tried to tell someone a story about yourself and then realized that in order for the story to make sense, you had to tell a story about something else? This happens to me sometimes. Give an example from your own experience. Invite a few students to share their own examples. Have students analyze these example situations: In the examples we ve shared, what was it about the secondary story that helped the listener understand the primary story? Why was it important for each of us to tell that secondary story? Let students share. Reasons may include giving background information, setting the scene, and explaining who a person is. Make a connection to the text: You were doing good work as story tellers when you decided to include secondary stories. Sometimes a story needs that kind of support to make sense. Other times, the secondary story is more for fun. Authors will often include more than one story line in their books. It is important for us as readers to be on the look out for that kind of story telling and think about why the author decided to use it. As we read this chapter of Holes, be on the lookout for secondary story lines and think about what they add to the book. Read aloud, Chapter 7: After reading the first paragraph of the second section of the chapter, pause to make sure that all the students followed the leap in story lines. Think aloud. How interesting. I noticed that there was a big space in the text and then the story started being about someone else. I m thinking that this is a story within the story. I hope it tells us why Stanley refers to his greatgreat-grandfather as his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather. Pause occasionally while reading to discuss with the students how they know when the author moves from one story to another and why he might be doing that. Release responsibility: Part way through the chapter, stop the read aloud and have the students finish the chapter on their own. You have been doing good thinking with this chapter to figure out when the story line is changing and why. Finish the chapter on your own and keep track of when the story line changes, how you know, and why you think the author decided to include that shift. Then write in your reading notebooks what you think of this kind of storytelling and why. 16
MINI-LESSON: UNCOVERING SUBTEXT Learning Goals: Students will understand that sometimes there is meaning in a story underneath the literal. Students will understand that the author leaves clues to help the reader understand subtext. Standards Addressed: RL.5.4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative language such as metaphors and similes. Mini-lesson: Activate students prior knowledge: Have you ever been in a situation where someone told you something and you felt the message they were really communicating didn t totally match their words? Give an example from your own experience. That message underneath the words is called subtext. Has anything like that ever happened to you? Have you ever noticed that there was subtext to something that a person said? Have a few students share. Have students analyze these example situations: How did you know that when your mom (dad, teacher, friend ) said X that he/she really meant Y? What clues did you use? Let students share. Clues may include body language, tone of voice, context of the conversation, and prior knowledge of the person or situation. Make a connection to the text: It sounds like you were making some important inferences about what was being communicated by using clues beyond the words that were spoken. That s good thinking. We often have to do that same kind of thinking when we re reading. Sometimes an author will write one thing but will give us clues telling us something else. As we re reading this chapter of Holes, see if you notice any examples of subtext. Read aloud, Chapter 25: After reading to the first break in the chapter, pause to think aloud. That s interesting. The doctor s head smells like onions some mornings. Since the author was just telling us about Sam s onion ointment for baldness, I m inferring that Doc Hawthorn is trying to cure his baldness with Sam s ointment. That tells me that even the doctor thinks Sam s remedies work. He must respect Sam. So, even though the author never said so, I now understand that Sam has a certain amount of respect in the town. Finish the chapter, pausing to discuss examples of subtext that the students notice. Guide students to see that the author is telling a love story without ever using the word love. Release responsibility: You have done good thinking in uncovering the subtext in this chapter of Holes. Now it s time for you to try it on your own. When you come across an example of subtext, record it in your reading notebooks. Also record the clues in the text that helped you figure out the subtext. Have the students continue reading Holes on their own or guide them towards their choice books. 17
EXTENSION ACTIVITIES Try Your Hand at Digging Have you ever tried digging a hole that is five feet in diameter and five feet deep? It is quite likely that you haven t and even more likely that your students haven t. Consider how your students perspective on the story might shift if they were given the same challenge as the boys at Camp Green Lake. It is unlikely that you will have the time, space, or shovels required to have all our students dig their own hole but perhaps you have the resources needed to dig a shared class hole. Give everyone a chance to try their hand at digging and feel the physical effort required. This will give your students a personal experience to draw from and extrapolate on when relating to the characters of Holes. After digging their part of the class hole, have students look back at the text and reflect on how their perspective on a particular passage changed. Some students may be able to find a relevant passage on their own. Others may need guidance. Chapter seven, in which Stanley digs his first hole, would be a good section of the text to direct students towards. Gain New Perspective The primary story line of Holes is told entirely from the perspective of Stanley Yelnats IV. However, there are many characters in the story who experience the same events from very different perspectives. Have your students pick a passage of the book to rewrite from the point of view of a character of their choice. For example, students could retell Stanley s arrival at Camp Green Lake form Mr. Sir s perspective or the episode that led to Zero running away from Zero s perspective. The possibilities are endless and compelling. RL.5.6. Describe how a narrator s or speaker s point of view influences how events are described. W.5.3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences. Watch the Movie: Holes Holes was adapted into a film of the same name in 2003. Louis Sachar, author of the book, also wrote the screenplay which is relatively faithful to the book s plot and character. Watching the movie after completing the book may add to your students understanding of the book and its characters. Viewing the movie will also provide you with the opportunity to discuss with your students the advantages and disadvantages of watching film adaptations of books. Discussion questions may include: What is the same in the book and the movie? What is different? What challenges does a screenwriter face when adapting a book for film? Did the actors represent your understanding of the characters in the book? If yes, in what ways? If no, how would you, as the director of the movie, change the appearance and/or performance of the actors to match your imagination? How does the movie expand and limit our understanding of the story? RL.5.7. Analyze how visual and multimedia elements contribute to the meaning, tone, or beauty of a text (e.g., graphic novel, multimedia presentation of fiction, folktale, myth). 18
COMMON CORE STANDARDS 5 TH GRADE READING LITERATURE STANDARD Where Standard is Addressed Key Ideas and Details RL.5.1. Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text. RL.5.2. Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text. RL.5.3. Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., how characters interact). Craft and Structure RL.5.4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative language such as metaphors and similes. RL.5.5. Explain how a series of chapters, scenes, or stanzas fits together to provide the overall structure of a particular story, drama, or poem. RL.5.6. Describe how a narrator s or speaker s point of view influences how events are described. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas RL.5.7. Analyze how visual and multimedia elements contribute to the meaning, tone, or beauty of a text (e.g., graphic novel, multimedia presentation of fiction, folktale, myth, poem). RL.5.8. (Not applicable to literature) RL.5.9. Compare and contrast stories in the same genre (e.g., mysteries and adventure stories) on their approaches to similar themes and topics. Range of Reading and Complexity of Text RL.5.10. By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry, at the high end of the grades 4 5 text complexity band independently and proficiently. Responses to critical thinking questions Responses to critical thinking questions Character map Reflections on multiple story lines & settings Investigating meaning of new vocabulary & phrases Subtext mini-lesson Multiple Story Lines minilesson Responses to critical thinking questions New perspective extension Movie viewing extension n/a n/a Reading this dramatic and complex story will move students towards a higher level of literacy. 19