HOLES by Louis Sachar

              In books,

              I have traveled,

not only to other worlds,

but into my own.

I have learned who I was and who I wanted to be, what I might aspire to,

and what I might dare to dream about my world and myself...

There was waking, and there was sleeping. And then there were books, a kind of parallel universe in which anything might happen and frequently did, a universe in which I might be a newcomer but was never really a stranger.

My real, true world.

My perfect island.

--Anna Quindlen

Name:_______________________________________

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Pre-Reading Activity:

Complete the WEB for HOLES.

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Look carefully at the front and the back of the book.

Write down your predictions about the following:

Setting (Time and Place) When and Where do you think this book takes place?___________________________

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Characters (The people, animals, or objects around which the action of the story is centered) Who do you believe the main characters in the book will be?_________________

________________________________________________

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Author’s Craft

Louis Sachar is a master at using rich descriptive language that enables us to visualize so much of what he writes. Sachar is very deliberate with his choice of words and in doing so, makes use of several literary devices. Find two examples of each device listed below. Then write an explanation of how these add meaning to the story.

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Now that you have chosen two examples of similes, please choose one simile and artistically represent this comparison. You may use any artistic medium. The following are options: colored pencils, watercolors, pastels, collage, etc. Enjoy!

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Write down what you predict will happen in the next section by responding to the following quote on p. 71:

 “One thing was certain: They weren’t just digging to ‘build character.’ They were definitely looking for something. And whatever they were looking for they were looking in the wrong place.”

A Flashback is a literary device used to convey to the audience something that occurred before the major storyline of the book took place. Give an example of a flashback from HOLES and explain how this technique has been used effectively thus far.

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What kinds of words are most important to teach?

Criteria for Identifying Possible Words (p. 26, 29)

·     How generally useful is the word? Is it a word that students are likely to encounter in other texts? Will it be of use to students in describing their own experiences?

·     How does the word relate to other words, to ideas that students know or have been learning? Does it directly relate to some topic of study in the classroom? Or might it add a dimension to ideas that have been developed?

·        What does the word bring to a text or situation? What role does the word play in communicating the meaning of the context in which it is used? What role do the words play in relation to the mood and plot of the story?

These vocabulary materials are based on: Bringing Words to Life: Robust Vocabulary Instruction (2002) by Isabel L. Beck, Margaret G. McKeown, and Linda Kucan, Guilford Press.

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Vocabulary

You will complete the following chart and develop kid-friendly definitions for these words. Then you will complete the Literature Circle job of Word Wizard for two of the following words that you choose. Next you will develop a set of 5 daily vocabulary activities to go with the two words you chose. Please reference Vocabulary Instruction and the Literature Circle site on my website for examples of each.

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Word Wizard

1.   Write down the word ________, the page ____, and paragraph number _________.

2.   Copy the sentence from the book in which the word appears.

3.               Re-read the sentence in which the word appears.  Think about the word, the sentence, and the story.  Look up the word in the dictionary.  Using the dictionary definition and everything you know about the word, write your kid-friendly definition of the word ___________________________________________

 ___________________________________________.

4.    Write down an explanation telling how this word adds meaning to the story.  What does this word have to do with the story? Think about the characters, plot, setting, theme, etc.

5.   Make your word wizard card.  Be sure to include in LARGE PRINT your word and the page and paragraph number.   On the other side of the card you should draw a picture to represent your word, the word, and the definition of the word.

6.  Complete a set of vocabulary activities that go with your words.

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Example of Word Wizard:

1.      stifling p. 6 par. 3

2.     “The bus wasn’t air-conditioned, and the hot, heavy air was almost as stifling as the handcuffs.”

3.     The word stifling means smothering; repressing; you feel like you are suffocating.

4.     This word adds meaning to the story because it describes the setting of the book. The intense heat in the desert climate can feel very stifling. The word "stifling" also foreshadows Stanley’s existence at Camp Green Lake.

5. Word Wizard Card

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 Cause and Effect or Effect and Cause

We all experience cause and effect relationships daily, whether we recognize them or not. Actions have consequences; more simply put, there is a reason (cause) behind what happens (effect). The effect is what happened and the cause explains why, or what caused the effect. It is often easier to think about the effect before you think about the cause.

Think about your favorite characters in the story. Then think about their behavior related to main events in the story. Provide two detailed examples to one of the following cause and effect question sets:

OR

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Summarizing involves putting the main idea(s) of a selection into your own words, including only the main point(s). Summarized ideas are not necessarily presented in the same order as in the original source. Summaries are significantly shorter than the original and take a broad overview of the source material. Summaries focus on key details, use key words and phrases, and break down the larger ideas.

 Green Lake Gazette

    Your task is to write the Green Lake Newspaper that would have come out recounting the horrifying events at the school house and the lake.

    You will need to use the text to assist you in writing the story (p. 107-115). Think about organizing the article with the main ideas and details. Remember to include the townspeople’s attitude at the time.

   You will need a title for your newspaper, a date, a headline for the story, a picture referencing your headline story, and an advertisement that would reflect the time period.

    You may find it helpful to do a little research on race relations and racism in America during this time. In addition, plan an effective method of sharing your newspaper article with a small group.

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 Final Thoughts

Why is the title of this book HOLES? Write about all of the “Holes” in the lives of the characters as well as the holes that the reader must fill in.

This is a story that deals with many themes, or lessons about life: responsibility, friendship, accountability, discovery, learning and reading. Comment on these themes.

 Stanley taught Zero to read. Write about the process in which Stanley taught Zero to read. Think about this from the different perspectives of both a learner and a teacher. What character traits did both Stanley and Zero exhibit during this process? Make any connections to your own philosophy of teaching as well as what you know about the reading process.

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