Holes+(2)

Sachar, L. (2008). //Holes.// New York, NY: Frances Foster Books.

In Sachar’s novel, //Holes//, a young boy named Stanley Yelnats is sent to a juvenile correctional facility for a crime he did not commit. At this facility, Camp Green Lake, bad boys dig holes to help them become good boys; however, Stanley discovers they are digging for other reasons than character building. A transformation takes place in Stanley’s life that is both physical and emotional. //Holes// is an adventure, revealing the value of friendship in overcome adversity.
 * Summary: **

Young adolescents can relate to Stanley’s insecurity, concerning his image and identity. Also, Sachar’s style persuades readers to continue their journey in the story with short chapters. These components make the novel enjoyable for students that feel reading is an irrelevant challenge. Students’ ability to transition between and make connections to the past and present is exercised in Sachar’s use of parallels. The flashbacks happening throughout the novel encourage readers to foreshadow how destiny will enable good to triumph over evil. Lastly, the movie “Holes” is another way to reward students and extend their knowledge with a social and visual representation of the novel.
 * Critique: **


 * Teaching Ideas: **

__ Math __ -If there are 26 letters in the alphabet and Zero is learning to write both lower and upper case letters, how many days will it take him to finish the alphabet if he does 5 letters a day?

__ Language Arts __ -Analyze the elements of poetry in the song, “If only, if only.” How does the message from the first portion (pg.126), from Stanley’s family, differ or relate to the second portion (pg. 233), from Zero’s family. What symbolism is evident? Have the students act out the lyrics or draw a picture to represent the author’s message in the piece.

-What characterization, themes, and symbols are evident in the novel? Compare and contrast your thoughts from the novel to your thoughts from the movie. Are they very similar? What would you have done differently if you produced the movie based on Sachar’s novel, //Holes//?

__ Social Studies __ -Have students create a map of Camp Green Lake and document the route that Stanley and Zero took to reach God’s Thumb and return. Include a key and discuss other features of a map.

-Discuss how history can be passed down orally from generation to generation, like the story of Stanley’s no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather. Does that make the information more or less reliable? What other ways is information passed on from generation to generation?

__ Science __ -Stanley found a fossil while he was digging. Discuss with the students how fossils are formed. Then investigate if Stanley’s guess about the age of the lake, based on the fossil, was accurate.

-Brainstorm about how the environment on God’s Thumb can maintain life. Compare and contrast the desert environment at the bottom of the mountain to the environment at the top of the mountain. Why are they so different and what do they have in common?