Holes

Engaging, Stimulating, Compelling, Serious and Funny

Holes by Louis Sachar

Published by Frances Foster Books Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Copyright 1998

1999 Newbery Medal

“A smart jigsaw puzzle of a novel, tough, truehearted and ultimately tender” –New York Times

    This story written by Louis Sachar, helps readers connect with the main character Stanley Yelnats who feels he has no friends and his life is cursed. Children can relate with the feeling of being left out at sometime in their life. Stanley Yelnats is forced to dig holes at Camp Green Lake detention center for stealing a pair of sneakers. While at Camp Green Lake he discovers news friends, dangers and also secrets from his families past. Camp Green Lake has been dried out for over a hundred years and for punishment the campers have all dig one hole a day. In this funny and emotional story we learn how Stanley can grow up, face his punishment and in the end seek redemption.

Description: Realistic Fiction

Suggested Delivery: Independent Read

Reading Level: Lexile Framework- 660L, Grade 5+

Electronic Resources:

Louis Sachar

This is the authors website which provides a summary of the book and a question and answer section where Louis Sachar answers questions about his book. It also provides facts about the book and the awards that the book has won.

SparkNotes

SparkNotes is a great site for students because it features information such as the plot overview, character list, themes, symbols and also a summary and analysis of each chapter. This would be very helpful for students who are doing a report on this book.

Holes Treasure Hunt

This is a fun exciting game where students can test their knowledge about the book Holes. To get farther in the game they will need to answer questions about the book to help guide them.

Key Vocabulary: Stifling, Desolate, Scarcity, Penetrating, Gurgling, Precipice

Teaching Suggestions:

1. Have the students reconstruct the plot by creating a timeline of events.

2. Use this text in Social Studies to show the importance of history in everyday life.

3. Use this text in reading and language arts by having the students write a short story on the benefits of friendship.

Comprehension Strategies:

Pre-reading- Before reading the text introduce the unfamiliar key words that need to be taught. This will help the students learn the new words and be able to comprehend the text when they read the story. Introduce the words by asking the students if they have an idea of what the word means and continue the lesson by defining the words on the board.

During Reading- Have the students all participate in a fishbowl discussion. This will help the students with their literal compression and they are also able to make text to text and text to self connections. Some suggested discussions questions are:

1. Why is the book called Holes?

2. How does digging Holes help Stanley survive?

3. Who are the important characters in the book?

4. Explain an example of irony that is portrayed in this book?

Post- Reading- Have the students view the film Holes and then as a group activity compare and contrast the film and book by using a Venn diagram. This will help students with their inferential comprehension by having them use reasoning and drawing the conclusions about the relationships between the film and movie.

Writing Activity- Have the students each pretend to be a camper at Camp Green Lake. Have them write home a letter to their parents. Make sure they answer questions such as,

1.    What you like and dislike about the camp

2.    The emotions you are feeling

3.    Anything you want to tell your family

Sachar, Louis. Holes. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1998. Print.

Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key

Riveting, Absorbing, Funny, Emotional and Lively

Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key by Jack Gantos

Published by Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Date

Copyright 1998

National Book Award Finalist

“The most absorbing novel for children I’ve read in a long time.” –Liz Rosenberg (The Boston Sunday Globe)

     Joey is not like all the other students at school, he has trouble paying attention during school and at home. This story shows how Joey struggles day to day and how he needs to learn to control his behavior and energetic mind if he wants to stay at his school.

Description: Realistic Fiction

Suggested Delivery: Small Group Read Aloud

Reading Level: Lexile Framework- 970L, Grade 5

Electronic Resources:

A Teaching Unit

This site provides lessons plans that will help students with their figurative language and irony skills.

A Discussion Guide for Parents and Teachers

This site provides a discussion guide for both parents and teachers that will help them learn about the book and what types of discussions they can have with the children because this book deals with some major issues such as ADHD. I think this site will be very useful to help the students get involved.

Short Answer Test Questions

This link has a variety of short answer test prompts that the students can answer individuality or within a group. This exercise will help the students make connections to the story.

Key Vocabulary: Wading, Obedience, Amish, Jabbed, Embroidered, Stethoscope

Teaching Suggestions:

1. Use this text to teach students more about Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

2. Use this text to give students knowledge of single-parent families.

3. Use this text to help students understand that in their classroom every child is different and that everyone should accept each other for who they are.

Comprehension Strategies:

Pre-reading- Before reading the story have the students read a short summary of the book and then have each student write down three questions they might want answered. This will help those students who might need more background information on ADHD. I think this is a good topic for a book because at some time or another most students will have to deal with special needs children in the classroom.

During Reading- Have each student take a piece of paper and fold it in two. Then have them jot down important quotes on one side and predictions they think might occur for each chapter on the other side. This will help the students stay connected to the text.

Post- Reading- Call on a few students to retell the story. This will help the students monitor how much they remember and how much they pay attention when the story is being read aloud.

Writing Activity- Have each student write in journal or on a piece of paper some details about a character in the story, where the setting takes place, and what the plot of the story is. 


Gantos, Jack. Joey Pigza swallowed the key. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1998. Print.

A Year Down Yonder

Humorous, Remarkable, Touching, Entertaining and Adventurous

A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck

Published by Dial Books for Young Readers

Copyright 2000

Winner of the 2001 Newbery Honor Medal

"A small masterpiece of storytelling.. the novel reveals a strong sense of place, a depth of characterization, and a rich sense of humor."  - The Horn Book

     In this novel written by Richard Peck, Alice was in for a surprise when she is forced to spend a whole year with her Grandma because of the Great Depression that has hit her family hard. She has to move to Chicago a hick town full of drama and an unfamiliar world. For this fifteen year old, she is now the new girl in town, at school and has to adapt to a whole different routine from the city where her parents lived. Her grandma who isn't the most popular lady around town teaches her how to survive in the country. Alice becomes a young adult and develops a strong bond with her grandma. This book is a touching story, with many entertaining adventures that will have readers on the edge of their seat wanting to know more.

Description: Children's Historical Fiction

Suggested Delivery: Small Group

Reading Level: Lexile Framework-610L, Grade 4

Electronic Resources:

Scholastic Study Guide:

This site provides a study guide that will assess the students reading comprehension, reading response, literary response and writing skills.

Literature Unit

This link provides different activities to provide to the students such as a daily journal worksheet, anthologies, word wall, and challenging vocabulary words.

Key Vocabulary: Scudding, Pleated, Cackle, Baling, Lolled, Meandering

Teaching Suggestions:

1. Use this text to explore how times were during the Great Depression.

2. Use this text to have students explore a time when they were put in new situation or place.

3. Use this text to discuss extended families

Comprehension Strategies:

Pre-reading- 

Have the students write their own journal entry about a time when they were in a new place or situation. Make sure they explain how they felt, what occurred, and have them use a lot of describing words.

During Reading- 

Have the students write down all the vocabulary words they might not understand and the words they have never heard of before. After reading the story choose a few of the harder vocabulary words to define for the class.

Post- Reading- 

Have the students participate in an open discussion to discuss the characters and plot of the story. Some example questions can include,

1. Did you like the book? If yes, why? If no, why not?

2. Did you find the characters to be believable?

3. What characters did you like the most?

Writing Activity- 

Have students write an persuasive essay explaining their favorite event that Mary Alice and Grandma Dowdel did together during that year. Students can get into small groups beforehand to discuss different events during the book to get their brains flowing. The students should include evidence from the text and details as to why this event was their favorite.

Peck, Richard. A year down yonder. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers, 2000. Print.