There are some novels you teach because they fit neatly into a curriculum. Then there are novels you genuinely look forward to teaching. For me, Holes by Louis Sachar is firmly in the second category.

I love teaching Holes because it manages to do something that is surprisingly difficult with students: it’s funny, mysterious, accessible, and genuinely worth talking about!! Students can get hooked by the story of Stanley digging holes in the desert, but underneath that story are opportunities to teach inference, characterization, symbolism, irony, theme, plot structure, and author’s craft.

It also works particularly well with Grades 6–8because the reading level is accessible while the ideas are much richer. It also helps with imagination and if you like, ending the novel study with the movie can be fun!

 

Start With the Mystery

One of the biggest reasons I enjoy Holes is that you don't have to convince students that there is something going on. From the beginning, there are questions everywhere. Why are the boys really digging holes? Why is Camp Green Lake called Camp Green Lake when there isn't a lake?What happened to Stanley's family? Who is Kate Barlow?  I try not to answer those questions too quickly. Instead, I like making students detectives.

One strategy I use is a "What Do WeKnow?" board. As we read, students add clues, predictions, and questions. The goal isn't necessarily to get the prediction right. The goal is to show how good readers use evidence to build and revise their thinking. The novel study follows this idea by asking students to predict what the Warden is actually searching for and identify the evidence that leads them there.

Use the Novel to Teach Inference

Holes is fantastic for inference because Sachar rarely gives students every answer immediately.The Warden's behaviour is a perfect example. Students know something is strange about the digging long before they know exactly what the Warden wants. The unit plan incorporates a lot of inference questions that you can utilize through out the unit! I like using a simple formula:

What I Notice + What I Know = My Inference

It keeps students from making random guesses.

For example:

What I notice: The Wardensuddenly becomes extremely interested when Stanley finds something.

What I know: The boys have been digging in the same area for a long time.

My inference: The Warden isn't actually interested in building character. She's searching for something.They're using evidence to think beyond what the author explicitly tells them.

 

Let Students Argue About the Curse

I love a good question where there isn't one obvious answer. Holes gives us one right at the centre of the story: Is Stanley's family actually cursed? This is where you can explore in the final project section of my unit plan! Along with personal family tree explorations or personal stories of “curses” or “bad luck”.

 Make the Ending Feel Like a Payoff

One of the reasons Holes works so well is that the ending rewards students who have been paying attention. The curse, KateBarlow, Sam, Zero, the onions, the treasure, and Stanley's family history all come together. Before reading the final chapters, I sometimes have students make a Story Web.

Put Stanley in the middle and have students connect:

•   Stanley – Zero - Kate Barlow – Sam-Elya Yelnats - Madame Zeroni - The Warden - The treasure - The onions - CampGreen Lake

Then students have to explain how the characters and events connect. It's a great way to show students what a carefully constructed plot looks like.

Why I Keep Choosing Holes

Ultimately, I think Holes is one of those rare novels that gives a teacher a lot to work with without feeling like you're forcing curriculum into it. It helps students visualize the story, as you can use photos from the movie to help guide those not picturing it. You can teach inference through questions and mystery. You can teach out literary terms, like irony, symbolism and flashbacks. You can teach themes, exploring justice, friendship, perseverance, and fate. And perhaps most importantly, you can have students actually enjoy reading the book while they're learning all of those things. There are plenty of books that students can read. There are fewer books that make students want to know what happens next.

Holes does both.

Use my TPT link to bring all of this and more into your classroom by clicking the link below! Enjoy!