Chapter 17

Holes

Trailblazers · 4th–6th

Copywork

He scooped up some dirt, and was raising it up to the surface when Zigzag’s shovel caught him in the side of the head. He collapsed.

Read the passage aloud. What does the one-word sentence do after the long one?

Discussion

Narration Tell back what happens in the chapter, in order: the one big hole, the Warden's mornings, what happens to Armpit, and what happens to Stanley.

1. Squid says “Nothing,” and the author adds, “It was the wrong thing to say.” Why might the author comment on Squid's answer in such a short sentence?Author's choice

2. The Warden tells Mr. Pendanski, “You’re giving these boys too much water.” Why might she blame the water for a bathroom break and a small hole?Inference

3. Mr. Sir bandages Stanley's wound with a piece of his sunflower sack, then says, “It isn’t nap time.” Is that kind, hard, or both?Character

4. Zigzag says the dirt on Stanley's shovel is Stanley's to dig up. Does he have a point?Moral reasoning

5. The chapter ends with Zigzag digging beneath where “Stanley’s dirt” had been. What do you hear in those quotation marks?Tone

Make a Connection Tell about a time a group became short-tempered with one another because someone in charge was impatient.

Vocabulary

Crossword

1
				2
			3


4

		5
	6
7


8

Across

Across 1. Lifted up with a shovel or hand.
Across 4. Fell down suddenly.
Across 6. Poked or stabbed quickly.
Across 8. Unsteady, as if the room were spinning.

Down

Down 1. The top layer of the ground.
Down 2. Able to wait calmly without getting angry.
Down 3. Said to be so, but not proved.
Down 5. A long, deep cut.
Down 7. A strip of cloth that covers a wound.

The words in the chapter

scooped He scooped up some dirt
surface was raising it up to the surface
collapsed He collapsed.
supposedly where X-Ray had supposedly found the gold tube
patient the Warden became less and less patient

jabbed The Warden jabbed at Armpit with her pitchfork
gash a pretty big gash just below his ear
bandage Mr. Sir made a bandage out of a piece of his sack
dizzy Stanley felt a little dizzy.

Critical thinking

1. The Warden jabs Armpit with her pitchfork after he returns from a bathroom break. Using two pieces of evidence, explain what the jab shows about her.

2. The three holes join into one big hole, and the boys dig later and later. Using two pieces of evidence, explain how the work gets harder for them.

3. Stanley says nothing to Zigzag and scoops up the dirt. Using two pieces of evidence, explain why he might stay quiet.