Teaching Companion · Chapter 21 · Holes

This chapter's big question

Stanley gives the boys a short answer about what happened at the Warden's cabin and offers no details. Is he sparing them, or sparing himself?

The tension He tells the boys the Warden only got mad at Mr. Sir, while his own mind holds her words and he decides that if he does not talk about it, maybe it did not happen.

Today's focus

Notice what Stanley tells the boys about the cabin, what he keeps to himself, and what he finds at his hole.

Two core ideas

Stanley gives the boys a short answer about the Warden's cabin and does not go into details.
He finds his hole nearly finished, and none of the boys will take credit for it.

The shape at a glance

Stanley walks back to his hole thinking about the Warden's words, his great-grandfather stranded in the desert, and being alone with Mr. Sir. A rattlesnake warns him off. The boys ask what happened, Stanley tells them very little, and he finds his hole nearly done. The chapter ends with him looking at Zero, whose hole is smaller than all the others.

A way in

Start with Stanley's answer to the boys, “Nothing.” Ask the student what a person might leave out when he says that.

Lesson plan

Retell The student tells the chapter back in order: the long walk, the great-grandfather, the rattlesnake, the boys' questions, Stanley's short answer, and the nearly finished hole.

Imitate the author After copying the passage, the student writes three sentences in the same pattern: a wish that something had not happened, a discovery, and a short sentence for the reaction.

Debate Take sides on the big question: is Stanley sparing the boys, or sparing himself? Each side must use one quote from the chapter.

Purpose Close by asking why an author might let a character keep quiet about what he saw.

Easier Read the boys' questions aloud together and talk through discussion questions 2 and 3 only.

On level Talk through all four discussion questions, then have the student write one critical-thinking answer with two pieces of evidence from the chapter.

Harder Ask the student to find one more place where a character says less than he knows, and to add it to a critical-thinking answer.

Discussion

After the Warden's words, Stanley meets a rattlesnake and whispers, “Thanks for the warning.” What do you hear in his voice?Tone
What it asks It asks the student to hear whether the thanks is a joke, a relief or something sadder, and what the snake's fair warning sits next to.
One reading

It is relief with a little humor: he thanks a danger that announces itself.
- “Thanks for the warning,” Stanley whispered as his heart pounded.
Another reading

It is a little bitter: the snake warns him before it strikes, while the Warden has just left him to face Mr. Sir.
- It had rattled its tail to warn him to stay away.
- The Warden had left Stanley to face Mr. Sir.
Listen for
- Names a feeling and ties it to a line from the chapter.
- Notices that he whispers with his heart pounding.
If stuck
- What does the snake do before Stanley can step on it?
- What is Stanley's heart doing as he speaks?
- Who else has just left him to face something dangerous?
A strong answer Stanley thanks the snake as his heart pounds, so the words come out of fear and relief together. The snake rattled its tail to warn him, which is fairer notice than he got from the Warden, who left him to face Mr. Sir. A strong answer says what it hears, whether funny, relieved, bitter or a mixture, and points to the line.
The boys ask what the Warden said and what Stanley told her. How much of the truth do they have a right to hear?Moral reasoning
What it asks It asks whether the boys are owed the full story of the cabin, or only the part that touches them.
One reading

They have a right to hear it: they were worried enough to ask, and they expected the worst.
- “Hey, Caveman!” called Armpit. “You’re still alive.”
- “What’d the Warden say?” asked X-Ray.
Another reading

They do not: what happened was Stanley's trouble, and he is not ready to talk about it.
- He didn’t feel like going into details.
Listen for
- Says what the boys already know and what they could not know.
- Gives a reason using what they ask and what Stanley answers.
If stuck
- What did Stanley tell the Warden he had done?
- What do the boys say when he tells them?
- Why might a person not want to repeat a hard moment?
A strong answer The boys ask because they want to know what the Warden is like, and Armpit's “You’re still alive” shows they expected the worst. But Stanley does not feel like going into details, and the cabin was his trouble more than theirs. A strong answer says what people owe one another when one of them has seen something hard, and does not decide what Stanley's reason was.
Stanley decides the other boys dug his hole because he took the blame for the seeds. What makes that a reasonable guess?Inference
What it asks It asks the student to test Stanley's guess against what he has just heard and what the boys say when he thanks them.
One reading

It is reasonable: the boys praised what he did, and the work would be a way to repay him.
- “Good going,” said Magnet.
- Since he had taken the blame for the sunflower seeds, he realized, the other boys had dug his hole for him.
Another reading

It is shaky: nobody will take the credit, and the boys do not seem to know what to say.
- “Don’t look at me,” said X-Ray.
- None of them took credit for it.
Listen for
- Weighs what the boys said before against what they say now.
- Notices that Stanley himself says it did not make sense.
If stuck
- What does Magnet say when Stanley tells him he stole the seeds?
- What does X-Ray say when Stanley thanks them?
- How many boys does Stanley look to for an answer?
A strong answer The guess has some support: Magnet said “Good going” when Stanley took the blame, and doing his hole would be a way of thanking him. But when he thanks them, X-Ray says “Don’t look at me” and none of the others takes credit. A strong answer says how much the guess can carry and does not say who dug the hole, because the chapter does not.
The chapter ends on Zero's hole, “smaller than all the others,” with no explanation. Why might the author stop there?Plot structure
What it asks It asks why the author closes on a detail and holds back the reason, and what the reader is left to do with it.
One reading

It leaves a puzzle that pulls the reader on, since the chapter gives a clue and no answer.
- Zero’s hole was smaller than all the others.
- Confused, Stanley looked around
Another reading

It makes Zero the last boy Stanley turns to, which suggests how little notice he has paid him.
- Then he turned to Zero, who had been quietly digging in his hole since Stanley’s return.
Listen for
- Says what the reader is left to wonder.
- Notices that Zero is the last boy Stanley looks at.
If stuck
- In what order does Stanley look at the boys?
- What does the chapter say about how Zero has been digging?
- What does the chapter say about the size of Zero's hole?
A strong answer The chapter ends with a single detail, Zero's smaller hole, and no explanation, so the reader is left to wonder. It also puts Zero last, after Stanley has looked at every other boy, which can suggest how little attention he has given him. A strong answer says what the ending asks the reader to do and does not claim to know why Zero's hole is smaller.

Critical thinking

Stanley's great-grandfather survived seventeen days in the desert. Using two pieces of evidence, explain whether the chapter shows him as lucky or unlucky.
What it asks It asks the student to weigh the bad luck and the good luck in one man's story, using only what this chapter tells.
One reading

Lucky: he lived through seventeen days and was found, and he even married one of the nurses.
- Somehow his great-grandfather had survived for seventeen days, before he was rescued by a couple of rattlesnake hunters.
- He ended up marrying one of the nurses.
Another reading

Unlucky: he was left to face the desert, and was not himself when they found him.
- Kate Barlow had left his great-grandfather to face the hot barren desert.
- He was insane when they found him.
Listen for
- Two separate pieces of evidence, not one told twice.
- A reason that weighs the bad luck against the good.
If stuck
- What did Kate Barlow do to him?
- Who found him, and after how many days?
- What happened to him after the hospital?
A strong answer He was unlucky to be left stranded in the desert, and the chapter says he was insane when they found him. But he survived seventeen days, was rescued and later married a nurse, so some luck came too. A strong answer picks one, uses two pieces of evidence, and may notice that nobody ever knew what he meant by God's thumb.
Stanley hopes to finish his hole before Mr. Sir recovers. Using two pieces of evidence, explain why he fears being alone with him.
What it asks It asks the student to find what makes Stanley dread Mr. Sir, from both what the Warden said and where he will be.
One reading

He fears what Mr. Sir will do, since the Warden's last words to him sounded like a warning.
- He won’t die, the Warden had said. Unfortunately for you.
- He didn’t want to be out there alone with Mr. Sir.
Another reading

He fears being alone, since his group is far from the rest and he will dig after everyone has quit.
- Group D was the farthest away.
- He realized that once again he would be digging long after everyone else had quit.
Listen for
- Two separate pieces of evidence, not one told twice.
- Says whether the fear comes from Mr. Sir, from the place, or from both.
If stuck
- What did the Warden say about Mr. Sir?
- Where is Group D digging?
- Who will be out there when Stanley is still digging?
A strong answer One reason is the Warden's words, that Mr. Sir will not die and that this is unfortunate for Stanley, which Stanley takes as leaving him to face a man in pain. The other is the place: Group D is farthest away, and Stanley will be digging long after everyone has quit. A strong answer uses two different pieces of evidence and says which fear is stronger, and does not say what Mr. Sir will do.
The boys call out “You’re still alive” and Magnet says “Good going.” Using two pieces of evidence, explain how the boys see what Stanley did.
What it asks It asks the student to read the boys' view of Stanley's visit to the Warden from what they say.
One reading

They see it as a good move, even a brave one, and Magnet praises it.
- “Good going,” said Magnet.
- “What’d you tell her?” asked Magnet.
Another reading

They see him as someone who came back from a dangerous place.
- “Hey, Caveman!” called Armpit. “You’re still alive.”
- “What’d the Warden say?” asked X-Ray.
Listen for
- Two separate pieces of evidence, not one told twice.
- Says what the boys are curious about and what they are glad of.
If stuck
- What does Armpit say first?
- What do the boys ask about the Warden?
- What does Magnet say after Stanley says he stole the seeds?
A strong answer Armpit's “You’re still alive” shows the boys thought the visit could have gone badly, and they want to know what the Warden said. Magnet's “Good going” shows he thinks well of what Stanley told her. A strong answer says how the boys see the visit, with two pieces of evidence, and does not claim they know what happened in the cabin.