Holes
Chapter 23 — Teaching Companion
Louis Sachar · Trailblazers 4th–6th
Coaching, not a script — and not an answer key: every question here has more than one defensible answer.
This chapter's big question
Trout's family owns most of the peach trees and the east side of the lake, yet Miss Katherine turns him down in three short, polite answers. In that scene, who has more power?
The tension Trout has always gotten everything he ever wanted and comes from the richest family in the county, while Miss Katherine is the town's only schoolteacher and answers him in calm, plain words that give him nothing.
Today's focus
Notice how Miss Katherine answers Trout, how Trout answers her, and what each seems to count as power.
Two core ideas
- Green Lake was once a beautiful lake, and Miss Katherine Barlow was the town's schoolteacher and the maker of its prize-winning spiced peaches.
- Trout Walker, the richest man's son, asks her for a boat ride and is told no in a few polite words.
The shape at a glance
The chapter describes Green Lake a hundred and ten years ago, with its town picnic and Miss Katherine's spiced peaches. It turns to her work as the town's only schoolteacher and to Trout Walker, the son of the richest family, who comes to her night class and pays no attention. After class he invites her on his new boat, is refused, and says that no one ever says no to Charles Walker.
A way in
Start with the last two lines of the chapter. Ask the student which speaker sounds more sure, and what each one is sure of.
Lesson plan
Retell The student tells the chapter back in order: the lake and the picnic, the spiced peaches, the schoolhouse, Trout, the boat and the exchange after class.
Imitate the author After copying the passage, the student writes two sentences about one person in the same pattern: what the person does but not well, then what it shows.
Debate Take sides on the big question: in the scene with the boat, who has more power, Trout or Miss Katherine? Each side must use one quote from the chapter.
Purpose Close by asking why an author might begin a story about a dry lake bed with a beautiful lake and a quiet no.
Easier Read the scene between Trout and Miss Katherine aloud together and talk through discussion questions 2 and 4 only.
On level Talk through all five 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 answers with very few words, and to add it to a critical-thinking answer.
Discussion
- The chapter describes a lake that sparkled “like a giant emerald,” then a boat that “spewed ugly black smoke.” Why might the author set those two pictures side by side?Author's choice
What it asks It asks why the author sets a beautiful lake against a noisy boat, and what the pairing does before the scene begins.
One reading
The pairing shows what the Walkers' boat does to something beautiful, so the reader sides against the Walkers.
it sparkled like a giant emerald in the sun
It made a horrible loud noise and spewed ugly black smoke over the beautiful lake.
Another reading
The pairing shows that the whole town lives by the lake, so an insult to the lake is an insult to everyone.
It was said that Green Lake was “heaven on earth”
Everyone in town had seen—and heard—the Walkers’ new boat.
Listen for
- Names one picture of the lake and one of the boat.
- Says what the reader feels about the Walkers after the second picture.
If stuck
- How does the narrator describe the lake in the spring?
- What does the boat do to the lake?
- Who has seen and heard the boat?
A strong answer The lake is described in bright, loving words, clear and cool and sparkling, and the boat in loud, ugly ones, so the reader feels the boat as a spoiling of something good. It also helps that everyone in town has seen and heard it, so the Walkers' show is no private matter. A strong answer says what the pairing does and points to one phrase for the lake and one for the boat.
- Miss Katherine answers Trout with “No, thank you” and then “Yes, I know.” What do those short answers tell you about her?Character
What it asks It asks the student to read Miss Katherine from a few polite words, and to say whether they sound calm, dry or both.
One reading
She is calm and firm: she refuses plainly and does not argue.
“No, thank you,” said Miss Katherine.
“I believe I just did,” said Katherine Barlow.
Another reading
She is dry, even a little amused: her answer to the boat is something everyone already knows.
“We’ve got a brand-new boat,” he said. “You don’t even have to row it.”
Everyone in town had seen—and heard—the Walkers’ new boat.
Listen for
- Says what the short answers leave out.
- Gives a reason using what Trout says before each answer.
If stuck
- What does Trout offer her each time?
- What does she say back?
- What does everyone in town know about the boat?
A strong answer Miss Katherine says no with ordinary good manners and does not explain herself, which makes her seem calm and firm. Her “Yes, I know” answers an offer of a brand-new boat that the whole town has already seen and heard, so it can also be heard as dry. A strong answer picks what it hears and points to what Trout says just before.
- Many men in her night class had little schooling, which did not bother Miss Katherine. What makes Trout different?Inference
What it asks It asks the student to find what the chapter sets Trout apart by, since lack of schooling is not it.
One reading
He does not want to learn, and is proud of it.
But Trout didn’t want to learn.
He seemed to be proud of his stupidity.
Another reading
He comes for her, not for the lessons, and treats the class as if it were his.
One such young man was Trout Walker.
He talked in class and was disrespectful of the students around him.
Listen for
- Separates not knowing from not wanting to know.
- Uses what the chapter says about Trout in class.
If stuck
- What does the chapter say about the other men's schooling?
- What does it say about Trout in class?
- Why was Miss Katherine there?
A strong answer The chapter says the other men had little schooling because they spent their lives on farms and ranches, and that did not bother her, since she was there to teach them. Trout is different because he does not want to learn and is proud of it, and because he talks in class and shows no respect to those around him. A strong answer names the difference and points to the lines.
- Most everyone in town expected Miss Katherine to marry Trout. Was she right to refuse his invitation, or was it a risk?Moral reasoning
What it asks It asks the student to weigh doing what seems right against doing what the town expects.
One reading
She was right: he does not care to learn and has little respect for the people around him.
He was loud and stupid.
But Trout didn’t want to learn.
Another reading
It was a risk: he is the son of the richest man and is used to getting his way.
He was the son of the richest man in the county.
Trout had always gotten everything he ever wanted.
Listen for
- Names what she gains by refusing and what she might lose.
- Gives a reason using what the chapter says about Trout.
If stuck
- Who does the town expect her to marry?
- What does the chapter say about Trout's family?
- What does the chapter say about how he acts in class?
A strong answer A strong answer can call her right, since Trout does not want to learn and is disrespectful, or can call it a risk, since he is the son of the richest man in the county and has always got what he wanted. It should say what the town expects and what she might lose. The chapter does not say what comes of her refusal, and a strong answer does not guess.
- “But all they ever got was an education.” What do you hear in that short sentence?Tone
What it asks It asks the student to hear a dry line about the young men in her class, and to say who it is aimed at.
One reading
It is a dry joke at the young men, who came for her and got a lesson.
Her classes were often full of young men, who were a lot more interested in the teacher than they were in getting an education.
Another reading
It is quiet praise for her: she kept her classes about learning.
She was a wonderful teacher, full of knowledge and full of life.
That was why she was there—to teach them.
Listen for
- Names a feeling, such as humor or pride, and ties it to the line.
- Notices that the sentence stands alone.
If stuck
- What did the young men hope to get from Miss Katherine?
- What did they get instead?
- How does the sentence sound when it stands alone?
A strong answer The sentence follows a line about young men who were more interested in the teacher than in learning, and it says plainly that they got only what the class was for. That can be heard as a dry joke about the young men or as quiet pride in a teacher who kept her class about learning. A strong answer says which it hears and points to the lines around it.
Critical thinking
- Using two pieces of evidence, explain how the people of Green Lake seem to see Miss Katherine.
What it asks It asks the student to gather what the chapter says about how the town treats her, in her peaches and in her teaching.
One reading
They admire what she can do, from the prize for her peaches to her skill as a teacher.
A special prize was given every year to Miss Katherine Barlow for her fabulous spiced peaches.
She was a wonderful teacher, full of knowledge and full of life.
Another reading
They are fond of her as a person, and she is part of what makes the town special.
and many of the adults loved her as well
It was said that Green Lake was “heaven on earth” and that Miss Katherine’s spiced peaches were “food for the angels.”
Listen for
- Two separate pieces of evidence, not one told twice.
- A reason that says what the town values in her.
If stuck
- What does the town give her every year?
- What does the chapter say about her as a teacher?
- What is said about her peaches?
A strong answer The town gives her a special prize every year, and no one else even tries to make spiced peaches, so they admire her skill. They also speak of her peaches as food for the angels and many of the adults loved her, so they are fond of her too. A strong answer uses two different pieces of evidence and says what the town values most in her.
- The narrator says Trout’s foot fungus would one day trouble Clyde Livingston too. Using two pieces of evidence, explain how the narrator wants us to see Trout’s smell.
What it asks It asks the student to see how the narrator treats Trout's smell: as a joke, as an excuse, or as both.
One reading
As a joke on Trout: the narrator makes it silly, with his boast about a bath on Sunday.
“I take a bath every Sunday morning,” Trout would brag, “whether I need to or not.”
But at least Clyde Livingston showered every day.
Another reading
As something partly outside his control, which the narrator is fair about.
This wasn’t entirely Trout’s fault.
He had an incurable foot fungus.
Listen for
- Two separate pieces of evidence, not one told twice.
- Says what the narrator blames Trout for and what he does not.
If stuck
- What does Trout brag about?
- What does the narrator say is not entirely Trout's fault?
- How does the narrator describe Clyde Livingston's habits?
A strong answer The narrator pokes fun at Trout's boast and at the fact that Clyde Livingston at least showered every day, so the smell is partly a joke. But the narrator also says it was not entirely Trout's fault and that the fungus was incurable. A strong answer picks a view with two pieces of evidence and says what the narrator holds against Trout.
- Trout points his finger at Miss Katherine when she turns him down. Using two pieces of evidence, explain why he reacts so strongly.
What it asks It asks the student to find reasons for Trout's anger in what the chapter says about him and in his own words.
One reading
He is not used to hearing no.
Trout had always gotten everything he ever wanted.
He found it hard to believe that Miss Katherine had turned him down.
Another reading
He takes it as an insult to his name and his family.
No one ever says ‘No’ to Charles Walker!
He was the son of the richest man in the county.
Listen for
- Two separate pieces of evidence, not one told twice.
- A reason that explains the anger, not only a description of it.
If stuck
- What has Trout always gotten?
- What does he say when he points his finger?
- Which name does he use for himself?
A strong answer One reason is habit: Trout has always gotten everything he wanted, so he finds a refusal hard to believe. Another is pride in his name, since he says no one ever says no to Charles Walker, and his father is the richest man in the county. A strong answer uses two different pieces of evidence and says which reason seems stronger.