Holes
Chapter 31 — 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
Stanley keeps thinking he should go out after Zero, yet he never goes. Does staying put show good sense, or does it show he let his friend down?
The tension Stanley feels he should go after Zero, while his own list of risks and the Warden's reach give him reasons to stay and dig.
Today's focus
Notice what Stanley thinks he should do for Zero, and what he does instead.
Two core ideas
- Stanley keeps saying he should go after Zero, and the chapter shows him digging, planning and hoping instead.
- While Stanley hopes, the Warden and Mr. Pendanski plan to make it as if Zero was never at the camp.
The shape at a glance
Stanley digs angrily, mostly at himself, and keeps thinking he should go out after Zero. He lists reasons not to, thinks of a deal with the Warden, and digs Zero's hole as well as his own. The next day, Zero is still gone, and Stanley hopes he found God's thumb. The Warden, Mr. Sir and Mr. Pendanski question Stanley, and the Warden orders Zero's records destroyed.
A way in
Start with the short line "But he didn’t." Ask what Stanley thought he should do, and what stopped him.
Lesson plan
Retell The student tells the chapter back in order: the anger, the ifs, the deal idea, the second day, the questions in the tent and the order about the records.
Imitate the author After copying the passage, the student writes two sentences in the same pattern: one trying to believe something, and one fact to hold on to.
Debate Take sides: did Stanley stay out of good sense, or did he fail Zero? Each side uses at least one quote from the chapter.
Purpose Close by asking why the author shows us Stanley's reasons and the Warden's orders in one chapter.
Easier Read the passage about the ifs aloud together and talk through discussion questions 1 and 5 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 Stanley says maybe or if, and to add it to a critical-thinking answer.
Discussion
- Stanley counts the ifs about Big Thumb: if it is close, if it is the same place, if water is still there. What do those ifs tell us about him?Inference
What it asks It asks what Stanley is doing when he lists the ifs: weighing a real risk, or finding reasons to stay.
One reading
He is being realistic: each if is a real risk, and he is thinking it through.
And if, after a hundred years or so, water was still there.
It didn’t seem likely. Not when an entire lake had gone dry.
Another reading
He is talking himself out of it by listing reasons that make staying easier.
And even if they did find refuge on Big Thumb, he thought, they’d still have to come back here, eventually.
But he didn’t.
Listen for
- Uses Stanley's own ifs, not only the student's guess.
- Notices that he thinks about the plan and still does not act.
If stuck
- What are the ifs Stanley lists about Big Thumb?
- What does Stanley think would happen even if they found refuge?
- What does Stanley do after thinking it through?
A strong answer Each if is a real risk: the thumb may be too far, it may not be the same place, and the water may be gone after a hundred years. But he also thinks that even a safe place means coming back to the Warden. A strong answer says whether the ifs read as careful thinking or as reasons to stay, and uses at least one of Stanley's own lines.
- Stanley thinks of a deal with the Warden to keep Zero from being scratched. What would the deal cost, and who would pay?Theme
What it asks It asks the student to weigh what Stanley would give up to protect Zero, and what it would mean for others.
One reading
The cost falls on Stanley: he could end up in deeper trouble himself.
He wasn’t sure how he’d make this deal without getting himself in deeper trouble.
She might just say, Tell me where you found it or I’ll scratch you, too.
Another reading
The cost falls on someone else: X-Ray would get in trouble too, so the deal trades one boy's trouble for another's.
Plus, it would mean X-Ray would get in trouble, too.
X-Ray would be out to get him for the next sixteen months.
Listen for
- Names who would pay, not only what Stanley would say.
- Weighs a friend's safety against another person's trouble.
If stuck
- What would Stanley tell the Warden in the deal?
- What might the Warden say back to Stanley?
- Who else would be in trouble if Stanley told?
A strong answer The deal could cost Stanley, since the Warden might say to tell her or be scratched too. It could also cost X-Ray, who would get in trouble and be out to get Stanley for sixteen months. A strong answer names who pays, and says whether protecting Zero would be worth that cost.
- Stanley is angry at everyone, but mostly at himself. How fair is that?Character
What it asks It asks whether Stanley's blame of himself is just, or too harsh, given what he did and what Zero chose.
One reading
It is fair: he knows he should not have let Zero dig, and he still could have taught him.
He knew he never should have let Zero dig part of his hole for him.
He still could have taught him to read.
Another reading
It is too harsh: Zero dug and kept learning, and the trade had been going on for days.
If Zero could dig all day and still have the strength to learn
Zero had been helping him dig his hole.
Listen for
- Separates what Stanley did from what others did.
- Uses Stanley's own thinking about strength and teaching.
If stuck
- Who is Stanley angry at, besides himself?
- What does Stanley say he should not have done?
- What does Stanley say Zero could do all day?
A strong answer Stanley blames himself for letting Zero dig, and by his own reasoning he could have dug and still taught. But Zero had been helping him dig, and the chapter says Zero still had strength to learn. A strong answer says how much of this is Stanley's fault and how much belongs to others, and does not let him off or pile it all on him.
- Each time the Warden asks about Zero, Stanley answers “No,” though he hopes Zero found God’s thumb. Was that honest?Moral reasoning
What it asks It asks the student to weigh telling the truth against protecting someone, when the truth is only a hope.
One reading
It was honest enough: he does not know where Zero is.
I don’t know where he is.
he began to realize that it was already too late
Another reading
It was not the whole truth: he has a hope about where Zero went and says nothing.
His only hope was that Zero had found God’s thumb on his own.
Do you have any idea where he went?
Listen for
- Separates knowing from hoping.
- Says who might be helped or hurt by what Stanley says.
If stuck
- What does Stanley hope has happened to Zero?
- What does Stanley say when he is asked if he has any idea where Zero went?
- What does Mr. Sir say about lying?
A strong answer Stanley truly does not know where Zero is, and he says so. But he does have a hope about God's thumb, and he keeps it to himself when the Warden asks if he has any idea. A strong answer decides whether a hope counts as knowing, and says what Stanley might be protecting by saying nothing.
- The author gives “But he didn’t.” a paragraph all to itself. Why might he set it apart?Author's choice
What it asks It asks what a very short paragraph does to the sentence before it and to the long reasons that come after.
One reading
It makes the choice not to go feel final and heavy.
What he should do, he thought, was go out after Zero.
But he didn’t.
Another reading
It sets up the long run of reasons that follow, so we see Stanley explaining himself.
He kept thinking that’s what he should do.
Instead, he came up with a better idea
Listen for
- Notices how short the line is next to the lines around it.
- Says what the reader feels in the pause.
If stuck
- What does Stanley think he should do, just before this line?
- What does the chapter tell us after this line?
- How does a short line change how you read it aloud?
A strong answer The line is tiny and plain, and it lands right after Stanley says what he should do. That makes the choice not to go feel heavy. It also opens a stretch where Stanley keeps explaining why he is still digging. A strong answer says what the reader feels in the pause and why the author would want that.
Critical thinking
- Stanley hopes Zero found God’s thumb on his own. Using two pieces of evidence, explain what makes Stanley think that could be true.
What it asks It asks what Stanley leans on to believe Zero may be safe, and how much of it is fact and how much is hope.
One reading
He leans on the storm, which may have left water on the mountain.
There had been a storm just a few days ago.
Maybe Big Thumb was actually some kind of natural water tower that caught and stored the rain.
Another reading
He leans on his great-grandfather, who found the thumb and lived.
His great-grandfather had found it.
Maybe Zero would feel the same urge.
Listen for
- Two different pieces of evidence, not one told twice.
- Notices how many maybes there are in Stanley's reasons.
If stuck
- What happened a few days ago that might matter?
- Who else found God's thumb, according to Stanley?
A strong answer Stanley points to the storm, which might have filled a natural water tower, and to his great-grandfather, who found the thumb and survived. Both rest on a Maybe. A strong answer picks what Stanley leans on most, and uses two pieces of evidence, one fact and one hope.
- Stanley digs Zero's hole as well as his own, long after the others go in. Using two pieces of evidence, explain what this shows about him.
What it asks It asks what the extra digging says about Stanley: a debt he is paying, or a way of not going after Zero.
One reading
He is paying back what Zero did for him.
Zero had been helping him dig his hole. Now he had to dig Zero’s.
He remained out on the lake, digging during the hottest part of the day, long after everyone else had gone in.
Another reading
He is digging instead of going: it is the easier thing to do.
He kept an eye out for Zero, but Zero didn’t come back.
He kept thinking that’s what he should do.
Listen for
- Two different pieces of evidence, not one told twice.
- A reason that explains why digging matters to Stanley.
If stuck
- Who helps Stanley dig Zero's hole?
- What is Stanley doing as he digs, besides digging?
A strong answer Stanley digs Zero's hole because Zero had been helping him dig his own. He stays out on the lake in the hottest part of the day, long after everyone else. But he also keeps watching for Zero and keeps thinking he should go. A strong answer says whether the digging is a debt paid or a way of staying put, with two pieces of evidence.
- The Warden orders Zero's records destroyed. Using two pieces of evidence, explain why she believes she can get away with it.
What it asks It asks what makes the Warden so sure no one will ask about Zero: his situation, or her control of the files.
One reading
She believes it because Zero has nobody who would ask.
He had nobody
No one cares about Hector Zeroni.
Another reading
She believes it because the camp controls the records.
I want you to destroy all of his records.
I can make it so it would be very difficult for anyone to ever find a record of him.
Listen for
- Two different pieces of evidence, not one told twice.
- Says whether the Warden or Mr. Pendanski is more sure.
If stuck
- What does Mr. Pendanski say about Zero's family?
- What does Mr. Pendanski say he can do with the records?
A strong answer Mr. Pendanski says Zero had nobody and that no one cares about him, so no one is likely to ask. He also says he can make a record very difficult to find. A strong answer decides which reason does more work, who has nobody to speak for him or who controls the papers, and uses two pieces of evidence.