Holes
Chapter 34 — 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 sees a pool of water that is not there and a fist with its thumb up that may or may not be. When thirst and hope are working on him, which of the things he sees can he trust?
The tension Stanley's senses fail him, since the pool runs away from him, yet he keeps walking toward a shape that seems to give him the thumbs-up, and a boat that is plainly there.
Today's focus
Notice which of the things Stanley sees are real, and how he decides.
Two core ideas
- Thirst and hope work on Stanley's eyes: the pool is a mirage, the fist and thumb may or may not be real, and the boat is plainly there.
- Stanley keeps walking toward what he cannot reach, then changes course toward something he can: the object he decides is his halfway point.
The shape at a glance
Stanley, hot and thirsty, sees a pool of water that turns out to be a mirage. He then sees what looks like a fist with its thumb up, and keeps walking toward it without knowing why. He turns toward a large object off to the right and finds an upside-down boat with the name Mary Lou. Something stirs in a tunnel beneath it, answers weakly, and a dark hand in an orange sleeve reaches out.
A way in
Start with the pool that hurries away. Ask how Stanley can tell what is real out here.
Lesson plan
Retell The student tells the chapter back in order: the pool, the mirage, the thumb, the object, the boat and the hand.
Imitate the author After copying the passage, the student writes two sentences in the same pattern: one for someone who moves toward something, and one for what answers by moving away.
Debate Take sides: should Stanley trust the thumb more than the pool? Each side uses at least one quote from the chapter.
Purpose Close by asking why the author sets a false sight, a doubtful sight and a real sight in one chapter.
Easier Read the mirage scene aloud together and talk through discussion questions 1 and 3 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 tests what he sees, and to add it to a critical-thinking answer.
Discussion
- Stanley closes his eyes and opens them to make sure the pool is real. What does that tell us about the state he is in?Inference
What it asks It asks what the small check shows about a boy who does not trust his own eyes, and why it is not enough.
One reading
It shows how worn down he is: heat and thirst have made him doubt what he sees.
He was hot, tired, hungry, and, most of all, thirsty.
He closed his eyes and opened them to make sure he wasn’t imagining it.
Another reading
It shows he is still thinking clearly: he tests the sight and does not just run.
The pool was still there.
He hurried toward it.
Listen for
- Says why he would doubt his own eyes.
- Notices that the test passes and the pool is still not water.
If stuck
- How does Stanley feel before he sees the pool?
- What does he do to be sure it is real?
- Is the pool really there after all?
A strong answer Stanley is hot, tired, hungry and above all thirsty, so he may be seeing what he wants. He tests it by closing his eyes, and the pool is still there. But it is not water, so the test did not help. A strong answer says what the check shows about his state of mind, and what it cannot show.
- Stanley keeps walking toward Big Thumb “although he didn’t know why.” Why might he keep going toward it?Character
What it asks It asks what pulls Stanley toward something he knows he cannot reach, and whether the thumb is reason or comfort.
One reading
The thumb gives him courage: it seems to encourage him.
But every time he looked at it, it seemed to encourage him, giving him the thumbs-up sign.
He didn’t know how far away it was.
Another reading
It gives him a goal when he has none: otherwise there is nothing but emptiness.
He could see there was nothing ahead of him. Nothing but emptiness.
He kept walking toward it, although he didn’t know why.
Listen for
- Says what the thumb gives him, courage or a goal.
- Notices he also tells himself he will have to turn around.
If stuck
- What does Stanley say about the land around him?
- What does he know he will have to do before he gets there?
- What does the thumb seem to do whenever he looks at it?
A strong answer The land is nothing but emptiness, and the thumb gives him something to walk toward. The chapter even says it seems to encourage him with a thumbs-up. He also knows he will have to turn around. A strong answer says what the thumb gives him and whether that is a good reason to keep walking.
- Stanley decides to make the boat his halfway point, but he also hopes he has not gone too far. Is that sensible?Moral reasoning
What it asks It asks the student to judge a choice made partly out of curiosity, when strength is running out.
One reading
It is sensible: a clear stopping point keeps him from walking too far.
He decided to make the object his halfway point
he hoped he hadn’t already gone too far
Another reading
It is risky: he picks the halfway point because the object interests him, not because it is the right place to stop.
He doubted it was anything, but the fact that there was something in the middle of all this nothing made it hard for him to pass up.
There was no point in heading toward Big Thumb, he decided.
Listen for
- Separates a good reason from a pull of curiosity.
- Notices that he is not sure he has not already gone too far.
If stuck
- Why does Stanley turn toward the object?
- What does he hope about how far he has come?
- Why does he decide not to head toward Big Thumb?
A strong answer Choosing the boat as his halfway point gives him a fixed place to turn around, which seems sensible. But he picks it because something in the middle of all that nothing is hard to pass up, and he admits he hopes he has not gone too far. A strong answer takes a side and says what the other side gets right.
- Stanley thinks someone may have drowned at the spot where he could die of thirst. Why might the author put that thought here?Author's choice
What it asks It asks what the grim thought adds when a dry lake once held water and a boat lies on it.
One reading
It shows the danger is real: drowning and thirst sit on the same ground.
Someone may have drowned here, he thought grimly—at the same spot where he could very well die of thirst.
this was once a lake
Another reading
It shows a bitter irony: a place of too much water is now a place of none.
It struck him as funny to see a boat in the middle of this dry and barren wasteland.
He laughed to himself when he saw what it was.
Listen for
- Names the two opposites, too much water and none.
- Says what the thought makes the reader feel.
If stuck
- What was this place once?
- How does Stanley first react to the boat?
- How does his mood change when he thinks of drowning?
A strong answer Stanley first laughs at a boat in a dry wasteland, then thinks grimly that someone may have drowned where he could die of thirst. The two thoughts sit side by side, and the author lets the reader hear both. A strong answer says what the contrast adds and why the grim thought follows the funny one.
- The chapter ends with a dark hand and an orange sleeve coming out of the tunnel. Why might the author stop there?Plot structure
What it asks It asks what a chapter break at this moment does, and why the author does not show who it is.
One reading
It builds suspense: the reader is left to guess, just as Stanley is.
Something stirred under the boat.
It was coming out.
Another reading
It lets the voice answer first: the thing has already said hey back, so the reader may suspect who it is before seeing.
“Hey,” the thing answered weakly.
Then a dark hand and an orange sleeve reached up out of the tunnel.
Listen for
- Names what the reader knows and does not know.
- Says what the pause does to the reader.
If stuck
- What does Stanley shout, and what answers?
- What does Stanley think the thing might be at first?
- What does the reader see at the very end?
A strong answer Stanley expected an animal, and the thing answers weakly in a voice that says hey back. The last line shows only a hand and a sleeve, so the reader is left holding a question. A strong answer says what the reader knows and does not know at the end, and what the stopping point does to the reader.
Critical thinking
- Stanley sees what looks like a fist with its thumb up. Using two pieces of evidence, explain how sure he is that it is real.
What it asks It asks the student to weigh how sure Stanley is, using his doubts and the shape he sees.
One reading
He is unsure: he has just been fooled by a mirage and wonders if this is another.
At first he wasn’t sure if this was another kind of mirage
It was a mirage caused by the shimmering waves of heat rising off the dry ground.
Another reading
He is fairly sure: the shape grows clearer the closer he walks.
but the farther he walked, the clearer they came into a view
he could see what looked like a fist, with its thumb sticking up
Listen for
- Two different pieces of evidence, not one told twice.
- Says how the mirage affects what he believes.
If stuck
- What did Stanley see earlier that was not real?
- What changes as he walks toward the mountains?
A strong answer Stanley has just been fooled by a mirage, so he wonders whether the mountains are another one. But the farther he walks, the clearer they become, and he can make out what looks like a fist with its thumb up. A strong answer says how sure he is, with one piece of evidence for his doubt and one for his belief.
- Stanley still carries the empty sack of sunflower seeds. Using two pieces of evidence, explain what this small detail shows about how he is thinking.
What it asks It asks what a boy who keeps an empty sack is hoping for, and what that shows about how he thinks.
One reading
It shows he still hopes to find something: he keeps it in case.
He still carried the empty sack of sunflower seeds.
He didn’t know if he might find something to put in it.
Another reading
It shows how little he has: all he owns out there is an empty sack.
He could see there was nothing ahead of him. Nothing but emptiness.
He was hot, tired, hungry, and, most of all, thirsty.
Listen for
- Two different pieces of evidence, not one told twice.
- Says what a small hope looks like in a place like this.
If stuck
- What does Stanley carry with him?
- What does he say he might find to put in it?
A strong answer Stanley still carries the empty sack and does not know if he will find anything to put in it, which shows a small stubborn hope. It also shows how little he has, since all he can see is emptiness and he is hot, tired, hungry and thirsty. A strong answer says which reading the sack supports and uses two pieces of evidence.
- The boat's name is painted upside down on its back. Using two pieces of evidence, explain how the author describes the boat and where it lies.
What it asks It asks the student to gather what the author tells us about the boat's condition and position.
One reading
The boat is old and worn: its letters are peeled, faded and half buried.
The upside-down red letters were peeled and faded
The boat lay upside down, half buried in the dirt.
Another reading
The boat is a sign of change: it sits where a lake used to be.
But after all, he realized, this was once a lake.
It struck him as funny to see a boat in the middle of this dry and barren wasteland.
Listen for
- One piece of evidence about the boat and one about the place.
- Describes what is seen, not what the boat means.
If stuck
- How does the author describe the letters of the boat's name?
- What was this place once?
A strong answer The name on the boat is peeled and faded, and the boat lies upside down, half buried in the dirt, so it looks old and worn. It also lies in the middle of a dry wasteland that was once a lake, which is why Stanley finds it funny. A strong answer uses one piece of evidence about the boat and one about its surroundings.