Holes
Chapter 39 — 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 tells Zero it is nobody's fault before he understands what Zero is confessing, then decides it cannot be true. Does his forgiveness count if he did not listen first?
The tension Zero insists on saying something that weighs on him, while Stanley, trying to spare a sick friend, keeps telling him to rest and then decides the words must be a fever's talk.
Today's focus
Notice what Zero says, what Stanley hears, and what Stanley decides about it.
Two core ideas
- Zero insists on telling Stanley something and says it is all his fault, while Stanley keeps telling him to rest.
- Stanley decides the confession is impossible and puts it down to fever, and the chapter does not say whether he is right.
The shape at a glance
Stanley wakes in a meadow beneath a giant rock tower, sore and thirsty, and drinks the brown water from his hole. Zero crawls to it and is sick again. Stanley thinks about going for the shovel but stays, touches the rock, and walks back. Zero confesses that he took Stanley's shoes, and Stanley decides he is delirious. Stanley sings Zero a family song as he drifts into sleep.
A way in
Start with Stanley's words, "It’s nobody’s fault." Ask what he is answering, and whether he has heard it all.
Lesson plan
Retell The student tells the chapter back in order: waking, the water hole, the rock, the trail, the confession and the song.
Imitate the author After copying the passage, the student writes three short sentences in the same pattern: one for what someone did, and two for what they decided.
Debate Take sides: does Stanley's forgiveness count if he did not hear all of it? Each side uses at least one quote from the chapter.
Purpose Close by asking why the author has Stanley answer before he understands.
Easier Read the confession scene aloud together and talk through discussion questions 3 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 Stanley says what he thinks Zero needs, and to add it to a critical-thinking answer.
Discussion
- Stanley touches the giant rock and thinks, “Tag, you’re it.” What do you think he means?Inference
What it asks It asks what a playful phrase means in the mouth of a boy at the end of his strength.
One reading
It is a small win: he has reached the rock and this is his joke about it.
He took a deep breath, then walked the last fifty yards to the giant precipice and touched it.
Tag, you’re it.
Another reading
It is a hand-off: he can do no more, so he passes the rest to the rock.
He didn’t have the strength to get up.
But he didn’t think he had the strength to go down, let alone make it back up again.
Listen for
- Says what he is doing when he touches the rock.
- Notices how worn out he is.
If stuck
- What does Stanley walk to, and what does he do there?
- How much strength does he have left?
- In a game of tag, what happens when you say "you're it"?
A strong answer Stanley walks the last fifty yards to the rock and touches it, then thinks, Tag, you're it. That can be a joke about arriving: he did what he said he would. It can also be a boy who has done all he can and hands the rest to something bigger. A strong answer says which feels truer and what in his state supports it.
- Stanley thinks about going back down for the shovel, but stays by Zero. Was staying the better choice?Moral reasoning
What it asks It asks the student to weigh the plan for cleaner water against the fear of leaving a sick friend alone.
One reading
Staying was better: Zero might die while he was gone, and Stanley hardly had the strength to climb back.
He was afraid Zero might die while he was gone.
But he didn’t think he had the strength to go down, let alone make it back up again.
Another reading
Going was better: cleaner water would help them both, and the trail would soon be gone.
Maybe that would give them cleaner water.
he should do it soon, while the trail was fresh
Listen for
- Weighs both sides, not only the one the student likes.
- Notices that Stanley himself goes back and forth.
If stuck
- What would the shovel let Stanley do?
- What is Stanley afraid of if he leaves?
- How strong is he?
A strong answer The shovel could make the water hole deeper and the water cleaner, and the trail will not stay fresh. But Stanley is afraid Zero might die while he is gone, and he doubts he could get back up the mountain. A strong answer takes a side, uses lines from both, and says what the other side gets right.
- Zero keeps saying he is sorry, and Stanley keeps telling him it is all right. What does each boy seem to need?Character
What it asks It asks what Zero needs from Stanley's answers and what Stanley is trying to give.
One reading
Zero needs to be heard, and Stanley's answers do not let him finish.
“No, listen,” Zero insisted, then he closed his eyes as his face twisted with pain.
“That’s okay,” Stanley said. “Just rest.”
Another reading
Zero needs only to say it and be comforted, and Stanley gives him that.
Zero’s “confession” seemed to bring him some relief.
The muscles in his face relaxed.
Listen for
- Says what each boy is trying to do.
- Uses what Stanley says back to Zero.
If stuck
- What does Zero say when Stanley tells him not to talk?
- What does Stanley tell Zero to do?
- What happens to Zero's face after he has said it?
A strong answer Zero says again and again that he is sorry and that he did not know, and Stanley answers it is all right and to rest. One reading is that Zero needed to be heard and Stanley did not let him finish. Another is that Zero needed to say it and be comforted, and the relief on his face shows he got that. A strong answer says which fits better and why.
- Stanley decides, “It was impossible. Zero was delirious.” What makes him so sure?Inference
What it asks It asks the student to say where Stanley's certainty comes from: facts he can check, or a wish not to believe it.
One reading
He is going on what he knows: his shoes are on his feet, and Zero is very sick.
His shoes were on his feet.
Zero was still lying doubled over on his side.
Another reading
He does not want to believe it, so he settles on the easiest answer.
It took a moment for Stanley to comprehend.
Stanley stared at him.
Listen for
- Separates what Stanley knows from what he would like to be true.
- Notices that Stanley names the shoes right away.
If stuck
- Where are Stanley's shoes?
- How does Zero look and sound?
- How long does it take Stanley to understand?
A strong answer Stanley's own shoes are on his feet, and Zero is doubled over in pain, so a fever's talk is a fair guess. But Stanley also takes a moment to comprehend and then stares, which can show he does not want it to be true. A strong answer says how much is fact and how much is wish, and does not claim to know what Zero meant.
- The chapter ends with the song about the woodpecker and the wolf. Why might the author end on a song?Author's choice
What it asks It asks what a song does after a confession, and whether it comforts, echoes or both.
One reading
It is comfort: Stanley sings Zero to sleep.
As he drifted into sleep, Stanley softly sang him the song that had been in his family for generations.
Zero’s “confession” seemed to bring him some relief.
Another reading
It echoes the confession: both are about wishing something had been different.
“If only, if only,” the woodpecker sighs,
“I’m sorry,” said Zero.
Listen for
- Says what the song gives Zero.
- Notices the words "if only" and what they might connect to.
If stuck
- Who is the song sung to, and when?
- How long has the song been in Stanley's family?
- What does Zero keep saying he is?
A strong answer Stanley sings the song as Zero drifts to sleep, so it is plainly a comfort. But the words if only repeat a wish that things had been different, and just before it Zero said he was sorry. A strong answer says what the song does at the end of this chapter, and does not claim more than the lines show.
Critical thinking
- The water hole holds no more than two inches of very brown water. Using two pieces of evidence, explain how much it can help the boys.
What it asks It asks the student to weigh what the water gives against what it leaves unsolved.
One reading
It helps only a little: there is hardly any, and it is dirty.
At the bottom lay no more than two inches of very brown water.
It felt like the insides of his mouth and throat were coated with sand.
Another reading
It helps enough to go on: both boys drink from it.
He scooped some dirty water into his mouth, then swished it around, trying to filter it with his teeth.
He lowered his head into it and lapped up some water.
Listen for
- Two different pieces of evidence, not one told twice.
- Says what the water is not able to do.
If stuck
- How much water is at the bottom?
- What do Stanley and Zero each do with the water?
A strong answer The hole holds only two inches of very brown water, and Stanley's mouth still feels coated with sand. But both boys do drink from it, Stanley by filtering it with his teeth and Zero by lapping it up. A strong answer says how much help the water is, with one piece of evidence for each side.
- Zero crawls to the water hole “with great effort.” Using two pieces of evidence, explain how sick Zero is and what he can still do.
What it asks It asks what the chapter shows about Zero's weakness, and what is still strong in him.
One reading
He is very sick: he can hardly move, and the pain overcomes him.
With great effort, he rolled over, raised himself to his knees, and crawled to the water hole.
His body shook violently.
Another reading
He still has his will: he will not be told to stop.
“No, listen,” Zero insisted
“I got to tell you something,” he said with a groan.
Listen for
- One piece of evidence about the pain and one about Zero's will.
- Says what Zero still wants to do.
If stuck
- What does it cost Zero to reach the water hole?
- What does Zero do when Stanley tells him to save his strength?
A strong answer Zero reaches the water hole only with great effort, and then his body shakes violently, so he is very sick. But he still insists that Stanley listen, even with a groan. A strong answer uses one piece of evidence for how sick he is and one for what he can still do.
- The author describes the rock tower and the field of flowers. Using two pieces of evidence, explain what kind of place Stanley and Zero have reached.
What it asks It asks the student to say whether the place feels welcoming, harsh or both, using the author's details.
One reading
It is beautiful: the rock is richly colored and flowers surround it.
It was layered and streaked with different shades of red, burnt orange, brown, and tan.
He was in a field of greenish white flowers that seemed to extend all the way around Big Thumb.
Another reading
It is hard on them: the rock is huge, and the flowers give them nothing to eat.
It must have been over a hundred feet tall.
He brought it to his mouth but had to spit it out.
Listen for
- Two different pieces of evidence, not one told twice.
- Says what feeling the details give.
If stuck
- What colors does the author use for the rock?
- What does Stanley try to do with a flower?
A strong answer The rock is layered with red, burnt orange, brown and tan, and a field of greenish white flowers surrounds it, so it is lovely to look at. But the rock is over a hundred feet tall and the flower is no help when Stanley tries to eat it. A strong answer says what kind of place this is, with one piece of evidence for each side.