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Chapter 39

Holes

Trailblazers · 4th–6th

Copywork

Stanley stared at him. It was impossible. Zero was delirious.

Read the passage aloud. What do the very short sentences make you feel as you read them?

Discussion

Narration Tell back what happens in this chapter, from Stanley waking in the meadow to the song he sings Zero.

1. Stanley touches the giant rock and thinks, “Tag, you’re it.” What do you think he means?Inference

2. Stanley thinks about going back down for the shovel, but stays by Zero. Was staying the better choice?Moral reasoning

3. Zero keeps saying he is sorry, and Stanley keeps telling him it is all right. What does each boy seem to need?Character

4. Stanley decides, “It was impossible. Zero was delirious.” What makes him so sure?Inference

5. The chapter ends with the song about the woodpecker and the wolf. Why might the author end on a song?Author's choice

Make a Connection Tell about a time someone said sorry and you were not sure what for.

Vocabulary

Crossword
1
2
3
4
56
7
8
Across
  • Across 1. Not able to happen.
  • Across 3. To understand.
  • Across 4. Telling something you did wrong.
  • Across 5. The ease you feel when pain or worry lessens.
  • Across 8. Groups of family members, one after the other.
Down
  • Down 1. Said firmly and would not give way.
  • Down 2. Confused and not thinking clearly, as in a fever.
  • Down 6. To strain out unwanted bits.
  • Down 7. With wild, hard force.
The words in the chapter
  • impossible It was impossible.
  • delirious Zero was delirious.
  • comprehend It took a moment for Stanley to comprehend.
  • insisted “No, listen,” Zero insisted
  • confession Zero’s “confession”
  • relief seemed to bring him some relief
  • filter trying to filter it with his teeth
  • violently His body shook violently.
  • generations in his family for generations

Critical thinking

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.