Holes
Chapter 40 — 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
Sam says it was the onions, Mrs. Tennyson says it was Sam, and Stanley wonders how his onion got there. When something saves a life, where does the credit belong?
The tension Mrs. Tennyson wants to thank a person, Sam hands the thanks to the onions and the Lord, and Stanley, who has eaten onions and found his shovel, wonders about things he cannot explain.
Today's focus
Notice who gets the credit when Becca is saved, and what Stanley wonders about the onion.
Two core ideas
- Mrs. Tennyson thanks Sam for saving Becca, and Sam gives the credit to the Lord, the doctor and the onions, never himself.
- Stanley, too, wonders where his onion came from and then finds his shovel where he did not expect it, and the chapter does not explain either.
The shape at a glance
Stanley wonders where the onion came from and digs up another plant. A scene on Main Street follows: Sam sells onions, and Mrs. Tennyson thanks him for saving Becca with his tonic, while Hattie Parker is embarrassed about the bad meat. Stanley and Zero then sleep and eat onions for two days. Stanley goes down the mountain and finds the shovel and the sack of jars side by side.
A way in
Start with Sam's answer, "It was the onions." Ask what the student thinks Mrs. Tennyson should have thanked.
Lesson plan
Retell The student tells the chapter back in order: the onion, Main Street, the two days on the mountain, the search and the shovel.
Imitate the author After copying the passage, the student writes two sentences in the same pattern: a short one about thanks, and a longer one that begins with "But now."
Debate Take sides: where does the credit belong when something saves a life? Each side uses at least one quote from the chapter.
Purpose Close by asking why the author lets Stanley wonder without telling us where the onion came from.
Easier Read Sam's scene aloud together and talk through discussion questions 2 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 someone gives credit to someone or something else, and to add it to a critical-thinking answer.
Discussion
- The night before, Stanley ate the onion without questioning it. Now he wonders where it came from. What might have changed?Inference
What it asks It asks the student to work out why wondering came after eating, and what the change says about Stanley.
One reading
Thanks came first and thinking came later: he could only wonder once he had room to.
he didn’t question how it had come to be there
He ate it gratefully.
Another reading
His wondering is practical: he is thinking about more food.
If there was one wild onion, there could be more.
this time pulling up the entire plant, including the root
Listen for
- Separates being thankful from being curious.
- Notices what Stanley does right after he wonders.
If stuck
- What does Stanley do with the onion the night before?
- Where is he sitting when he starts to wonder?
- What does he do next with the flower?
A strong answer The night before, Stanley ate the onion gratefully and did not stop to question it. Now he sits looking at the meadow, and the wondering comes with a plan: if there was one onion there could be more, so he digs up the whole plant. A strong answer says whether his wondering is curiosity, need or both, and uses one of these lines.
- Mrs. Tennyson thanks Sam, and Sam says, “It was the onions.” Why might he turn the thanks away?Character
What it asks It asks what Sam's answer shows about the kind of man he is: modest, proud, or honest about what he knows.
One reading
He is modest: he gives the credit to the Lord and the doctor before himself.
I’m sure the good Lord and Doc Hawthorn deserve most of the credit.
It was the onions.
Another reading
He is proud in his own way: he will not take more than he thinks he has earned.
I don’t take charity
But if you want to buy a few extra onions for Mary Lou, I’m sure she’d appreciate it.
Listen for
- Names a quality and points to what Sam says or does.
- Notices that he turns down both thanks and a tip.
If stuck
- Who does Sam say deserves the credit?
- What does Mrs. Tennyson offer him at the end?
- What does he ask her to do instead?
A strong answer Sam names the Lord and the doctor, then the onions, and never himself. When she tells him to keep the change he says he does not take charity, but asks her to spend it on onions for Mary Lou. A strong answer says whether this is modesty or pride, and what the extra onions for the donkey show about him.
- Hattie mocks Mrs. Tennyson for running out in her nightgown, and Mrs. Tennyson answers by mentioning the bad meat. Was that fair to Hattie?Moral reasoning
What it asks It asks the student to weigh whether a sharp answer to a sneer is fair when it falls on someone close to the butcher.
One reading
It was fair: Hattie started it, and Mrs. Tennyson only told why she was up all night.
Does your husband know you’re parading about in your bed clothes?
We have both been up all night and half the morning with Rebecca.
Another reading
It was too sharp: she named the bad meat in front of everyone, and Hattie's husband is the butcher.
It seems she ate some bad meat.
Hattie’s face flushed. Her husband, Jim Parker, was the butcher.
Listen for
- Weighs both sides, not only the one the student likes.
- Notices what Mrs. Tennyson says and what she does not say.
If stuck
- What does Hattie ask first?
- What does Mrs. Tennyson say about the meat, and does she name anyone?
- What does Hattie do afterward?
A strong answer Hattie begins with a sneer about the nightgown, and Mrs. Tennyson answers by explaining her night with Rebecca. But the bad meat lands on Hattie, whose husband is the butcher, and Hattie walks away quickly. Mrs. Tennyson says only that it seems the girl ate bad meat. A strong answer takes a side and says what the other side gets right.
- Why might the author put Sam's morning on Main Street in the middle of Stanley's wondering about the onion?Author's choice
What it asks It asks what the scene of Sam and the town adds to the scene on the mountain.
One reading
It shows onions in a good light, so the reader trusts them as something that helps.
It was your onion tonic
Stanley and Zero slept off and on for the next two days, ate onions, all they wanted
Another reading
It sets a green, lively Green Lake beside the dry place where Stanley sits.
It was a beautiful spring morning.
the same color as the lake and the peach trees along its shore
Listen for
- Says what the reader feels moving from one scene to the other.
- Does not claim more about how the scenes connect than the chapter says.
If stuck
- What is Stanley doing just before Sam's morning begins?
- What does the sky and the lake look like in Sam's scene?
- What are Stanley and Zero eating when the scene ends?
A strong answer The chapter jumps from Stanley's wondering to a bright morning on Main Street, then back to two days of eating onions. The first scene gives the onion a good name, and the second shows a lake that was once full and green. A strong answer says what the placement does for the reader, and does not claim the chapter explains how the onions got to the mountain.
- Stanley finds the shovel and the sack side by side, far down the mountain. How would you explain that? What makes you think so?Theme
What it asks It asks the student to explain a finding that Stanley cannot, and to rest the explanation on what the chapter gives.
One reading
Stanley misjudged how far he carried Zero, so it was less strange than it felt.
There was no way he could have carried Zero all the way up from here.
Now he had definitely gone too far, he decided.
Another reading
It cannot be put down to chance alone: they would not have landed together if they had rolled.
He wondered if the shovel and sack might have rolled down the hill.
it is doubtful that he would have found the sack and shovel side by side
Listen for
- Uses what Stanley thought and what he saw.
- Says what the chapter does not tell us.
If stuck
- How far down the mountain does Stanley say he has gone?
- What does he first wonder about the shovel and sack?
- Why does he doubt it?
A strong answer Stanley thinks he has gone too far down to have carried Zero from here, yet he finds the shovel and the sack side by side with the jars unbroken. He wonders whether they rolled, then doubts it. A strong answer picks an explanation, rests it on these lines, and admits that the chapter does not say how they got there.
Critical thinking
- Mrs. Tennyson says the doctor was wrong and Sam's tonic saved Becca. Using two pieces of evidence, explain why she trusts Sam over the doctor.
What it asks It asks what lies behind her trust: what the tonic did, or what she thinks of the doctor's idea.
One reading
She trusts the result: the girl got better.
The fever broke about an hour ago. Thanks to you.
That’s what saved her.
Another reading
She does not trust the doctor's idea: it makes no sense to her.
That quack wanted to put leeches on her stomach!
How would a leech know good blood from bad blood?
Listen for
- Two different pieces of evidence, not one told twice.
- Says whether she trusts what worked or distrusts what did not make sense.
If stuck
- What happened to Becca's fever?
- What did the doctor want to do?
A strong answer Mrs. Tennyson points to the result: the fever broke an hour ago and she says the tonic saved her. She also finds the doctor's leeches foolish and asks how a leech would know good blood from bad. A strong answer says whether she trusts the cure more or the doctor less, with two pieces of evidence.
- After two days of sleep and onions, how are Stanley and Zero doing? Using two pieces of evidence, explain what has improved and what has not.
What it asks It asks the student to sort the real gains from the problems that remain.
One reading
They are better: Zero is gaining and Stanley is no longer afraid for him.
the sleep and the onions seemed to be doing him some good
Stanley was no longer afraid that he would die soon.
Another reading
The water is still a problem: Stanley's digging makes it dirtier.
Stanley tried to make the hole deeper, but he really needed the shovel.
His efforts just seemed to stir up the mud and make the water dirtier.
Listen for
- One piece of evidence about what is better and one about what is not.
- Says why Stanley wants the shovel.
If stuck
- How does the chapter describe Zero after two days?
- What happens when Stanley tries to deepen the hole?
A strong answer Zero is still very sick and weak, but the sleep and onions seem to help, and Stanley no longer fears he will die soon. The water is the problem: without a shovel, digging only stirs up the mud. A strong answer uses one piece of evidence for what has improved and one for what has not.
- Stanley waits for Zero to open his eyes before he goes for the shovel. Using two pieces of evidence, explain why he waits.
What it asks It asks why Stanley waits, and whether he is being considerate or only doing what feels right.
One reading
He waits out of care: he does not want Zero to feel left behind.
He didn’t want him to wake up and think he’d been deserted.
He waited for Zero to open his eyes.
Another reading
The waiting is a courtesy more than a choice, since Zero cannot go anywhere.
“I’ll wait here,” Zero said feebly, as if he had any other choice.
He was still very sick and weak
Listen for
- Two different pieces of evidence, not one told twice.
- Says what Stanley is trying to protect Zero from.
If stuck
- What does Stanley not want Zero to think?
- How does Zero answer, and how does he say it?
A strong answer Stanley does not want Zero to wake up and think he has been deserted, so he waits and then tells him where he is going. Zero answers that he will wait, though the chapter adds that he has no other choice. A strong answer says whether the waiting is kindness, courtesy or both, and uses two pieces of evidence.