Holes
Chapter 43 — 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 and Zero each say they are not thirsty, and in the end each says he is only drinking so the other will. Is that kindness between friends, or only a contest?
The tension The chapter calls the thirst a kind of challenge between the two boys, yet each says he is worried about the other, and at last they drink together, each watching the other.
Today's focus
Notice what each boy says about thirst, and what each is doing for the other.
Two core ideas
- Stanley and Zero each say they are not thirsty, and the chapter calls it a kind of challenge between them, yet each says he is worried about the other.
- Zero tells Stanley the story of his mother leaving and the long wait at Laney Park, and Stanley listens.
The shape at a glance
Resting in the shadow of Big Thumb, Zero tells Stanley about a yellow room and being homeless. The next morning they go down the mountain with onions and three jars of water. Neither will admit to thirst, until they drink together. At the boat Zero tells how his mother left him and he waited at Laney Park. They find their way back to the camp and wait in holes for the camp to fall asleep.
A way in
Start with the line "I’m just drinking so you will." Ask what Stanley and Zero each hear in it.
Lesson plan
Retell The student tells the chapter back in order: the yellow room, the plan, the climb down, the thirst, the story of Laney Park, the diagram and the waiting.
Imitate the author After copying the passage, the student writes two sentences in the same pattern: a short line of speech, then a longer sentence that shows two people doing the same thing together.
Debate Take sides: is the thirst standoff kindness between friends, or only a contest? Each side uses at least one quote from the chapter.
Purpose Close by asking why the author puts the thirst scene beside Zero's story about waiting.
Easier Read the thirst 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 one boy says one thing and means another, and to add it to a critical-thinking answer.
Discussion
- Zero remembers a yellow room and his mother singing to him, but not why they left. Why might he hold on to those pieces?Inference
What it asks It asks what the few memories do for Zero: comfort him, or give him clues to what happened.
One reading
They are a comfort: they are warm, and they are all he has of that time.
I remember standing in a crib, with my mother singing to me.
I know my room was yellow.
Another reading
They are clues: he is trying to piece together what happened.
Zero spoke slowly, as if searching his brain for memories and clues.
I don’t know why we left the house.
Listen for
- Uses what Zero says he remembers and what he does not.
- Notices that he speaks slowly, as if searching.
If stuck
- What does Zero remember about the room?
- What does Zero say he does not know?
- How does Zero speak when he tells it?
A strong answer Zero remembers a crib, his mother singing and a yellow room, which sounds warm. But he also speaks slowly, as if searching for clues, and says he does not know why they left the house. A strong answer says whether the memories seem more like comfort or like a puzzle, and uses one of Zero's lines.
- A girl asks Zero to play at the party. He wanted to, but didn’t. Why might he have said no?Character
What it asks It asks what stopped Zero from doing what he wanted, and what it shows about how he saw himself.
One reading
He believed he did not belong there, even though it was not their playscape.
I wanted to, but I didn’t.
I knew I didn’t belong at the party, even though it wasn’t their playscape.
Another reading
He was already being watched, and was wary of how people looked at him.
There was this one mother who kept staring at me like I was some kind of monster.
Listen for
- Names what Zero wanted and what held him back.
- Notices that he explains it as not belonging.
If stuck
- What did the girl ask him?
- What does Zero say he knew about himself?
- Who was staring at him?
A strong answer Zero says he wanted to play but knew he did not belong at the party, even though the playscape was not theirs. He also tells of a mother staring at him as if he were a monster. A strong answer says whether his no came from his own sense of not belonging, from how he was being watched, or both.
- Stanley follows Zero's diagram though it does not feel right to him. Was that wise?Moral reasoning
What it asks It asks the student to weigh a friend's reasoning against one's own uneasy sense.
One reading
It was wise: Zero's reasoning is clear and Stanley could not match it.
You were heading toward Big Thumb when you saw the boat off to your right,
That means we should have turned right when we left the boat.
Another reading
It was risky: Stanley still was not sure and went on a feeling that it was wrong.
Stanley still wasn’t sure.
It didn’t feel right to him, but Zero seemed sure.
Listen for
- Weighs reasoning against a feeling.
- Notices that the diagram comes after Stanley's own reasoning.
If stuck
- What does Zero draw in the dirt?
- What does Zero say about where the boat was?
- How does it feel to Stanley?
A strong answer Zero gives a clear reason: Stanley saw the boat on his right while heading toward Big Thumb, so they should have turned right. Stanley still is not sure and goes on because Zero seems sure. A strong answer takes a side and says what a good traveler does when a friend's reasoning and his own feeling disagree.
- After Stanley's fall, Zero jokes, “Glad you didn’t do that when you were carrying me.” What does the joke show about the two boys?Tone
What it asks It asks what a joke right after a scare shows about how the two boys are with each other.
One reading
It shows ease between them: they can joke now, where before the climb was only survival.
The onions had protected them, like Styrofoam packing material.
Glad you didn’t do that when you were carrying me
Another reading
It shows what they still care about: the water and each other, even under the joke.
He was worried more about the jars of water.
“Are you all right?” Zero asked from above.
Listen for
- Names the mood of the joke and points to a line.
- Notices that Zero asked if he was all right first.
If stuck
- What happened to Stanley on the slope?
- What does Zero ask before he jokes?
- What had protected the jars?
A strong answer Zero asks if Stanley is all right, and when the jars are safe he jokes about being carried. The joke shows that the boys are easy with each other now, but it also carries what they care about, since Stanley was worried about the water. A strong answer says what the joke shows and uses a line from the chapter.
- Stanley cannot bring back his feeling of destiny at first. Later, when a cloud covers the sun, he feels it again. What does that tell us about how he finds it?Theme
What it asks It asks when Stanley's feeling of destiny comes and goes, and what that says about it.
One reading
He feels it when things go his way, as a cloud arrives just when it helps.
It was a welcome relief. Once again, Stanley felt that destiny was on his side.
Another reading
He reaches for it when he is afraid, and it does not come when he tries.
But those feelings didn’t return.
He just felt scared.
Listen for
- Separates trying to feel it from it arriving.
- Says what Stanley feels just before and just after.
If stuck
- What does Stanley try to recapture, and what happens?
- What happens in the sky in the middle of the afternoon?
- How does Stanley feel then?
A strong answer The night before, Stanley felt happiness and a sense of destiny, and now he cannot get it back and feels only scared. Later a cloud blocks the sun and he feels destiny on his side again. A strong answer says whether destiny is something he finds when things go well or something he reaches for when afraid, and does not claim that destiny is real.
Critical thinking
- Zero says he is not thirsty and gives Stanley a reason to drink. Using two pieces of evidence, explain how Zero tries to get Stanley to drink.
What it asks It asks what reasons Zero gives, and how he words them.
One reading
He gives a practical reason: the water makes the sack too heavy for Stanley.
I thought maybe it was getting too heavy for you.
If you drink some, it will lighten your load.
Another reading
He says it is about worry for Stanley, not for himself.
“I’m not thirsty,” said Zero.
I was just worried about you.
Listen for
- Two different pieces of evidence, not one told twice.
- Says what Zero says about himself and what he says about Stanley.
If stuck
- What does Zero say the water is doing to Stanley's load?
- What does Zero say he was, just before Stanley's answer?
A strong answer Zero first says the three full jars may be too heavy and that drinking will lighten the load. Then he says he is not thirsty and was just worried about Stanley. A strong answer uses one practical reason and one reason about worry, and does not guess which Zero means most.
- Zero says his mother told him where to wait. Using two pieces of evidence, explain how the waiting changed as he got older.
What it asks It asks what changed and what stayed the same as Zero's waiting grew bigger.
One reading
The waiting got easier in one way: he was allowed more room.
When I was real little, I had to wait in small areas, like on a porch step or a doorway.
When I got bigger I was allowed to stay in bigger areas.
Another reading
It did not change in feeling: he still held his stuffed giraffe and did not like her leaving.
I never liked it when she left.
But even then, I still held Jaffy.
Listen for
- One piece of evidence about the size of the place and one about how he felt.
- Says what Jaffy shows about the waiting.
If stuck
- How small were the places when he was little?
- What did he hold the whole time she was gone?
A strong answer When Zero was little he waited on a step or in a doorway, and as he got bigger he could stay on a block or in a park. But he says he never liked it when she left and still held his giraffe. A strong answer shows what grew and what stayed the same, with two pieces of evidence.
- Stanley listens to Zero's story about his mother. Using two pieces of evidence, explain what Stanley understands about Zero.
What it asks It asks what Stanley knows about Zero's feelings and about how to be with him.
One reading
He understands the not-knowing: he has felt a version of it himself.
He realized that was how Zero must have felt, not knowing what happened to his own mother.
Stanley had the feeling that Zero was explaining things to himself.
Another reading
He understands how to listen: he lets Zero talk and does not push.
Stanley peeled an onion.
Zero didn’t like answering questions. It was better to just let him talk when he felt like it.
Listen for
- Two different pieces of evidence, not one told twice.
- Says what Stanley does while Zero talks.
If stuck
- What does Stanley realize about how Zero must have felt?
- What does Stanley do while Zero tells his story?
A strong answer Stanley realizes that Zero must have felt the not-knowing he fears for himself, and he senses Zero is explaining things to himself. He also listens: he peels an onion and lets Zero talk because Zero does not like questions. A strong answer says what Stanley understands and how he acts on it, with two pieces of evidence.