Teaching Companion · Chapter 49 · Holes

This chapter's big question

Zero admits to taking the sneakers, and the lawyer answers that she did not hear it and tells him never to say it again. Is she protecting him, or asking him to hide the truth?

The tension Zero says a hard truth plainly, in the one place it could be heard, while the lawyer who has just cleared Stanley chooses not to hear it.

Today's focus

Notice what Zero says, what the lawyer says back, and what each choice protects.

Two core ideas

Zero says aloud that he took the sneakers, and Ms. Morengo answers that she did not hear it and advises him never to say it again.
The chapter sets Sam's laughing promise about onion juice beside Zero's quiet confession, and ends with a first drop of rain, with no reason given.

The shape at a glance

In the town of Green Lake, Sam sells onion juice to three men going to hunt rattlesnakes and laughs about a money-back promise. In the present, Stanley and Zero ride in Ms. Morengo's BMW with the suitcase between them. She explains how she cleared Stanley, and Zero says he is the one who took the sneakers. She tells him she did not hear it, passes back a sample of Stanley's father's product, and both boys fall asleep. A drop of rain falls on the lake.

A way in

Start with the lawyer's line, "I didn’t hear that." Ask what she might be doing, and what Zero might think.

Lesson plan

Retell The student tells the chapter back in order: Sam and the men, the ride, the proof, Zero's words, the sample and the rain.

Imitate the author After copying the passage, the student writes three sentences in the same pattern: one of action, then two short lines of speech that echo each other.

Debate Take sides: is Ms. Morengo protecting Zero, or asking him to hide the truth? Each side uses at least one quote from the chapter.

Purpose Close by asking why the author puts the rain after the confession and the sleep.

Easier Read the car scene aloud together and talk through discussion questions 1 and 2 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 says or does something that can be read two ways, and to add it to a critical-thinking answer.

Discussion

Ms. Morengo says Stanley couldn’t have stolen the sneakers, and Zero answers, “He didn’t. I did.” What might Zero want her to understand?Inference
What it asks It asks the student to work out why Zero speaks up at this moment, and what he is trying to set right.
One reading

He wants the truth finished: if Stanley did not take them, someone did, and he will say who.
- “So you couldn’t have stolen them,” said Ms. Morengo.
- “He didn’t. I did,” said Zero.
Another reading

He is simply answering her honestly, with no thought for what comes after.
- “You did what?” asked Ms. Morengo.
- “I stole the sneakers.”
Listen for
- Uses what Ms. Morengo has just said and how Zero answers.
- Notices how short and plain Zero's words are.
If stuck
- What has Ms. Morengo just proved about Stanley?
- How does Zero begin his answer?
- What does Ms. Morengo ask him, and what does he say?
A strong answer Ms. Morengo has just shown that Stanley could not have taken the sneakers, and Zero answers that he did not, I did. That can read as Zero finishing the story, or as plain honesty with no thought of what follows. A strong answer picks one and uses both of Zero's lines.
Ms. Morengo says she did not hear Zero’s words and tells him to make sure she doesn’t hear them again. Who might that help?Moral reasoning
What it asks It asks the student to weigh who is helped when a listener says she did not hear what was plainly said.
One reading

It helps Zero: he has just said aloud something that could bring him trouble.
- “I stole the sneakers.”
- “I didn’t hear that,” she said. “And I advise you to make sure I don’t hear it again.”
Another reading

It helps Stanley's case: her proof already clears him, and nothing more is needed.
- Clyde Livingston’s sneakers were stolen sometime before 3:15.
- “So you couldn’t have stolen them,” said Ms. Morengo.
Listen for
- Names who is helped and says how.
- Weighs the help against what is left unsaid.
If stuck
- What does Zero say that she tells him not to say again?
- What has Ms. Morengo already shown about Stanley?
- What does she do right before she answers?
A strong answer She tells Zero to make sure she does not hear it again, which can shield him from trouble. Her proof already clears Stanley, so nothing more may be needed for that. A strong answer says who the advice helps most, and what it costs to leave something true unsaid.
Walter looks unsure, then Sam laughs along with the men, and even Mary Lou hee-haws. What mood do you hear in that laughter?Tone
What it asks It asks what the laughter tells us about how the men and Sam feel about the onion juice.
One reading

It is friendly: neighbors teasing each other over a promise to give the money back.
- Walter looked around unsure, as Bo and Jesse laughed. Then Sam laughed, too.
- Even Mary Lou let out a rare hee-haw.
Another reading

It is a little uneasy: Walter is the one who is not sure, and the joke covers what no one knows.
- “You sure this stuff works?” asked Walter.
- Walter looked around unsure
Listen for
- Names a mood and points to a line.
- Notices who laughs first and who does not.
If stuck
- What does Walter ask Sam?
- What does Sam promise if it does not work?
- Who laughs, and who looks unsure?
A strong answer Bo and Jesse laugh, then Sam does, and even Mary Lou hee-haws, so the moment feels warm. But Walter is the one who asked if it works and looks around unsure. A strong answer says whether the laughter is friendly, uneasy or both, and does not claim to know whether the onion juice works.
Stanley’s ears redden at the thought of the notebook, even after all he has been through. Why might that small shame still sting?Character
What it asks It asks why a small embarrassment still matters to Stanley, now that it has helped prove his innocence.
One reading

It was a real hurt, and it has stayed with him: it belongs to the boy he was at school.
- Stanley felt his ears redden.
- Even after everything he’d been through, the memory still caused him to feel shame.
Another reading

It shows how much he has changed: what once crushed him is now only a blush.
- Two girls remembered seeing you come out of the boys’ restroom carrying a wet notebook.
- Stanley felt his ears redden.
Listen for
- Says what the embarrassment is and why it lasts.
- Notices that it also helps clear him.
If stuck
- What did the two girls see?
- What does Stanley feel when he hears it?
- What does the narrator say about everything he has been through?
A strong answer The notebook is what clears Stanley, but it is also a memory of shame, and the narrator says it still caused him to feel it even after everything. A strong answer says whether the blush shows a hurt that lasts or a boy who has grown, and uses one of the narrator's lines.
The chapter ends with “a drop of rain” falling after the boys fall asleep. Why might the author end here, and what does he leave unsaid?Author's choice
What it asks It asks what the plain last line does, and why the author puts rain next to the boys' sleep without saying why.
One reading

It is a quiet relief: the long dry spell breaks as the boys finally rest.
- A short while later both boys fell asleep.
- for the first time in over a hundred years, a drop of rain fell into the empty lake
Another reading

It is an open question: nothing in the chapter says what, if anything, caused it.
- Behind them the sky had turned dark
- a drop of rain fell into the empty lake
Listen for
- Notices that the chapter gives no reason for the rain.
- Says what the line leaves the reader feeling.
If stuck
- What are the boys doing when the rain falls?
- How long has it been since rain fell on the lake?
- Does the author say why it falls now?
A strong answer The author sets a drop of rain on the empty lake right after the boys fall asleep, and says it is the first in over a hundred years. That can feel like relief, and it also leaves a gap, since the chapter never says why. A strong answer says what the ending makes the reader feel and does not claim to know the cause.

Critical thinking

Ms. Morengo says Stanley could not have stolen the sneakers. Using two pieces of evidence, explain how she proves it.
What it asks It asks the student to follow the lawyer's proof: a time that the sneakers were stolen, and a time and a place where Stanley was.
One reading

The proof rests on times: the sneakers were gone before one time, and Stanley was elsewhere at a later one.
- Clyde Livingston’s sneakers were stolen sometime before 3:15.
- at 3:20 you were in the bathroom fishing your notebook out of the toilet
Another reading

The proof rests on witnesses: a boy and two girls who remember seeing him.
- I found a young man, Derrick Dunne, who said that at 3:20 you were in the bathroom
- Two girls remembered seeing you come out of the boys’ restroom carrying a wet notebook.
Listen for
- Two different pieces of evidence, not one told twice.
- Says what a time and a witness each add.
If stuck
- When does she say the sneakers were stolen?
- Who saw Stanley at 3:20?
A strong answer The sneakers were stolen sometime before 3:15, and at 3:20 Stanley was in the bathroom fishing his notebook out of the toilet. A young man named Derrick Dunne and two girls remember seeing him. A strong answer uses one piece of evidence about the times and one about the witnesses.
Sam tells the men how to take the onion juice. Using two pieces of evidence, explain how he treats his customers and his promise.
What it asks It asks what Sam's directions and his guarantee show about how he stands behind what he sells.
One reading

He is careful and exact: he tells them how much and when to drink it.
- He told them to drink one bottle before going to bed that night, then a half bottle in the morning, and then a half bottle around lunchtime.
- It’s very important you drink a bottle tonight.
Another reading

He stands behind it: he offers to take his promise as far as returning their money.
- If it doesn’t, you can come back next week and I’ll give you your money back.
Listen for
- Two different pieces of evidence, not one told twice.
- Does not claim to know whether the juice works.
If stuck
- How many bottles does Sam say to drink, and when?
- What does he promise if it does not work?
A strong answer Sam gives exact directions, one bottle that night and then half bottles in the morning and at lunchtime, and he stresses it is very important to drink one tonight. He also promises their money back if it does not work. A strong answer uses one line for each and does not guess whether the juice works.
Zero says the sample smells familiar and Ms. Morengo says everyone says peaches. Using two pieces of evidence, explain what the chapter tells us about the product, and what it does not.
What it asks It asks the student to sort what the chapter says about Stanley's father's product from what it leaves unanswered.
One reading

The chapter tells us what the product does and how it smells.
- he invented a product that eliminates foot odor
- It had a fresh and somewhat spicy smell.
Another reading

The chapter leaves open what it is made of and what it is called.
- “We haven’t come up with a name yet,” said Ms. Morengo.
- “Peaches, right?” asked Ms. Morengo. “That’s what everyone says.”
Listen for
- One piece of evidence for what we know and one for what we do not.
- Does not claim what the product is made of.
If stuck
- What does the lawyer say the product does?
- What does Ms. Morengo say when Stanley asks its name?
A strong answer The product eliminates foot odor and has a fresh and somewhat spicy smell, which Zero finds familiar. It has no name yet, and the chapter only says that everyone says peaches. A strong answer uses one piece of evidence for what we know and one for what is left open.