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Holes
Trailblazers · 4th–6th
Mr. Pendanski talks about respect and real names, while the boys go by nicknames like Squid, X-Ray and Armpit. In this tent, who shows more respect: the counselor or the boys?
The tension The counselor speaks warmly of respect and real names, yet jokes that Zero has nothing inside his head, while the boys use rough names and a rough welcome, yet one of them tells Stanley where the water is.
Notice how people in D tent speak to one another: the counselor's talk of respect, the boys' nicknames, and the way each welcomes Stanley.
Stanley is assigned to D tent and meets Mr. Pendanski, who says he respects him. Two boys come across the compound, then the rest meet Stanley. Mr. Pendanski gives three of them real names beside their nicknames, and the last boy is just Zero. When the counselor leaves, Stanley asks about water, is thrown down by Armpit, and is told where the spigot is. The chapter ends on his guess about the nickname.
Start with the last line, “Maybe it was a term of respect.” Ask the student what Stanley is trying to make of the nicknames.
Retell The student tells the chapter back in order: the tents, Mr. Pendanski's welcome, meeting Squid and X-Ray, the cot, the other boys and their names, and Armpit.
Imitate the author After copying the passage, the student writes two sentences in the same pattern: one in which a speaker says what they want someone to know, and one that states what the speaker thinks.
Debate Take sides on the big question: who shows more respect in D tent, the counselor or the boys? Each side must use one quote from the chapter.
Purpose Close by asking why an author might show a new arrival learning names and rules before anything else.
Easier Read the Zero 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 a character says one thing and does another, and to add it to a critical-thinking answer.
1. Mr. Pendanski says Mr. Sir “isn’t really so bad” and that the Warden is the one to worry about. How might that change how Stanley feels about the camp?Inference
What it asks It asks whether the counselor's warning makes the camp feel less frightening or more, and why.
It brings some relief: Mr. Sir seems less fearsome, and the counselor is friendlier and less scary.
Mr. Pendanski was younger than Mr. Sir, and not nearly as scary looking.
Mr. Sir isn’t really so bad
It adds fear: someone worse is out of sight, and the only rule is not to upset that person.
The person you’ve got to worry about is the Warden.
There’s really only one rule at Camp Green Lake: Don’t upset the Warden.
A strong answer Mr. Pendanski is friendlier than Mr. Sir, and he says Mr. Sir is only in a bad mood because he quit smoking, which can calm Stanley down. But in the same breath he says the one to worry about is the Warden, and that there is only one rule: do not upset that person. Stanley knows nothing else about the Warden, so the warning can raise his fear. A strong answer weighs both and does not claim to know what the Warden is like.
2. Stanley decides it is pointless to tell Mr. Pendanski he is innocent, because everyone probably says that. Was keeping quiet wise or a mistake?Moral reasoning
What it asks It asks the student to judge Stanley's silence: a sensible way to get along, or a missed chance to be heard.
It is wise: nobody will believe him yet, and he does not want to look as if he has a bad attitude.
It seemed pointless to try and tell his counselor that he was innocent.
He didn’t want Mr. Pen-dance-key to think he had a bad attitude.
It is a mistake: the counselor now thinks he did bad things, and Stanley lets him go on thinking it.
I understand you’ve made some bad mistakes in your life. Otherwise you wouldn’t be here.
Stanley nodded, as if he understood.
A strong answer Stanley figures everyone at the camp says they are innocent, so speaking up might only look like a bad attitude, and that is a sensible worry. But the counselor has just said Stanley must have made bad mistakes, and by nodding Stanley lets that stand. A strong answer picks wise or mistaken and uses what Stanley thinks and what the counselor says. The chapter does not say whether speaking up would have helped.
3. Mr. Pendanski prefers the boys' real names, but Squid and X-Ray correct him. Why might the boys hold on to their nicknames?Character
What it asks It asks what a nickname gives a boy that a given name does not, and what the boys' answers show about how they see the counselor.
The nicknames are theirs: a way to belong and to have a name no counselor handed them.
“My name’s not Alan,” the boy said. “It’s Squid.”
It ain’t just a nickname
The nicknames push back against the counselor, who talks about the names that society will recognize.
the names that society will recognize them by when they return to become useful and hardworking members of society
I can see inside you, Mom. You’ve got a big fat heart.
A strong answer Squid and X-Ray both correct the counselor out loud, so the nicknames matter to them, and X-Ray says it is not just a nickname. They can be read as a sign of belonging, since the boys have names of their own, or as a way to push back against a counselor who talks about the names society will recognize. A strong answer picks one reading, uses one boy's words, and allows the other.
4. Mr. Pendanski smiles and shakes Zero's shoulder as he says there is “nothing inside his head.” What does the smile do to those words?Tone
What it asks It asks the student to hear how a smile changes a hard sentence, and whether it makes the words kinder or harsher.
The smile makes it a friendly joke: he is teasing, not hurting.
He smiled and playfully shook Zero’s shoulder.
The smile makes it worse: he says it in front of everyone, and Zero does not answer.
Because there’s nothing inside his head.
Zero said nothing.
A strong answer Mr. Pendanski smiles and shakes Zero's shoulder playfully, so the words can sound like teasing between friends. But he says them to a boy who has just been named in front of a new student, and Zero says nothing, so the smile may only cover the harshness. A strong answer says what it hears and does not claim to know what Zero feels, because the chapter does not tell us.
5. The chapter ends with Stanley wondering if “Armpit” could be “a term of respect.” Why might the author end on his guess?Author's choice
What it asks It asks why the author closes on Stanley's hopeful guess right after he was thrown to the ground, and what that ending makes the reader do.
It eases the scene with a touch of humor, and shows Stanley finding something to hold on to.
he couldn’t for the life of him figure out why anyone would want to be called Armpit
In a way, it made him feel a little better about having to sleep in a cot that had been used by somebody named Barf Bag.
It leaves the reader uneasy: a boy just thrown to the ground is trying to call it respect, and the reader must decide if he is right.
Stanley stared up at him, terrified.
Maybe it was a term of respect.
A strong answer The last lines come right after Armpit throws Stanley to the ground, so Stanley's guess is both funny and a little sad. It shows him making the best of a strange new place, and the word maybe shows he is not sure. Ending on a guess leaves the reader to decide whether he is right. A strong answer says what the ending does and points to Stanley's words.
1. Armpit grabs Stanley and throws him down when Stanley calls him Theodore. Using two pieces of evidence, explain why Armpit might react so strongly.
What it asks It asks the student to look for causes of Armpit's anger in the chapter instead of settling on the first one.
The nickname is his own, and Stanley has just used the name the counselor uses for him.
My name’s not Thee-o-dore
It’s Armpit.
He is angry at being made the counselor's helper in front of the others, and Stanley is the one who gets it.
If you have questions, Theodore will help you. You got that, Theodore. I’m depending on you.
Theodore spit a thin line of saliva between his teeth
A strong answer Armpit says plainly that his name is not Theodore, so the name Stanley used may be what set him off. But the counselor has just called him Theodore more than once and put him in charge of helping Stanley, so he may be angry at that and Stanley is the nearest target. A strong answer uses two different pieces of evidence and notices that Armpit still answers Stanley's question about the water.
2. When a boy calls him “Mom,” Mr. Pendanski answers, “go ahead and call me Mom.” Using two pieces of evidence, explain why he answers that way.
What it asks It asks why the counselor lets the nickname stand, and whether he is being patient or keeping the upper hand.
He is patient and good-humored, and willing to let the boys tease him.
Mr. Pendanski smiled at him.
If it makes you feel better to call me Mom, Theodore, go ahead and call me Mom.
He is keeping the upper hand: he answers with the real name and a job to do.
He turned to Stanley.
You got that, Theodore. I’m depending on you.
A strong answer Mr. Pendanski smiles and says go ahead, which sounds patient and easy-going. But in the same breath he calls the boy Theodore, not Mom, and gives him a job: helping Stanley. So the answer can be read as generous or as a way of keeping control. A strong answer picks one reading, uses two pieces of evidence, and notices what the counselor does with the name Theodore.
3. Mr. Pendanski tells Stanley, “I understand you’ve made some bad mistakes.” Using two pieces of evidence, explain whether Stanley should trust Mr. Pendanski by the end of the chapter.
What it asks It asks the student to weigh what the counselor says and does in the chapter, and decide how far Stanley can rely on him.
Stanley can trust him: he speaks of respect and gives an honest warning about the Warden.
I want you to know, Stanley, that I respect you
The person you’ve got to worry about is the Warden.
Stanley should be careful: the counselor assumes the worst about him and leaves him thirsty.
I understand you’ve made some bad mistakes in your life. Otherwise you wouldn’t be here.
Mr. Pendanski left the tent, and soon the other boys began to file out as well
A strong answer There are signs on both sides. The counselor says he respects Stanley and gives an honest warning about the Warden. But he also assumes Stanley has made bad mistakes, and he leaves Stanley alone while Stanley is still very thirsty. A strong answer picks a side with two pieces of evidence and says what Stanley would need to see before he trusted the counselor more.