Holes
Chapter 50 — 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
Which tells us more about how the story ends: the suitcase, the money and the television commercial, or the changes the narrator says are hard to measure?
The tension The narrator reports the jewels, the money and the commercial plainly, yet calls the changes in Stanley's character subtle and hard to measure, and ends by telling the reader to fill in the holes.
Today's focus
Notice what the narrator tells plainly, what the narrator calls hard to measure, and what is left to the reader.
Two core ideas
- The narrator reports the facts, the jewels, the money and the commercial, and says the changes in Stanley's character are subtle and hard to measure.
- The narrator ends by telling the reader to fill in the holes, and closes on a party and a half-sung song.
The shape at a glance
Stanley's mother doubts there was ever a curse, and the narrator notes a matter of timing. The camp is closed and the land sold. The suitcase holds poor jewels and valuable papers, and Stanley and Hector each get a share. A year and a half later, a party at the Yelnats house watches a Sploosh commercial in which Clyde Livingston stars. A woman in a chair fluffs Hector's hair and sings a song.
A way in
Start with the narrator's line, "You will have to fill in the holes yourself." Ask what holes the student sees.
Lesson plan
Retell The student tells the chapter back in order: the curse and the timing, the camp closing, the suitcase, the shares, the party and the song.
Imitate the author After copying the passage, the student writes two sentences in the same pattern: one saying what is hard to measure, and a short one that closes it.
Debate Take sides: which tells us more about how the story ends, the suitcase, the money and the commercial, or the changes the narrator says are hard to measure? Each side uses at least one quote from the chapter.
Purpose Close by asking why the author ends with a party and a song instead of a list of answers.
Easier Read the party 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 the narrator tells the reader what to think, or what not to think, and to add it to a critical-thinking answer.
Discussion
- The narrator calls the details tedious and then skips them. Why might the author speak to the reader this way?Author's choice
What it asks It asks what the narrator's easy, joking voice does for an ending, and what it leaves for the reader.
One reading
It is playful: the narrator talks to the reader like a friend and lets a long story close lightly.
The reader might find it interesting, however
But it would be boring to go through all the tedious details of all the changes in their lives.
Another reading
It points at what matters: skipping the details leaves room for the change in Stanley.
the reader probably cares more about the change in Stanley’s character and self-confidence
You will have to fill in the holes yourself.
Listen for
- Names what the voice sounds like and points to a line.
- Says what the narrator chooses not to tell.
If stuck
- What does the narrator say the answers are like?
- Who does the narrator keep talking to?
- What does the narrator tell the reader to do at the end?
A strong answer The narrator keeps calling the answers long and tedious, and speaks straight to the reader as if sharing a joke. That can read as playfulness, or as a way of pointing to the change in Stanley that is not on the list of facts. A strong answer says what the voice does for the ending, and uses two lines.
- Stanley’s mother says there was never a curse, and the narrator then points to a matter of timing. What do you make of that?Inference
What it asks It asks the student to say what the narrator is doing when a doubt is followed by a fact about timing.
One reading
The timing is hard to wave away: the narrator sets two events side by side.
Stanley’s father invented his cure for foot odor the day after the great-great-grandson of Elya Yelnats carried the great-great-great-grandson of Madame Zeroni up the mountain.
Another reading
The mother's doubt stands: the narrator only says the reader might find the timing interesting.
Stanley’s mother insists that there never was a curse.
She even doubts whether Stanley’s great-great-grandfather really stole a pig.
Listen for
- Separates what the narrator says from what he leaves unsaid.
- Notices the words "might find it interesting."
If stuck
- What does Stanley's mother say about the curse?
- What does the narrator say the reader might find interesting?
- Does the narrator say what the timing means?
A strong answer The mother insists there never was a curse and even doubts the pig, and then the narrator says the reader might find it interesting that a cure was invented the day after Stanley carried Hector up the mountain. The narrator never says what it means. A strong answer says what the timing makes the reader wonder, and does not claim to know.
- At the party, Stanley shrugs one shoulder, looks uncertain and blushes. What does that show about how he has, or has not, changed?Character
What it asks It asks the student to read small habits of the body against a scene that is also new for him.
One reading
He is still the shy boy he was: the shrug and the blush are old habits.
Stanley raised and lowered his left shoulder.
He felt himself blush
Another reading
He is at ease in a way he was not: he sits beside Clyde Livingston and is trusted with a joke.
Besides being on the television screen, Clyde Livingston was also sitting on the couch next to Stanley.
“Will you do me a favor, Stanley?”
Listen for
- Names one old habit and one new thing.
- Notices how the scene treats Stanley's blush.
If stuck
- What does Stanley do with his shoulder?
- Who is sitting next to Stanley?
- What does Clyde ask him to do?
A strong answer Stanley shrugs one shoulder and blushes, which are old habits of his. But he sits beside Clyde Livingston, who asks him for a favor, so he is at ease in a way he was not before. A strong answer says which matters more, and why a boy can be both shy and changed.
- The people at Stanley’s house cheer, as if the run in the commercial really counted. What mood do you hear in that cheering?Tone
What it asks It asks what the cheering means when everyone knows the scene is only an advertisement.
One reading
It is proud and glad: they stopped everything to watch and clap.
Everyone stopped talking and watched.
Everyone at the party clapped their hands.
Another reading
It is playful: they know it is make-believe, and they enjoy cheering anyway.
The people at Stanley’s house cheered, as if the run really counted.
The other people at the party laughed.
Listen for
- Names a mood and points to a line.
- Notices the words "as if."
If stuck
- What do the people at the party do before the commercial begins?
- What does the narrator say about the run?
- How do they act when the commercial ends?
A strong answer Everyone stops talking to watch the commercial, and they cheer and clap, so the room feels proud and glad. The narrator says they cheered as if the run really counted, which shows they know it is make-believe and enjoy it anyway. A strong answer says which mood is stronger and uses a line.
- Stanley spends his share on a house with a laboratory, and Hector on private investigators. Which choice tells us more about the boy who made it?Theme
What it asks It asks the student to weigh two choices, one for a family and one for answers, and say which shows more.
One reading
Stanley's choice shows more: he spends on a home and on his father's work.
It was enough for Stanley to buy his family a new house, with a laboratory in the basement
Another reading
Hector's choice shows more: he spends on finding something out, and the chapter does not say what.
and for Hector to hire a team of private investigators
Listen for
- Says what each choice is for.
- Does not claim what the investigators look for.
If stuck
- What does Stanley buy, and who is it for?
- What does Hector hire?
- Does the chapter say what the investigators are for?
A strong answer Stanley buys his family a new house with a laboratory in the basement, which shows what he values. Hector hires a team of private investigators, and the chapter does not say what they are looking for. A strong answer picks one choice, says what it shows, and admits what the chapter leaves out.
Critical thinking
- At first everyone gasps at the jewels in the suitcase. Using two pieces of evidence, explain how the suitcase turns out to be both less and more than they hoped.
What it asks It asks the student to hold two truths about the suitcase: a letdown at first, and a surprise later.
One reading
It is a letdown: Stanley thought they were millionaires, and the jewels were poor.
Stanley thought he and Hector had become millionaires.
But the jewels were of poor quality, worth no more than twenty thousand dollars.
Another reading
It is a surprise: the papers underneath were worth more than the jewels.
They turned out to be a lot more valuable than the jewels.
After legal fees and taxes, Stanley and Zero each received less than a million dollars.
Listen for
- One piece of evidence for the letdown and one for the surprise.
- Notices the word "But" in both turns.
If stuck
- What did Stanley think when everyone gasped?
- What was under the jewels?
- What did each boy end up with?
A strong answer Everyone gasps and Stanley thinks he and Hector have become millionaires, but the jewels are of poor quality. The papers underneath turn out to be a lot more valuable than the jewels, though after fees and taxes each boy gets less than a million dollars. A strong answer uses one piece of evidence for each part and says what the two turns have in common.
- A woman in the chair is fluffing Hector’s hair. Using two pieces of evidence, explain what the chapter shows about her, and what it does not say.
What it asks It asks the student to gather what the narrator tells us about the woman and to notice what is left unnamed.
One reading
She is gentle with Hector: she touches his hair and sings softly.
A woman sitting in the chair behind Hector was absent-mindedly fluffing his hair with her fingers.
Very softly, she half sang, half hummed a song that her grandmother used to sing to her when she was a little girl.
Another reading
She has had a hard life: it shows in her skin and her eyes.
her skin had a weathered look to it, almost like leather
Her eyes seemed weary, as if she’d seen too many things in her life that she didn’t want to see.
Listen for
- Two different pieces of evidence, not one told twice.
- Does not say who she is.
If stuck
- What is she doing with Hector's hair?
- How does the narrator describe her skin and her eyes?
A strong answer She fluffs Hector's hair and sings softly, so she is gentle with him. Her skin looks weathered and her eyes weary, which hints at a hard life. The chapter never says who she is. A strong answer uses one piece of evidence for each reading and does not guess her name.
- The Attorney General closes Camp Green Lake. Using two pieces of evidence, explain what happens to the place and to Ms. Walker.
What it asks It asks the student to say what changes for the land, and what is lost for the Warden.
One reading
For the place, the change is large: a camp for punishment is to become a different kind of camp.
It was bought by a national organization dedicated to the well-being of young girls.
In a few years, Camp Green Lake will become a Girl Scout camp.
Another reading
For Ms. Walker, it is a loss: she must give up what her family kept for generations.
Ms. Walker, who was in desperate need of money, had to sell the land which had been in her family for generations.
Listen for
- One piece of evidence for the place and one for Ms. Walker.
- Says what the new owners care about.
If stuck
- Who closed the camp?
- Who bought the land, and what are they dedicated to?
A strong answer The Attorney General closes the camp and the land is bought by an organization dedicated to the well-being of young girls, so it will become a Girl Scout camp. Ms. Walker, in desperate need of money, has to sell land that had been in her family for generations. A strong answer uses one piece of evidence for each and says what changes most.