Holes
Chapter 8 — 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
The narrator says many people don't believe in curses or in yellow-spotted lizards. Does comparing the two make a curse seem more real, or does it only change the subject?
The tension The narrator says belief makes no difference once a lizard bites, but every fact in the chapter is about the lizard, and none of it says whether curses are real.
Today's focus
Notice how the narrator links curses and lizards in a few lines, and how calmly he gives the facts about the lizard.
Two core ideas
- The narrator says belief makes no difference when a yellow-spotted lizard bites, and says nothing here about whether curses are real.
- The chapter is a plain description of a dangerous animal: its name, its look, its home in holes and what it eats.
The shape at a glance
The chapter opens with a line about people who do not believe in curses and compares that to people who do not believe in yellow-spotted lizards. It then explains the lizard's odd name, describes its eyes, teeth and tongue, says that anyone close enough to see the yellow spots is probably dead, and ends with where the lizards live and what they eat.
A way in
Start with the first two sentences. Ask the student what the second one adds to the first.
Lesson plan
Retell The student tells the chapter back in order: the line about belief, the odd name, the red eyes that are really yellow, the warning about the spots, and the lizards' home and diet.
Imitate the author After copying the passage, the student writes two sentences in the same pattern: one that begins A lot of people, and a second that repeats it and turns after the word but.
Debate Take sides on the big question: does comparing curses to lizards make a curse seem more real, or only change the subject? Each side must use one quote from the chapter.
Purpose Close by asking why an author might stop the story to describe an animal in a calm, factual voice.
Easier Read the chapter 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 sentence where the narrator gives a true fact in a calm voice that makes it sound more frightening, and to add it to a critical-thinking answer.
Discussion
- The first two sentences both begin “A lot of people don’t believe in.” Why might the author repeat that opening?Author's choice
What it asks It asks why the author builds two sentences alike, and what the second one does with the pattern the first sets up.
One reading
The repeat sets a pattern, so the turn after the word but in the second sentence lands hard.
A lot of people don’t believe in curses.
but if one bites you, it doesn’t make a difference whether you believe in it or not
Another reading
The repeat puts the reader among the doubters, so the reader is caught off guard by the second sentence.
A lot of people don’t believe in yellow-spotted lizards either
Listen for
- Reads the two sentences aloud and hears the pattern.
- Says what changes in the second sentence.
If stuck
- How are the first two sentences alike?
- Where does the second sentence stop copying the first?
- Who does “a lot of people” include? Does it include you?
A strong answer The second sentence starts exactly like the first, and then it adds something the first does not: a warning about what happens when one bites you. Because the opening is familiar, the turn is a surprise. The repeat can also draw the reader in among the people who do not believe. A strong answer points to the words that repeat and the word where the sentence turns.
- The narrator says that if you have been close enough to see the yellow spots, you are “probably dead.” What do you hear in how he says it?Tone
What it asks It asks the student to hear the voice behind a grim fact and say whether it is calm, funny, warning, or something else.
One reading
It is a dry joke: the narrator says something terrible in a calm, easy way.
Actually, it is kind of odd that scientists named the lizard after its yellow spots.
If you’ve ever been close enough to see the yellow spots, you are probably dead.
Another reading
It is a plain warning: the word probably leaves little hope.
If you’ve ever been close enough to see the yellow spots, you are probably dead.
Listen for
- Names a feeling or voice and ties it to the narrator's words.
- Notices the word probably.
If stuck
- What does the narrator say just before this sentence?
- What does the word probably do to the sentence?
- Can a sentence be funny and serious at once?
A strong answer The narrator has just been explaining the lizard's name in an easy, almost chatty way, and then drops this sentence in the same voice. That calm can sound like a dry joke or like a warning too plain to need any drama. The word probably leaves a small chance of living, and a strong answer says what that word adds.
- The narrator says exactly how many yellow spots each lizard has, and also how hard they are to see. Why might he give both facts?Inference
What it asks It asks why the narrator gives a very exact fact and then takes away its use, and what the pair tells the reader about the lizard.
One reading
The exact number makes the lizard feel real and well studied, while the hidden spots show the danger is easy to miss.
Each lizard has exactly eleven yellow spots
the spots are hard to see on its yellow-green body
Another reading
The pair is half a joke: the name is built on a feature nobody can see in time to use.
If you’ve ever been close enough to see the yellow spots, you are probably dead.
Listen for
- Names both facts and says how they work against each other.
- Says what the reader learns about the lizard from them.
If stuck
- How many spots does each lizard have?
- What does the narrator say about seeing them?
- Who gets close enough to see them?
A strong answer The exact number sounds like a scientist's fact, which makes the lizard feel real. But the spots are hard to see, and the narrator says anyone close enough to see them is probably dead, so the fact comes with a catch. The student may say the pair builds trust, or that it is darkly funny, so long as the answer uses both facts.
- The narrator says it makes no difference whether you believe in a lizard if one bites you. When does believing something matter, and when does it not?Theme
What it asks It asks the student to think about the line between what is true no matter what we think and what depends on our belief.
One reading
Belief matters for choices, such as what a person trusts, hopes for, or is careful about.
A lot of people don’t believe in curses.
Another reading
Belief does not matter when a danger is physical and acts on you whether or not you believe.
if one bites you, it doesn’t make a difference whether you believe in it or not
Listen for
- Gives an example from the chapter and one from outside it.
- Says what makes belief matter in one case and not the other.
If stuck
- What happens when a lizard bites, whether or not you believe in it?
- Can you think of something that is true whether or not people believe it?
- Can you think of something that changes if people believe it?
A strong answer The lizard shows one side: a bite hurts whether or not you believe in the lizard. A strong answer then finds the other side, such as a promise, a plan or a fear, where what someone believes changes what they do. The student can choose their own examples, and should say what separates the two kinds.
- This short chapter comes right after Stanley's first day of digging. Why might the author put the lizards here?Plot structure
What it asks It asks why a chapter about a dangerous animal sits after a chapter about a hard day of digging, and what the placement does.
One reading
It joins the lizards to the holes, so the reader starts to look at holes in a new way.
The yellow-spotted lizards like to live in holes
Up to twenty lizards may live in one hole.
Another reading
It is a pause that makes the reader uneasy before the story goes on.
They have strong, powerful legs, and can leap out of very deep holes to attack their prey.
A lot of people don’t believe in curses.
Listen for
- Names what the boys spend their day doing and what the lizards like.
- Says what the reader may feel after reading the chapter.
If stuck
- What did Stanley spend his day doing?
- Where do the lizards like to live?
- How might a reader feel about a hole after this chapter?
A strong answer The lizards like to live in holes, and the chapter before is about a boy digging one, so the placement makes the reader look at a hole differently. It can also work as a pause that leaves the reader uneasy. The chapter does not say the lizards live in the campers' holes, and a strong answer says only that the reader may start to wonder.
Critical thinking
- The narrator says everyone speaks of the lizard's red eyes, though the eyes are yellow. Using two pieces of evidence, explain how a wrong description can stick.
What it asks It asks the student to explain how a name or description keeps going even when it is not quite right.
One reading
People repeat what others say and never look closely, so the error lasts.
everyone always speaks of its red eyes
If you’ve ever been close enough to see the yellow spots, you are probably dead.
Another reading
The red skin really is striking, so people notice it and call it the eyes.
it is the skin around the eyes which is red
has big red eyes
Listen for
- Two separate pieces of evidence, not one told twice.
- A reason that explains why the wrong description sticks, not only that it does.
If stuck
- What color are the lizard's eyes? What color is the skin around them?
- How close would you have to be to get this right?
- What do people say, even though it is not quite true?
A strong answer The skin around the eyes is red, so a quick look makes it seem the eyes are red, and everyone always speaks of red eyes. The other reason is that nobody gets close enough to check, since people who get that close are probably dead. A strong answer uses two different pieces of evidence and says how a small error can become what everyone says.
- The narrator says the lizard could have been named for its eyes, teeth or tongue. Using two pieces of evidence, explain why those names might fit better than “yellow-spotted.”
What it asks It asks the student to compare the lizard's features and judge which would make the best name.
One reading
Eyes, teeth and tongue are easier to see, so a name from them would be more useful.
the spots are hard to see on its yellow-green body
It also has black teeth and a milky white tongue.
Another reading
The “yellow-spotted” name is still true, since each lizard has exactly eleven spots.
Each lizard has exactly eleven yellow spots
Actually, it is kind of odd that scientists named the lizard after its yellow spots.
Listen for
- Two separate pieces of evidence, not one told twice.
- A standard for a good name, such as easy to see or easy to remember.
If stuck
- Which features does the narrator say would have been better names?
- Which feature is hard to see?
- What makes a name good?
A strong answer The narrator lists three better names, each from something easier to see than the spots, which are hard to see on a yellow-green body. But the spots are exact and the same on every lizard, so “yellow-spotted” is not a wrong name, only a hard one to use. A strong answer says what makes a good name and backs it with two pieces of evidence.
- The narrator says the lizards live in holes. Using two pieces of evidence, explain what a hole does for them.
What it asks It asks the student to see how the hole serves the lizards as both a home and a place to attack from.
One reading
The hole is a refuge, giving shade and safety from birds that hunt them.
which offer shade from the sun and protection from predatory birds
Up to twenty lizards may live in one hole.
Another reading
The hole is also a launching place, since the lizards can leap out of it at prey.
They have strong, powerful legs, and can leap out of very deep holes to attack their prey.
They eat small animals, insects, certain cactus thorns, and the shells of sunflower seeds.
Listen for
- Two separate pieces of evidence, not one told twice.
- Says what the lizards gain from a hole and what a hole means for their prey.
If stuck
- What does a hole give a lizard on a hot day?
- What does a hole protect it from?
- What can a lizard do to leave a deep hole?
A strong answer A hole gives the lizards shade from the sun and protection from predatory birds, and many of them can share one. It is also a place they leap out of to attack their prey, so it works for them as both a shelter and a base. A strong answer uses one fact of each kind or two of the same kind, and says what that means for an animal that walks near a hole.