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Chapter 8

Holes

Trailblazers · 4th–6th

Copywork

A lot of people don’t believe in curses. A lot of people don’t believe in yellow-spotted lizards either, but if one bites you, it doesn’t make a difference whether you believe in it or not.

Read the passage aloud. What does the word either do in the second sentence?

Discussion

Narration Tell back what the narrator says in this chapter, from the line about curses to the lizard's home in the holes.

1. The first two sentences both begin “A lot of people don’t believe in.” Why might the author repeat that opening?Author's choice

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. This short chapter comes right after Stanley's first day of digging. Why might the author put the lizards here?Plot structure

Make a Connection Tell about a time something was dangerous whether or not anyone believed it was. How did people act?

Vocabulary

Crossword
123
45
67
Across
  • Across 1. To think something is true or real.
  • Across 2. Safety from harm.
  • Across 4. A change; something that matters.
  • Across 6. Very likely, though not certain.
Down
  • Down 2. Living by hunting other animals.
  • Down 3. Strange; not what you would expect.
  • Down 5. Just so; not one more or less.
  • Down 6. An animal hunted by another animal for food.
  • Down 7. To jump a long way or high.
The words in the chapter
  • believe A lot of people don’t believe in curses.
  • difference it doesn’t make a difference whether you believe in it or not
  • odd it is kind of odd that scientists named the lizard after its yellow spots
  • exactly Each lizard has exactly eleven yellow spots
  • probably you are probably dead
  • predatory protection from predatory birds
  • protection which offer shade from the sun and protection from predatory birds
  • leap can leap out of very deep holes to attack their prey
  • prey can leap out of very deep holes to attack their prey

Critical thinking

1. 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.

2. 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.”

3. The narrator says the lizards live in holes. Using two pieces of evidence, explain what a hole does for them.