Teaching Companion · Chapter 9 · Holes

This chapter's big question

Stanley's letter tells his mother he has already made some friends. By the end of the chapter, is that true?

The tension The boys step in when the Lump threatens Stanley, give him a nickname and call him to dinner, yet they also laugh at his groan and at his mother.

Today's focus

Notice what Stanley says to the boys and to his mother, and what the boys call him and say to him.

Two core ideas

Stanley's cheerful letter to his mother says he has already made friends, while the boys around him both help him and tease him.
Stanley mistakes who the Caveman is until the last lines, when the chapter shows the nickname is his.

The shape at a glance

Stanley takes his four-minute shower and goes to the Wreck Room, where he trips over the Lump. X-Ray and Armpit step in, and the boys talk about the first hole and the letter he wants to write. Zero reads over his shoulder and asks about the shoes. At the end the boys call him Caveman and take him to dinner, and he sees that the name is his.

A way in

Start with the letter. Ask the student what Stanley wants his mother to think, and what the chapter shows he leaves out.

Lesson plan

Retell The student tells the chapter back in order: the shower, the Wreck Room, the Lump, the boys' talk about holes, the letter, Zero's question, and the nickname.

Imitate the author After copying the passage, the student writes two sentences in the same pattern: one listing broken things in a place, and one turning from the things to the people there.

Debate Take sides on the big question: by the end of the chapter, has Stanley made friends? Each side must use one quote from the chapter.

Purpose Close by asking why an author might end a hard day with a joke about a nickname.

Easier Read the Lump 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 a character says something that does not quite match what the chapter shows, and to add it to a critical-thinking answer.

Discussion

Stanley only wanted to avoid a fight, yet the boys name him Caveman. Why might they see him differently from how he sees himself?Inference
What it asks It asks the student to explain a gap between how Stanley sees himself and how the boys see him.
One reading

They saw a boy talk back to someone bigger and tougher, and gave him a name for it.
- “You watch it,” muttered Stanley, too tired to care.
- The Lump rose. He was almost as big as Stanley and a lot tougher.
Another reading

The nickname is a welcome: it makes him one of them, whatever he meant by what he said.
- Squid slid over to make room as Stanley sat down.
- “You coming, Caveman?” said Squid.
Listen for
- Says what Stanley meant and what the boys saw.
- Notices that Stanley was too tired to care.
If stuck
- What does Stanley say to the Lump, and why?
- What does Stanley say he wants when the Lump pokes him?
- What do the boys do after the Lump backs off?
A strong answer Stanley muttered back because he was too tired to care, and he told the Lump he was not looking for trouble. The boys saw a boy answering someone bigger and tougher, so to them it looked like nerve. The nickname can also be a way of making room for him, since Squid slides over and invites him to dinner. A strong answer says what Stanley meant, what the boys saw, and uses one line from each.
The chapter ends with “The Lump wasn’t the Caveman. He was.” Why might the author hold that back until the last lines?Author's choice
What it asks It asks why the author lets Stanley and the reader think one thing for most of the scene, then turns it in two short sentences.
One reading

Holding it back lets the reader share Stanley's mistake, so the turn is a surprise.
- The last thing he wanted to do after killing himself all day on the lake was to get in a fight with a boy called the Caveman.
- The Lump wasn’t the Caveman. He was.
Another reading

It ends a hard day on a small, gentle joke, so the chapter does not close on the threat.
- He shrugged his left shoulder. It was better than Barf Bag.
Listen for
- Says what Stanley believed until the end.
- Says what the short last sentences do.
If stuck
- Who does Stanley think the Caveman is?
- What does Armpit say to Stanley at the end?
- What do the last two sentences make you feel?
A strong answer For most of the scene Stanley thinks the Lump is the Caveman, and the reader follows him. The last two short sentences correct that at once, so the reader sees the boys' words in a new way. Ending there also leaves Stanley with a small comfort after a hard day: a nickname, and one better than Barf Bag. A strong answer says what Stanley believed and what the ending changes.
Stanley's letter says he will learn to water-ski. Why might he tell his mother that?Character
What it asks It asks why Stanley writes something that is not true to his mother, and what he is trying to do for her or for himself.
One reading

He wants to keep her from worrying, so he writes only good news.
- “I don’t want her to worry about me,” he explained.
- “She’ll worry if I don’t.”
Another reading

He is also pretending for himself, as he does with his own idea of a camp.
- “Camp Fun and Games,” said Stanley.
- Once I pass the swimming test, I’ll get to learn how to water-ski.
Listen for
- Says what Stanley wants his mother to feel.
- Says what the letter leaves out.
If stuck
- What does Stanley say when Zero is reading over his shoulder?
- What is the camp really like, so far?
- What did Stanley call the camp he pretended to go to on the bus?
A strong answer Stanley says plainly that he does not want his mother to worry, so the letter is meant to protect her. It may also help him, since he tells himself a good story about camp, as when he says Camp Fun and Games. A strong answer says what the letter hides, what it protects, and who it may protect most.
The chapter opens with a cold four-minute shower that the narrator calls “four minutes of heaven.” What does that phrase tell us?Tone
What it asks It asks the student to hear what the exaggeration says about Stanley's day, and whether it sounds funny, sad or both.
One reading

It shows how hot and sore he is, since a short cold shower feels like heaven.
- Stanley stood in the shower and let the cold water pour over his hot and sore body.
- For the second day in a row he didn’t use soap. He was too tired.
Another reading

It is a joke in the narrator's voice, since the shower has no roof and no drain, and it is nothing like heaven.
- There was no roof over the shower building
- There was no drain in the floor.
Listen for
- Names how the shower is described.
- Says what the word heaven does in this place.
If stuck
- How does Stanley's body feel before the shower?
- What is the shower building like?
- Why might a small comfort feel huge after a day like his?
A strong answer The shower is cold, short and unroofed, but after the hole Stanley's body is hot and sore, so it feels like heaven. That tells us how bad the day was. It can also be heard as a dry joke, since the shower is hardly heavenly, and a strong answer says which it hears louder and why.
Stanley sees that the boys wrecked the one room where they could enjoy themselves. Why might they have done that?Theme
What it asks It asks the student to give a reason for the broken room, using what the chapter shows of the boys.
One reading

They are angry at a place that holds them, and the room is the one thing they can break.
- The glass on the TV was smashed, as if someone had put his foot through it.
- This was the one place in camp where the boys could enjoy themselves, and what’d they do? They wrecked it.
Another reading

They are too worn out to look after anything.
- Even the people looked broken, with their worn-out bodies sprawled over the various chairs and sofas.
- Every table and chair seemed to be missing at least one leg.
Listen for
- Gives a reason and ties it to what the room looks like.
- Notices that the chapter does not say who broke things.
If stuck
- What does the sign on the door say?
- What does the chapter say about the people in the room?
- What would it take for you to look after a room like that?
A strong answer The chapter says the boys wrecked the one place they could enjoy themselves, but it does not say who broke what or why. A reader can guess anger at the camp, or only that they are too tired to care for anything. A strong answer gives one reason, uses a detail from the room, and says what it cannot know.

Critical thinking

When Zero reads over his shoulder, Stanley puts the letter away. Using two pieces of evidence, explain what that shows about Stanley.
What it asks It asks what Stanley's reaction to being watched shows: embarrassment, care for his mother, or both.
One reading

He is embarrassed, since the letter is not true and someone has seen it.
- He stopped writing as he became aware that somebody was reading over his shoulder.
- Stanley slipped it back into the stationery box.
Another reading

He cares about his mother more than about how he looks.
- “I don’t want her to worry about me,” he explained.
- “She’ll worry if I don’t.”
Listen for
- Two separate pieces of evidence, not one told twice.
- A reason that says what the reaction shows, not only what he does.
If stuck
- What does Stanley do when he realizes Zero is reading?
- What does Stanley say to explain himself?
- What does he say about his mother earlier?
A strong answer Stanley stops and slips the letter away, which can look like embarrassment, since what he wrote is not how his day went. But he explains out loud that he does not want his mother to worry, so the letter is also about her. A strong answer picks a reading, uses two different pieces of evidence, and says what the other reading would add.
Zero asks if the shoes had red X's on the back, and Stanley guesses why. Using two pieces of evidence, explain how well Stanley's guess fits.
What it asks It asks the student to test Stanley's easy explanation against Zero's behavior and decide how well they match.
One reading

The guess fits: the shoes were a popular brand, and a baseball star might have made a commercial for them.
- Brand X was a popular brand of sneakers.
- Maybe Clyde Livingston made a commercial for them.
Another reading

The guess does not quite fit: Zero asks with a serious stare, and Stanley himself wonders how Zero knew.
- He wondered how Zero knew that.
- Zero stared at him for a moment, with the same intensity with which he had been staring at the letter.
Listen for
- Two separate pieces of evidence, not one told twice.
- Does not claim to know why Zero asked.
If stuck
- What does Stanley think Brand X is?
- How does Zero look at Stanley after the answer?
- What does the chapter tell us about why Zero asked?
A strong answer Stanley's guess is reasonable: Brand X was popular, and a famous player might have made a commercial. But Zero stares with the same intensity as he did at the letter, and Stanley still wonders how Zero knew. The chapter does not say why Zero asked, so a strong answer weighs the guess against Zero's stare and leaves the question open.
Stanley says the first hole is the hardest, and X-Ray disagrees. Using two pieces of evidence, explain whether X-Ray's warning helps Stanley or only discourages him.
What it asks It asks whether hearing the hard truth about the days to come is a help or a weight.
One reading

It helps: he now knows what to expect, and the boys share it with him.
- You’re hurting before you even get started.
- If you think you’re sore now, just wait and see how you feel tomorrow morning, right?
Another reading

It only discourages him, since the news is that it will not get easier.
- Plus, the fun’s gone
- And you still got to do it again, and again, and again.
Listen for
- Two separate pieces of evidence, not one told twice.
- A reason that says what a warning can and cannot do.
If stuck
- What did Stanley say about the first hole?
- What does X-Ray say about the second hole?
- How does Stanley answer, and how do the other boys react?
A strong answer X-Ray tells Stanley what to expect, that the second hole is harder because he will already be sore, and that can be a help. But he also says the fun is gone and there are more holes to dig again and again, which can sound like only bad news. A strong answer uses two pieces of evidence and says what the student would want to hear if it were the first day.