copyright 1999, Sirpa Grierson

Go to the Holes Teaching unit by clicking the link below.    Reading Strategies and Unit Plan Facing Life-Sized Issues -- Empowering Teens with Problem Solving Skills http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/fcs/pub/teens.html Debord addresses several concerns teens admit fearing/facing when asked "What issues are youth facing today?"  SHe recognizes the importance of providing a way for adolescents to learn problem solving skills, which she believes should happen at school since it is not happening for enough students at home.  This article includes statements and comments from 15 teenagers, ages 14-17, living in urban North Carolina. The Survival Game http://www.eduplace.com/rdg/gen_act/survival/s_game.html A game idea for the classroom.  Includes instructions for creating the game, general rules for playing, and a sample of playing the game.  Ideal for learning about environments and what is needed for survival.  Geared towards students grades 5-6, but can be adapted for older grades. Creative Problem Solving Technique (Decision Making) Wood, Kristen and Gigi Woodruff.  "Creative Problem Solving Technique (Decision Making)."  Unpublished Curriculum.  Houston, TX, 1999.  A curriculum designed for the G.I.R.L.S. (Girls in Real Life Situations) program created by the YMCA of the Greater Houston Area dealing with creative problem solving techniques.  Curriculum includes objectives, materials needed, several game ideas as well as instructions accompanying them, and specific questioning for better understanding.   Lesson Plan:  Folklore from Around the World http://encarta.msn.com/alexandria/templates/lessonFull.asp?page=1288 A full lesson plan, including necessary stories for study, about folklore.  Campbell and Housley describe overview, objectives, materials needed, and procedures.  Also includes several alternative sources for additional information. Nevada Folklife:  A Curriculum unit for Jr. High and Middle School Students Graham, Andrea.  "Nevada Folklife:  A Curriculum unit for Jr. High and Middle School Students."  Nevada State Council on the Arts (1991): 8-19.  ERIC ED388596.   This article defines folklore for the teacher as well as the student.  It also includes five relevant lessons for discussing and learning about folklore in the classroom and several teaching suggestions for a folklore unit.Activities Crime and Justice:  10 "Crime and Justice:  10 Activities."  Constitutional Rights Foundation (1979): 28-30.  ERIC ED206544, fiche 1.   This article includes ten activities or simulations that can be facilitated in the classroom concerning the court process.  The inclusion in this compilation of sources is only lesson number eight as it is the only one that pertains to Holes in a relative manner.  The article/lesson addresses those who go to juvenile hall and several alternatives. Back to Top Reading Activities (compiled by Chelsey Reed) Book Discussion Guides. http://www.multicolib.org/talk/yrca/guides-holes.html> This site gives a summary of Holes, and then a list of several good discussion questions. Example question: What "holes" are there in the story for the reader? How are they "filled in"? "Deserts." The World's Biomes. http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/glossary/gloss5/biome/ This site tells about the five different biomes, and more specifically about deserts. Holes by Louis Sachar Unit Plan http://www.eduref.org/cgi-bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Language_Arts/Reading/RDG0048.html "Holes". Literature Guides. http://www.nancypolette.com/LitGuidesText/holes.htm This site has lots of activities for learning Holes. "Study Questions for Books Previously Taught in Young Adult Literature and in Children's Literature." http://the literarylink.com/questions_otherbooks.html#Holes These are terrific discussion or essay questions for classroom discussions or to use on a test. "Holes Trivia Game." http://www.kidsreads.com/funstuff/trivia/holes-triv1.asp This game is a quiz that contains all different types of questions concerning Holes. "Juvenile Boot Camps Don't Make Sense." http://www.abanet.org/crimjust/juvjus/cjbootcamp.html This is a good article about how the criminal justice system treats juveniles and more specifically about juvenile boot camps. "Leapin' Lizards." www.holes.com This is a worksheet to help students learn more about lizards and relate their findings to the text. "Literature-based Skill Building in Holes by Louis Sachar." http:www.resourceroom.net/comprehension/literature/holes/holes_4.asp This site discusses flashbacks, and how they work in Holes. There are activities such as finding Latvia on a map. "Louis Sachar, In His own Words." http://www.kidsreads.com/authors/au-sachar-louis.asp The story of Louis Sachar and how he came to write juvenile literature in his own words. He also tells about his writing style and how he actually writes. "Louis Sachar's Biography." http://www2.scholastic.com/teachers/authorsandbooks/authorstudies/authorhome.jhtml?a...> This is an interesting biography about Louis Sachar. It tells of his life and how he came to be a writer of juvenile literature. "My Family Tree." http://a1836.g.akamaitech.net/7/1836/24/d5155afd34dd64/disney.go.com/DisneyVideos/a... This is a simple family tree to get anyone started on their family history. "Mythbusters." http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/mythbusters/mythbusters.html?through=campaign/myth...> This site features the team of Mythbusters who research to find out if a myth is true of not. It is a fun and informative site about myths. "Nickname." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickname This site contains information about people and their nicknames, cities and their nicknames, some common items and their nicknames, and professions and their nicknames. "Paul Bunyan, the Giant Lumberjack." http://www.paulbunyantrail.com This site tells the story of paul Bunyan, a well-known legend. It is colorfully animated as well. "Pseudonym." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudonym This site is about psedonyms and hwo they are used in society. it contains links to other sites about pseudonyms. "All About Onions." "The Hole Truth and Nothing But the Truth." http://library.thinkquest.org/J0113061/onions.htm> This is a simple site made by students that tells all about onions. Students can relate this to Holes. "Younger Audiences." http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/entertainment/july-dec98/sacher_11-25.html> This article is an interview that was held during the PBS news hour. Elizabeth Farnsworth is interviewing Louis Sachar. Viewers discover how Sachar came to write and more about his career. "Zero's math." http://library.thinkquest.org/J0113061/onions.htm> This is a cute site that allows you to play a math quiz. All the questions deal with situations in the book. Interesting and detailed. "Zero the Hero, Trout the Lout." www.holes.com This lesson plan and worksheet helps students to analyze and graphically organize a character. This helps the student find more meaning and connections in the text. Back to Top

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Reading Resources and Unit Guide for this Novel