How to Plan a Holes Novel Study

The 90s might feel like a throwback for students, but Holes by Louis Sachar doesn’t read like an oldie (even if it was written in 1998). With its mix of humor and mystery, your entire class will be asking to read another chapter. But reading is one thing… Analyzing and discussing is another. 👀 I’m sharing how I pack my Holes novel study with activities that go beyond comprehension, while also hitting every major fiction standard.

About Holes by Louis Sachar

Holes follows Stanley Yelnats, who has been sent to Camp Green Lake, a juvenile correctional facility in Texas, after being wrongly convicted of theft. The problem with Camp Green Lake is…there is no lake. Instead, the kids spend each day digging holes as the warden searches for long-lost treasures. Throughout the book, three different timelines unfold, and eventually come together for a climactic ending!

There’s a good chance your students have seen the Holes movie, but don’t let that discourage you. Having that background knowledge of the book can actually help reluctant and struggling readers engage more deeply with the story.

Holes is best used in 4th-6th grade or upper elementary. There is some violence throughout, like someone being poisoned. There is also violence toward a Black man. One of the timelines within the book follows an interracial couple in the late 19th century. The Black man in the relationship is murdered, and this conversation about racism is something you’ll want to be prepared to address. 

Planning Your Holes Novel Study

This is the part where a lot of upper elementary ELA teachers get stuck: planning their Holes novel unit. It can be confusing to know how to divide up the chapters, how to fit in all the standards, and what activities to plan that get students analyzing. With my Holes novel study, I’ve done all the work for you. I’ve created daily lessons, teaching slides, resources, comprehension questions, and more.

There’s something important you should know, though. I don’t plan my novel units around individual activities, like stations or comprehension worksheets. Each day, we follow the same Socratic Seminar routine, and I highly recommend this format. Not only is it easier to plan, but it’s the best way to get students to engage in deep, analytical discussions.

Here’s what it looks like: I start by presenting the guiding question. Then, students read a select set of chapters (usually in book clubs). After reading, students complete a five-minute quick write answering the interpretive question. We then move into Socratic Seminar where students can use their quick write to guide the conversation. We finish the class period by returing to the quick write and adding any new ideas from the discussion.

Socratic Seminar Example with Holes

So, what does Socratic Seminar look like in action? Let me give you an example from my Holes novel study. I pulled this from lesson eleven, which focuses on theme.

The class starts by looking at the guiding question, “How is Stanley dealing with remembering his great great grandfather’s story and how is he dealing with how the others boys are treating him?” After we read the question, I send students to reach chapters 29 and 30 with their book club (but you can also have students read independently or as a whole class).

After reading, students return to their desks for a five-minute quick write over the interpretive question, “What do you think the author is trying to teach us through the challenges that Stanley is facing?” They don’t need to stress about grammar or “getting things right”, just any thoughts or evidence they have to answer the question.

Next, we move into Socratic Seminar. Students present their ideas, discuss with each other, and sometimes even push back (respectfully, of course) on each other’s ideas. After the seminar, they return to their reading response and beef it up with any new ideas they heard.

Extras in Your Holes Novel Unit

Sometimes, you want to add a little extra something-something to your novel unit. Maybe you want to boost engagement, or you just want to add some fun. Either way, I added a few extras to my Holes novel study. These are completely optional, but you might enjoy them!

The first was class decor. I didn’t go crazy here, just a bit of butcher paper on my classroom door that was made to look like the warden’s log cabin. It was a little touch that got students excited, especially on the first day of reading.

I also prepared “Sploosh”, which is a recipe of peaches and sweet onions made by one of the characters in the novel. Now, I wasn’t about to can a bunch of peach preserve. 😂 Instead, I brought in some Funyons and canned peaches. Same thing, right?

And lastly, we watched the movie Holes after reading the book. I actually have an entire lesson on this in my Holes novel study, but we focused on comparing and contrasting differences between the novel and movie storylines.

If you want to move beyond worksheets and dead classroom conversations, grab my Holes novel unit. It includes daily lesson plans and teaching materials, like reference pages, guiding and interpretive questions, lesson slides, and more.