‘’HOLES’’Workbook 2 by Mrs.

Perez

Part 2: The Last Hole

Part 3: Filling in the Holes

Name:

Class:

1 gr7-eng-t2-wb-(Holes2)
 TARGETS
 how to recognize implied meanings.

 how to identify and understand the

main ideas, viewpoints, themes and
purposes in a text.

 how to comment on a writer’s use of

language, understanding their use of
vocabulary.

 how to give a personal response to a

text with textual reference in support.

 how to understand the different ways

texts can reflect the social, cultural and
historical contexts in which they were
written.

 how to identify social, cultural and

moral issues in stories and in class
readers.

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CONTENTS
TARGETS.................................................................................................................................................2
CALENDAR..............................................................................................................................................3
CHAPTERS 29-36....................................................................................................................................5
Before Reading..................................................................................................................................5
After Reading.....................................................................................................................................6
Extension Activities............................................................................................................................7
CHAPTERS 37-43....................................................................................................................................8
Before Reading..................................................................................................................................8
After Reading.....................................................................................................................................9
Extension Activities..........................................................................................................................10
CHAPTERS 44-50..................................................................................................................................11
Before Reading................................................................................................................................11
After Reading...................................................................................................................................12
BONUS ACTIVITIES...............................................................................................................................13
Word Search....................................................................................................................................13
If Only, If Only…...............................................................................................................................14
Themes: Part 1.................................................................................................................................16
Themes: Part 2.................................................................................................................................16
Cover Art: Part 1..............................................................................................................................17
Cover Art: Part 2..............................................................................................................................18
Motifs...............................................................................................................................................18
Student Evaluation..........................................................................................................................19
Notes................................................................................................................................................19

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CHAPTERS 29-36
Before Reading
1. Match the words with the pictures.
1. to choke ____ 4. freckles ____
2. a mirage ____ 5. a scar ____ F
3. to be delirious ____ 6. turquoise ____

D
E
A

2. Match the words with their meanings.

1. to pound ____ a. to make small, quick involuntary movements
2. a riot _____ b. a big, flat piece of hard material like rock or wood
3. to twitch _____ c. moved forward with an unsteady jump
4. lurched forward ____ d. loud and violent behaviour by a crowd
5. a slab ____ e. hot and wet air
6. a deep gash ____ f. to make a low, gruff sound in the throat
7. to grunt ____ g. to repeatedly hit hard
8. humid ____ h. a deep cut or wound
3. Find these word groups in chapters 29, and complete them in the box.

the flash the clap ____________ of God

the thumb beads ____________ of moisture ____________ of lightning

the handle ____________ of his shovel ____________ of thunder

4. In chapter 30, we will read: Stanley made a feeble attempt to punch Zigzag, then he felt a flurry
of fists against his head and neck. What is meant by a “flurry of fists”? Look up the dictionary
definition of flurry and fist, then explain what the phrase means in your own words.
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After Reading
1. How did the other boys feel about Stanley’s deal with Zero? Do you think they were right?
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2. Why did Zero hit Mr. Pendanski? Do you think he was right to be angry? Explain your answer.
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3. Stanley runs away to look for Zero. Make a list of the pros and cons of his decision.
Pros (+) Cons (—)

4. The author ends chapter 33 with a single-word sentence: Lunch. Why is this an effective way
to end the chapter?
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5. What did Zero find that helped him survive on the lake? How did it get there?
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6. Why does Zero refuse to go back to Camp Green Lake? Do you agree with his decision?
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Extension Activities
Choose only one of the activities below to complete.

1. Compare the Warden to another fictional villain of your choice (The Joker from Batman, or
Voldemort from Harry Potter, for example). What characteristics do they share? What does
the author of each story do to make the villain seem evil? Draw the two characters and write a
paragraph comparing them.
2. Sam and Katherine tried to escape across Green Lake in a rowboat. 110 years later, Zero and
Stanley also tried to escape across Green Lake, and hid under the same rowboat. Think about
the similarities between the two pairs of characters, and their reasons for running away.
Illustrate the two escape scenes, then write a paragraph comparing their reasons for escaping.

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CHAPTERS 37-43
Before Reading
1. Complete the crossword.
Match the pictures with the correct number.
2
F
1 H 3
M
C
4

5
R

T
6

R
7

8
I

9
9
S

Across
5. to get something and bring it back (p.191)
6. sharp, pointed, prickly (p.191)
8. impossible to explain (p.190)
9. a strong, unpleasant smell (p.186)
Down
1. an outlaw, someone hiding from the law (p.188)
2. solid on the outside, empty on the inside (p.194)
3. unclear and dark (p.182)
4. to make dirty, polluted, or toxic (p.182)
7. having a scratchy, rough sound (p.193)

2. In these chapters, Zero will make a confession to Stanley. What secret do you think he will
confess?
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3. In these chapters, we will read this passage: “Here, eat this,” Stanley said. “What is it?” Zero
whispered. “A hot fudge sundae.” Imagine what is happening in this scene, and illustrate it in
the first box. After reading, illustrate the scene again in the second box.

BEFORE READING AFTER READING

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After Reading
1. Describe the place that Stanley and Zero found. Include as many details from the book as you
can, and use at least five adjectives from the box:

foul flat muddy soggy tiny layered

deep hot bitter warm steep

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2. What do you, the reader, know about the onions that Stanley and Zero don’t know?
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3. Were you surprised by Zero’s confession about the shoes? What clues were there earlier in
the story?
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4. In chapter 41, Zero says: “I should have just kept them. If I had just kept those old smelly
sneakers, then neither of us would be here now.” Explain what would have been different if
Zero had kept the old sneakers. Would it have been better for the two boys if he had?
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5. Think about this quote from page 187: As Stanley stared at the glittering sky, he thought there
was no place he would rather be. He was glad Zero put the shoes on the parked car. He was glad
they fell from the overpass and hit him on the head. Explain why Stanley feels this way, giving
evidence from the story.
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Extension Activities
Choose only one of the activities below to complete.

1. In chapter 43, Zero tells about a happy memory from his early childhood: he was in a crib, and
his mother was singing the same lullaby to him that Stanley sings. Think back to your earliest
memories. Describe one of them in the box below, including as many details as you can
remember. Where were you? What could you hear and see? How did you feel?
2. When Zero was a little boy, his mother told him to wait for her in a playground, and never
returned. He waited for more than a month. Other children wanted to play with Zero and
share their food with him, but their mothers told them to stay away from him. In the box
below, write a paragraph explaining what you would do if you met a homeless child. What
would you say to your parents if they told you to stay away from the child?

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CHAPTERS 44-50
Before Reading
1. Match the phrases with their meanings.
1. something won’t budge ____ a. to imagine you are seeing things which aren’t really
there
2. to hallucinate ____ b. something cannot be moved

3. to torture someone ____ c. real, legal, acceptable according to the rules

4. to be legitimate ____ d. to be arrested and put in prison

5. to pry something loose _____
6. to cause a commotion _____
7. to be incarcerated ____
e. to force something to move, using leverage to make
something move
f. to cause someone severe pain in order to punish
them or force them to say or do something
g. to make a lot of loud noise, to attract a lot of
attention

2. Use the red words above to complete the story below.

Dr. Jones entered the cave slowly. He was careful not
to touch any of the bright green frogs on the walls. He
knew the slime on their skin could make him
____________________ and imagine seeing strange
things, and he needed to focus right now.
As he got closer to the statue, he saw the huge shining
diamond sitting in its hands! At last! It was his! He
gently tried to ______ the diamond ______________
from the statue, but it wouldn’t
___________________!

Suddenly, he heard something! A loud

______________ outside the cave! It was the
villagers! They were coming! If they caught him here,
they might ______________ him or even worse – kill
him!

3. In chapter 45, we will read: The light illuminated Stanley’s hole. He glanced down and had to
force himself to suppress a scream. Find the definition of suppress in the dictionary. Why do
you think Stanley has to suppress a scream? What do you think he sees in the hole?
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After Reading
1. Why do you think the lizards didn’t bite Stanley and Zero?
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2. What was the treasure that Zero and Stanley found? Why didn’t anyone believe the Warden
when she said it was hers? Who did it really belong to?
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3. Think about this quote from page 225: A short while later both boys fell asleep. Behind them
the sky turned dark, and for the first time in over a hundred years, a drop of rain fell into the
empty lake. Explain the significance of this passage. Why do you think it started to rain?
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4. How does Hector’s mother know the same lullaby that the Yelnets sang?
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5. Why is Clyde “Sweet Feet” Livingston in the Yelnats’ living room in Chapter 50?
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BONUS ACTIVITIES
Word Search
Find vocabulary words from this booklet in the word search below.
raspy
__ __ __ __ __ : scratchy, rough

freckles
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ : spots on
the skin

__ __ __ __ __ : move forward
suddenly

__ __ __ __ __ : hot, wet weather

__ __ __ __ __ : low sound made in

throat

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ : wetness

__ __ __ __ : a deep cut

__ __ __ __ : an old wound that

never heals

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ : crazy
because of a fever

__ __ __ __ __ : the ability to be
moved

__ __ __ __ __ __ : the appearance of water on hot ground

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ : a colour between green and blue

__ __ __ __ : loud, violent behaviour by a crowd

__ __ __ __ __ __ : make quick, involuntary movements

__ __ __ __ __ __ : a criminal wanted by the police

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ : a criminal hiding from the police

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ : to pollute, make dirty

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ : impossible to explain

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ : to imagine seeing things

__ __ __ : to force something to move using leverage

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ : acceptable, real

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ : noise that attracts attention

__ __ __ __ __ : to squeeze someone's neck so they can't breath

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ : to arrest and put in prison

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If Only, If Only…
Read the lyrics of the Pig Lullaby below, and complete the activities below.
“If only, if only,” the woodpecker sighs,
“The bark on the tree was just a little bit softer.”
While the wolf waits below, hungry and lonely,
He cries to the moon,
“If only, if only.”

If only, if only, the moon speaks no reply;

Reflecting the sun and all that’s gone by.
Be strong my weary wolf, turn around boldly.
Fly high, my baby bird,
My angel, my only.

1. What is the mood (feeling) of this poem? What words give it that feeling?
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2. Who are the speakers in the poem? What do they want?
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3. What do the woodpecker and the wolf have in common with the Yelnats and Zeroni families?
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4. Make a list of some other animals who might think “If only, if only…” and write what they are
wistfully wishing for. (For example: cat – wishes the fish would jump out of its bowl.)
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5. Write and illustrate your own verse to the lullaby, using one or two of the animals you
thought of in number 4.

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Themes: Part 1
The theme is an implicit (hidden) idea repeated throughout
the story. There are at least four major themes in Holes.
Think of at least one example from the story of each of the
themes below. Explain what that example seems to teach us
about that theme.

1. Family heritage and history: We inherit the benefits

and consequences of our ancestors’ choices
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2. Fate and free will: Does destiny control our lives or are we free to choose our own path?
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3. The destructive nature of cruelty: Unkindness toward one person creates misery for many
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4. The healing nature of friendship: Acceptance and kindness create happiness for many
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Themes: Part 2
Choose one of the four themes above (or choose a different theme you noticed yourself in the
story), and state your own thoughts about that theme, giving examples from your own experience.

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Cover Art: Part 1
Publishers want the cover of a book to give enough information about the story to make people
interested in reading it, without spoiling any of the story’s surprises. Look at the pictures below. If
you were a publisher, which one would you choose for the cover of Holes? Why would you not
choose the others? Explain your decision in the box below.

3
holes
2

LOUIS
Louis sachar

5
4

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16 gr7-eng-t2-wb-(Holes2)
Cover Art: Part 2
Design your own front and back covers for Holes.

Motifs
In literature, a motif is a frequently occurring image or symbol that represents an important idea or
theme in the story. There are several motifs in Holes, including mountains, shoes, lizards, peaches,
and onions. Choose one of these motifs and explain its role in the story. Where do we see this
motif? What do you think it represents? Why?

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17 gr7-eng-t2-wb-(Holes2)
Student Evaluation
Please take a few minutes to tell us how we did. Evaluate this booklet in the chart below.

Poor Average Good Very Good Excellent

I learnt a lot of things 1 2 3 4 5
Understandable 1 2 3 4 5
Useful 1 2 3 4 5
Fun 1 2 3 4 5
Exercises that I found
useful:
I’m all
ears!
Exercises that I would
change:

What other topics

should be included in
the booklet?

Notes
Use these pages to take notes, or as instructed by the teacher.
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