THEMES – buried treasure, curses,
friendship, homelessness, juvenile
crime, magic, onions, racism, water,
nicknames. Which theme sticks in your
mind when you think of HOLES? Go
ahead and write your thoughts about
them, using any writing style you like.
FACT FANATIC – do some research
and dig up information about the
author, the book or anything connected to
the story. You can use any research tool
you like: books, internet, newspapers.
Present you information in an original
and creative way.
COLLECTOR – collect pictures,
newspaper and magazine articles that
remind you of HOLES. Include a few lines
on how it relates to the story. Refer to the
themes above for ideas.
EXTRACTS – Choose a favourite extract
from HOLES and write your thoughts on it,
or draw and label a picture or a cartoon strip.
ROLE MODELS – Clyde Livingstone was a
famous baseball player in the story. Do you
have a role model or someone you look up to,
or wish to be? Write about your role model –
you can write a story, a poem or a letter.
IMAGINE you are a bad boy. The court has
sent you to Camp Green Lake to improve
your character. Write a diary entry
describing your first day digging a
hole and your first night. What are you
thinking and feeling? What observations
have you made?
PALINDROMES – What are they? Do some
research and write a list of interesting
palindromes or invent a palindrome quiz or
game. Write palindrome names for you and
your group.
EASY - After digging holes for some time,
the task became easier for Stanley. Write
about something from your experience that
was initially difficult but eventually became
easier.
NICKNAMES – these were used a lot
in HOLES. What do you think of
nicknames? Why do we give them to
people? Make a list of all the nicknames
in the book and why they were given to
the characters.
CHARACTERS – draw a character
map that shows how the characters in
the book are connected. You might want
to start from the 3 main characters in the
three stories to make it easier. Your main
goal is to make the character connections
clear
GLOSSARY – write a list of words
that the class may have found difficult.
Write a synonym and antonym for each
of your words. Present your glossary
creatively.
WHO’S WHO? – create a detailed
profile of each of the main characters.
You could include name, age, nickname,
role in the story, clothes, personality,
reason for being at Camp Green Lake.
You can also include a drawing or
sketch.
IMAGES – there are many recurring images
in the book. What are they? Draw and label
the images you remember most, and include a
brief explanation of their significance.
QUIZ – create a HOLES QUIZ that your
group could run in class. Can you make it
fun and lively? How would you run your
quiz hour?
QUOTE BANK – make a list of important
quotes. Write who said it and why. Find an
interesting way to present your quotes.
REVERSE – List 10 things needed for
human survival that cannot be found in the
desert.
QUESTION – Come up with 6 questions for
which ‘holes’ is the answer.
ALPHABET – compile a list of A-Z words
that could be Stanley Yelnats 2 inventions
THE BAR – use ‘the bar’ to improve the
facilities at Camp Green Lake. Write or
draw and label this response.
B = bigger
A= add
R= replace or remove
DIFFERENT USES – Think of 7 different
uses for ‘sploosh’. [Both in the story and
other imaginary uses.]
COMBINATION – use a venn diagram to list
and combine the similarities and differences
of Kissin Kate Barlow and The Warden.
BULLYING – create a mind map of ways
Stanley could deal with the bullying he
experiences
LAST CHAPTER – write an alternative
ending for the story.
WHAT IF? – what if Trout Walker
had not discovered Sam and Kate
kissing? List the ways the story
would change.
RIDICULOUS – “If you take a bad
boy and make him dig a hole every
day in the sun you will turn him into a good
boy.” Justify this ridiculous statement in a
short piece of writing.
BRICK WALL – what ways would you
suggest for dealing with the problem of
juvenile crime. What alternative methods to
those in the story might work?
PREDICTION – select a character and
suggest what might happen to them 5
years after the story ends.
INVENTION – design/ invent some tools
that may have helped Stanley on his journey
through the desert.
CONSTRUCTION – design a new
cover for the book.
BUDGET – you are the cook at Camp Green
Lake. Write a menu for breakfast, lunch and
dinner that will be inexpensive but nutritious
enough for the boys to keep up their strength
to dig holes. Oh, and what about the warden?
Does she get ‘special’ treatment?
COMPOSE – write a song in any style
you like about HOLES
COLLAGE – design a collage of bits and
pieces that remind us of HOLES. Your
design can be pasted into your scrapbook.