Holes Educator's Guide - Walden Media

1 EDUCAToR S GUIDEDear Educator,As the author/screenwriter and director of Holes , we are proud of itstranslation from page to screen. We believe that the film carries a powerfulhuman message. The boys living at Camp Green Lake have all lived hard-luck lives. Eachcarries the scars of a world that all too often forces kids to confront theharsh realities of homelessness, poverty, abuse, absent authority figures,and illiteracy. Though these are difficult topics, the ultimate message ofthe film is one of redemption and hope. We think you and your students will feel great sympathy for the kids atCamp Green Lake, especially Stanley Caveman Yelnats and Hector Zero Zeroni.

2 You will like the quirky characters, intricate plot, the adventurestory, and most of all, the message that friendship and learning reallymatter. Stanley and Zero are both kids having a tough time making it inthe world around them. Through perseverance, loyalty, and courage, theyrise to become accepted as heroes by the boys who previously rejectedthem. Stanley is able to end a family curse because he takes the time toteach and stand by a friend. Zero solves a hundred-year mystery throughhis newfound ability to read. Our preview audiences have told us that Holesis a great film with a greatmessage. We hope that this Educator s Guide , the educational poster, andthe web site help you as an educator to reinforce the lessons learned inboth the novel and the film.

3 We know that these materials can serve asintegral parts of a thoughtful and rewarding learning experience. If ourfilm can serve to make your kids more excited about reading, inspire themto go out and mentor other kids to read, or simply engage them to digdeeper into other subject matter, then we have all succeeded. We are excited to bring both the film and these educational materials toyou. We hope you enjoy them. Best wishes,Louis Sachar, Author/ScreenwriterAndy Davis, DirectorCONTENTSA bout The MovieMaking CoNNectionsLesson The Hero, Trout The Lout Character StudyLesson Examining Conflicts At Camp Green LakeLesson Illuminating The Past To Brighten The PresentLesson Reactions Cause And EffectLesson It Or Not?

4 Write A Review Of Holes ,The MovieLesson Lives Collide Stanley And ZeroLesson Desert BiomeLesson Ranger In TrainingLesson Lizards And Other Facts About Reptiles And AmphibiansLesson Crow Laws And The American SouthLesson Expansion Chief Joseph s Words Of SurrenderLesson Primary SourceNational Educational Standards ChartUseful References23467810111415161820222425 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSWRITERJ anet Walters, CONTRIBUTING EDITORSJean Kwon, LeMaire Crounse REVIEWERSB arbara Dorff, Social Studies Specialist and texas SecondaryTeacher of the Year, 2002 Dallas Independent School DistrictDallas, TXSusie Sung, 3rd Grade TeacherFiske Elementary SchoolLexington, MA John Evan Roberts, 7th Grade Science and 9th Grade English TeacherFowlerville Junior High SchoolFowlerville, MIJulie Cohen, MLSD irector of Libraries, K-12 Berkshire Country Day School Stockbridge, MACOPY EDITORSA lissa Farber, Citizens School FellowDavid Kramer, Citizens School FellowBarbara Byrne, , Former 7th Grade Teacher, NJSpecial thanks to: Jack Pan, Micheal Flaherty, DeborahKovacs, and Erin MackeyThis Guide may be reproduced for educational purposesonly.

5 Cover art reprinted courtesy of Buena Vista PicturesDistribution. 2003 Buena Vista Pictures Distributionand Walden Media , LLC. All rights reserved. Stills,text, and design 2003 Walden Media , LLC. WaldenMedia and the Walden Media skipping stone logo aretrademarks of Walden Media , LLC. All rights reserved. Using tHis GUIDEThis Guide is designed for teachersto help integrate the film Holesintothe classroom. All lessons are tar-geted to students in grades 5 8 andcomply with national content stan-dards. Each lesson also includes an adaptation with suggestions forhow to scale the lesson for use withyounger students. The reproducibleworksheets and lesson plans coversubject areas including languagearts, science, history, and Making Connections page showsyou how lessons can fit together andbe taught as a comprehensive an overview of content standardscorrelations in this Guide , please seethe chart on the National EducationalStandards THE on the award-winning book by Louis Sachar,Holesis a funny and poignant coming-of-age tells the story of Stanley Yelnats (Shia LaBeouf) an unusual young hero, dogged by bad luck stemmingfrom an ancient family curse.

6 Perpetually in the wrong place at the wrong time, Stanley is unfairly sentencedto months of detention at Camp Green Lake for a crime he didn t commit. There, he and his campmates Squid, Armpit, ZigZag, Magnet, X-Ray, and Zero are forced by the menacing Warden (Sigourney Weaver)and her right-hand men Mr. Sir (Jon Voight) and Mr. Pendanski (Tim Blake Nelson) to dig Holes in order tobuild character. Nobody knows the real reason they re digging all these Holes , but Stanley soon begins toquestion why the Warden is so interested in anything special the boys find. Stanley and his campmatesmust stick together and keep one step ahead of the Warden and her henchmen as they plot a daringescape from the camp to solve the mystery and break the Yelnats family Louis SacharLouis Sachar was born in EastMeadow, New York.

7 He still remem-bers how cool it was to visit his fatherin his office on the 78th floor of theEmpire State Building. When he was nine, Louis moved to southernCalifornia. Today he calls Austin, texas home. Louis met his wife, Carla, when hevisited her elementary school tospeak about his first book, SidewaysStories from Wayside School. Shebecame the inspiration for the coun-selor in There s a Boy in the Girl s Bathroom. They were married in1985 and their daughter Sherre wasborn in 1987. She was four years oldwhen he started writing the MarvinRedpostseries hence Marvin hasa four-year-old sister. In his freetime, Louis likes to play bridge, hikewith his dogs, and spend time withCarla and Sherre.

8 Among Louis Sachar s numerouswriting awards are: the NewberyMedal, the National Book Award, theSchool Library Journal Best Book ofthe Year (all for Holes ), and more than 30 individual state awards for the best book of the year, allvoted upon by the children in therespective states. Louis says he had a wonderful firstexperience in Hollywood much better than he ever could have imagined. Not only was he tapped to write the screenplay for Holes , he was on the set every day, sittingnext to the director, Andy Davis. Be sure to watch for Louis cameoappearance during the film! 2003 Walden Media , can teach the lessons in this Guide as stand-alone activities or use the lessons in each subject as acomprehensive series.

9 See how it all connects!Language ArtsLesson 1: Zero The Hero, Trout The Lout Character StudySince this is an activity that can berepeated every time students areintroduced to a new character, have students keep these charactersketches in a folder. These pages are helpful for the essay assignmentin Lesson 2: Conflicted Examining ConflictsAt Camp Green LakeConflict is often a result of characterswe call antagonists. Based on thecharacter sketches students havemade, which characters might beantagonists? Protagonists?Lesson 3: Flashbacks Illuminating ThePast To Brighten The Present!The flashbacks in Holescan be diffi-cult for some students.

10 Thinkingabout this idea now may make thediscussion of cause and effect inLesson 4 more 4: Chain Reactions Cause And EffectReviewing the work done in the lessonon flashbacks may help facilitate thediscussion on cause and effectbecause the chronological order ofevents begins to be important forunraveling the puzzle that is 5: Like It Or Not? Write A Review Of Holes , The MovieMovies inevitably change parts of abook when they are put into a students thinking beyondwhether they simply like or dislikethe movie to support that opinionwith specific changes or omissionsthat might alter the 6: Two Lives Collide Stanley And ZeroThe ideas and quotations collected inLanguage Arts Lesson 1 are helpfulfor this essay if students completedcharacter sketches for both Stanleyand Zero.