Holes Unit Plan - Louis Sachar Novel Study Reading Unit

This unit includes everything you need to teach Holes by Louis Sachar from start to finish with confidence and ease. With over 240 pages and slides of ready-to-use content, this comprehensive novel unit is no prep and supports deep understanding, strong comprehension, and meaningful engagement. The Holes novel study is thoughtfully created to guide students through the novel chapter by chapter and includes eye-catching presentation slides, print-ready assignments, reading and analysis questions, vocabulary instruction, quizzes, creative projects, and interactive class activities. Designed to support a wide range of learners, this Holes unit plan helps students make connections, track plot and characters, and explore the novel’s key ideas in an engaging way.

What Teachers Are Saying About The Holes Unit Plan:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is the best resource I have bought on Teachers Pay Teachers in the past 7 years! Thank you for the effort put forth.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ One of the best resources I have bought. Awesome!!!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The fact that the power points are prepped for vocabulary and chapter questions is a lifesaver! The additional activities and chapter analysis add so much to the unit and reading of the book. A thorough, time-saving unit!

Included in The Holes Unit Plan:

➡️ Holes Introductory Presentation: Start your Holes unit plan with this interactive PowerPoint presentation that includes pre-reading discussion questions, an engaging class activity, a biography of Louis Sachar, a fun review quiz, context and reception information, and important background details about the novel.

➡️ Holes Summary Cards: These summary cards are an excellent classroom reference for both teachers and students during your Holes novel study. The nine printable chapter summary cards outline the most important plot moments from Holes, organized by chapter sets. Simply print and cut out the cards, and you have a resource that can support struggling readers, help students quickly locate key plot moments, or assist them in finding text evidence during essay writing.

➡️ Holes Quizzes: Included are nine quizzes to assess student comprehension during your Holes novel study. Each quiz contains six multiple-choice questions and two quotes that students must respond to by providing context. For each quote, students explain what is happening at that point in the plot and include any relevant information. Answer keys are included.

➡️ Holes Vocabulary Booklet and Slides: Help students learn new vocabulary words from the novel with this ready-to-use resource. Students practice using context clues to determine the meanings of new words as they appear in Holes. The vocabulary booklet is organized by chapter sets, and students read each word in a quote from the novel, infer its meaning, and then look up the definition to confirm. Presentation slides are included for easy class review or grading.

➡️ Holes Questions and Answers: This resource includes reading questions organized by chapter sets, featuring both comprehension and analysis questions. A presentation is also included to review the answers with students. The answers are detailed and supported with text evidence.

➡️ Holes Analysis Notes: This Holes unit plan also includes a 30-slide PowerPoint presentation that highlights important literary elements in the novel, organized by chapter set. The notes address setting, conflict, theme, tone, characterization, symbolism, and more. The slides can be used for student note-taking or as discussion starters. After using this presentation, students will gain a much deeper understanding of the novel.

➡️ Holes Writing Prompts - Video Clips: Help students make connections to the novel with these video journals. Students watch a short YouTube video clip related to a topic, theme, or idea presented in the novel. A related journal prompt is included, and students respond in writing by sharing their thoughts and connections. The videos are not specific to the novel, but they relate in ways that encourage text-to-self and text-to-world connections. YouTube is required, and teachers should always preview videos for suitability.

➡️ Holes Figurative Language: Teach common figurative language and literary devices during your Holes novel study. This resource includes figurative language assignments with examples from the novel. Students read the examples and determine which figurative language technique is being used.

Chapters 1 - 5

➡️ Holes Characters Graphic Organizer: Use this graphic organizer to help students record information they learn about the characters during the Holes novel study. A detailed answer key is included for easy review.

➡️ Holes Palindromes Activity: The main character of the novel has a very unique name, Stanley Yelnats, which is a palindrome. A palindrome is a word that reads the same way forward as it does backward. This assignment helps students understand palindromes and guess palindrome words based on clues provided. For example, students might receive the clue, “You might see a checkered flag wave when this vehicle crosses the finish line.” The answer? RACECAR!

Chapters 6 - 8

➡️ Holes Elya Plot Diagram: This plot diagram assignment includes a ready-to-use template for students to write what happens in the exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution of the Elya and Madame Zeroni plotline in Holes by Louis Sachar. This assignment helps students demonstrate their understanding of plot structure using a story arc. A detailed answer key outlining key moments of the plot is included.

Chapters 9 - 13

➡️ Holes Pig Latin Activity: During the novel, readers learn that X-Ray’s nickname is Pig Latin for his real name, Rex. Use this fun text detail to teach students how to speak, read, and understand Pig Latin in minutes with this engaging activity. This resource also supports problem-solving and decoding skills during your Holes novel study.

Chapters 14 - 20

➡️ Camp Green Lake Brochure: In the novel, Stanley is punished for a crime he did not commit and is sent to Camp Green Lake. Students use details from the text to create a promotional brochure for Camp Green Lake using what they learn in the novel. This assignment allows students to explore the setting and characters they encounter in the story.

Chapters 21- 27

➡️ Racism Historical Context Assignment: In the novel, Sam and Kate are subjected to cruel racism by the townspeople. This assignment helps students understand the historical context of these events by learning about the journey toward racial equality in the United States. Topics include Jim Crow laws, the Civil Rights Movement, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., the March on Washington, and more. An answer key is included for easy review.

Chapters 28 - 32

➡️ Kissin' Kate Barlow Wanted Poster: Students explore the character of Kate Barlow, who becomes the infamous outlaw Kissin’ Kate Barlow after losing Sam to racist violence. Students demonstrate their understanding of character by creating a Wanted poster for Kissin’ Kate Barlow.

Chapters 33 - 39

➡️ Lizard Research Assignment: At Camp Green Lake, the boys fear the deadly yellow-spotted lizard lurking in the holes they dig. While this type of lizard does not actually exist, students research real lizards of their choice in this creative nonfiction assignment and share what they learn with the class.

Chapters 40 - 45

➡️ Stanley and Zero Venn Diagram Comparison: Although Stanley and Zero initially seem like complete opposites, readers discover that they share many similarities. Students complete a Venn diagram to compare these two characters during your Holes novel study. An answer key is included for review.

Chapters 46 - 50

➡️ Family Tree Assignment: Students explore Stanley Yelnats’ family history by creating their own family tree with the help of parents or guardians. This inclusive assignment allows flexibility in the definition of family and gives students the option to include mentors, teachers, close friends, or community members.

➡️ Create Your Own Nickname: In the novel, the boys at Camp Green Lake have nicknames that relate to their personalities. Some examples include Caveman, X-Ray, Squid, Armpit, and Magnet. This has students apply this idea to their own life by giving themselves their own fitting nickname with a justification for why they made this specific choice.

➡️ Final Creative Project: Allow students to choose from twelve creative project ideas to finish off your Holes novel study. They can write a book of poetry, create a soundtrack for the novel, write an extra chapter, create a comic strip, write diary entries, give a monologue, or record a podcast.

What Teachers Are Saying About The Holes Unit Plan:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is a great resource with very engaging activities. My students really liked the lessons and insisted on going by their Camp Green Lake nicknames for the entire time during summer school. I did not need to plan a thing, just printed off the resources and enjoyed reading with my students. It made my life very easy during summer school.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I LOVE PRESTO PLANS! Best novel studies I have found! Fun activities mixed in with more standards-aligned which makes it extremely engaging for students.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ My students really enjoyed this. It has lots of activities that reach a wide range of students. Thank you!

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