Holes

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

What might be the purpose of a juvenile camp? Why might some adults believe that a detention center is more effective than jail for young adults?

Teaching Suggestion: The novel’s protagonist, Stanley, is falsely accused of stealing shoes from a famous baseball player and sent to Camp Green Lake, a juvenile detention center in a rural setting. With sensitivity to individual student experiences in mind, it might be helpful to initially discuss juvenile detention centers and their purpose, while alluding to the fact that Camp Green Lake is a satirical invention and has many differences from actual detention centers with regard to setting and purpose.

• This article from the time period just before the book’s publication offers some description for a juvenile camp from the mid-1990s and its intended outcomes.
• This website describes the three priorities of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, which leads efforts to transform the juvenile justice system.

Short Activity

Read the questions and describe how you can or cannot relate to the topics based on your own experience.

• When, if ever, have you found something valuable that didn’t belong to you? What went through your mind?
• Have you been in a situation where you were in the wrong place at the wrong time? Explain.
• Has there ever been a time when you were falsely accused of something? Explain.
• Do you think success is predetermined by what others did in the past? Explain.
• Do you agree that it is sometimes difficult to find a place where you belong? Why might this be?

Teaching Suggestion: It might be helpful to use this activity to generate interest in the novel and familiarity with its themes. One way to implement the activity is to read the question aloud and permit students to have a paired discussion about how they relate to the topics of the novel. Students can rotate throughout the room to have a variety of partners.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the novel.

Do you believe in fate (or destiny)? Have you ever had an experience where you believe fate or destiny played a role in the outcome? If so, what was it? If you do not believe in these concepts, why do you think many others do?

Teaching Suggestion: In the novel, Stanley is accused of stealing shoes that fell from the sky. His family blames their bad luck on a curse placed on Stanley’s great-great-grandfather. It may be helpful to structure a student discussion on the role of destiny and whether or not it is a powerful force in outcomes. Alternatively, you may opt for a written response.

Differentiation Suggestion: Students who can benefit from an additional challenge may wish to research theories that explore luck or historical cultures’ views on luck. Consider encouraging students to share findings and thoughts in organized visual aids or infographics.