Holes Novel Study Activities for Upper Elementary
By MARISSA DESPINS Updated Dec 14, 2023
Holes Novel Study Activities
Louis Sachar’s Holes is one of my very favorite upper elementary novels to teach. Strong character development, a fast-paced plot, and a compelling theme make it the perfect novel study for upper elementary grades. Below I share some of my favorite Holes novel study activities – I hope you find something to use in your ELA lessons!
Interested in grabbing a COMPLETE novel study to use alongside this engaging novel? Click on the image or button below to download a copy!
Holes Chapter Summary Activities
As we make our way through the novel, I like to have my students practice their summarizing skills by completing these chapter summary graphic organizers. Summarizing is such an important skill for students to practice, as it helps them learn to pull key ideas from text and consolidate important ideas that support them.
These templates make for great Holes novel study activities, as they help students organize their chapter summaries. Also, they make great interactive notebook additions. By keeping them in their notebooks, students are able to flip back to them whenever they need to review what happened in a particular chapter.
Holes Reading Comprehension Strategy Based Questions
Reading comprehension is a complex process of understanding text. Students need to be explicitly taught strategies like questioning, visualizing, and predicting in order to actively understand the text they are reading.
When it comes to Holes novel study activities, I love to include these reading comprehension strategy question pages. They allow students to really zone in on key strategies.
At times, I have my students work on a specific strategy in isolation. For example, we may work on the skill of questioning when reading a particular chapter. This allows us to really focus in on the strategy through modeling and practice.
Other times, I like to choose multiple strategies to work on simultaneously. Repeated exposure to multiple reading strategies helps students learn to apply the strategies to their own independent reading. When faced with a complex text, they are able to open their “reading strategy toolbox” and select the ones that will work best.
Interested in reading more about teaching reading strategies? Check out our tips and tricks for building reading comprehension strategies!
Holes Character Development Activities
Stanley Yelnats is the protagonist of the story. After being accused of stealing some valuable sneakers, he is sent to a juvenile detention center at Camp Green Lake. Stanley is a truly compelling and dynamic character, and his growth is made clear to readers as the story progresses.
To further enhance your students’ understanding of Stanley’s character through visualization, consider exploring our detailed guide on Visualization Strategies for Reading Comprehension, which can be a great complement to this character study.
The activity below is a class favorite for character analysis. It also helps with the skill of visualizing, as students must picture the character in their heads before drawing them. To complete the activity, students must closely examine the character of Stanley and consider key details about what he looks like, wears, and deems important. By actively engaging in the process of visualization while reading, students are able to better represent the character on paper.
This character chart works great for examining the way dynamic character change from the beginning of the novel to the end. At the top of the chart, students must record three words to describe Stanley at the start of the story. At the bottom of the chart, students record three words to describe him at the end of the novel. This is perfect opportunity to work on those descriptive language skills!
For additional information on teaching about character, be sure to check out of character analysis activities!
Looking for some FREE worksheets that you can use with ANY novel study? You may want to explore our free graphic organizers!
Holes Book Vs. Movie Comparison
While I typically am not a fan of books turned into movies, Holes does not disappoint. It is one of the few book adaptations I can really get behind. I like pulling it out at the end of our unit, to review the story and celebrate all of our hard work.
This graphic organizer is the perfect activity to add some rigor to your video viewing. Students can use the template to record some of the similarities and differences they noticed while watching. Completed worksheets make great interactive notebook additions! When it comes to Holes novel study activities, you can never go wrong with a good book vs movie comparison.
Holes Group Discussion Cards
As a review activity at the end of our novel study, I love using these group discussion cards to get the kids collaborating and moving around the classroom. I have used these cards in two different but equally successful ways with my learners.
The first way I have used these cards with my learners involves small group discussion. First, I divide the class into groups. Then, I give each group a couple of task cards, some chart paper, and some markers. Groups discuss the answers to the questions, and write their answers down on the chart paper. When done, student groups present their answers to the class. I love this activity because each group ends up becoming experts on a few select questions, and are able to share their expertise with the entire class.
The second way I use these Holes novel study activities involves an “Around the Room Discussion”. First, I tape each task card to a sheet of chart paper, and hang the chart paper around the classroom (or hallway, or outdoor space). Students silently and individually walk around and add their answers to the chart paper. I encourage students to expand on each other’s answers (in an appropriate way). When done, I bring the class back together and we share the results as a class. If you have students that tend to be too shy to share their thoughts in a group setting, this can be a really great way to encourage them to share their thinking!
You can grab these discussion cards for FREE by clicking here or on the image below!
For additional information to help you plan your next novel study, be sure to check out our free novel study planning guide!
Interested in grabbing the complete set of Holes Novel Study Activities?
Click here or on the image below to visit my TPT shop and pick up a copy of the COMPLETE Holes novel study. It contains comprehension questions, graphic organizers, and engaging projects and activities. It is a TPT best seller with over 3,500 copies sold!
You can see this unit in action by clicking on the video below:
Interested in reading more about upper elementary Novel Studies?
Check out the posts below to read more!
Hatchet Novel – Character Analysis
Upper Elementary Novel Study Favorites
The One and Only Ivan Novel Study – Free Activities
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