Milestone

           Part One

             Sachar, Louis. Holes. Thorndike Press, a Part of Gale, Cengage Company, 2017.

             Suggested Grade Levels: 5-7

             Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction

            Part Two

     Before reading this book, I had seen the Disney movie version of Holes when I was a child. For my age, I didn't understand the context of the movie. The movie started off with Stanley getting arrested but I didn't have a clue why he was getting arrested. For the rest of the movie I only understood parts of the movie but the three stories within the storyline made me even more confused. Currently, I forgot what most of the storyline of Holes was about. I was interested in reading the book to have a full understanding of the story. I didn't know the reason behind Stanley getting arrested, so I predicted that he was a troubled teenager that was sent to camp because of a crime he committed.

           After reading the book, I fully understood the story line and everything I missed in the movie clicked in my mind immediately. I started realizing all of the hidden symbols and the positive morals the book portrayed such as the benefits of friendship and having faith where there was none. I enjoyed the book for it's unique characters and the lessons it behind the three sub stories that it taught to the readers. 

          As prompts for students reading this book, I would remind them to be cautious of all the hidden symbols they come across, and to write them down so they can connect of all them later on in the book to fully understand the book.

        Part Three

      

        In my opinion, this book fell perfectly under the Contemporary Realistic Fiction genre. 

The main story represented a realistic life event of a group of juveniles being sentenced to a juvenile correctional facility. Yet there were events that were a stretch between being realistic and fiction such as the likelihood of Stanley being hit on the head by famous baseball player's shoes. Or Stanley being able to find his great-grandfather's treasure buried in Camp Green Lake. With all of these unusual events scattered throughout the story, they were all able to fit perfectly with the plot of the story.

        Part Four

         Discussion Questions:

         1. What is the significance of the title of the book?

        

        2. What symbols were present throughout the book?

        3. Which character most likely represented you and why?

        Lesson Objective:

         Using the example of Stanley's inherited treasure in Holes, Students will write a brief paper about the significance of their family's heirloom or traditions within the hour of class period.

         Lesson Activity:

         Students will brainstorm then write about an heirloom or tradition that is popular in their family. Students will then describe the significance behind the heirloom and how it has benefited their family throughout the generations.

         Resources: 

           Examples of heirlooms:

• https://www.geni.com/blog/10-most-common-family-heirlooms-392119.html

          Popular Family Traditions:

• http://realfamiliesrealanswers.org/?page_id=38

          "Holes" Q&A

• http://www.louissachar.com/holes-q--a.html