Educational materials produced by Philip Hays and

Jenn Wigle, Assistant Branch Manager, Montgomery County Memorial Library System

Study Guide

Main Street Theater 3400 Main St., Suite 283

Houston, TX 77002

713-524-9196

MainStreetTheater.com

Field Trip Info Length: 95 minutes

Audio Description is available at all school performances with advance

notice. Using a single earpiece connected to an infrared headset, pa-

trons who are blind or have low vision can listen to trained audio describ-

ers give live, verbal descriptions of actions, costumes, scenery, and other

visual elements of a performance.

The theater is equipped with Listening Technologies to help patrons who

require additional audio support in performances. Patrons can request

use of an assisted hearing device.

Based on the book by

Louis Sachar

Directed by

Rebecca Greene Udden

Introduction for Teachers 2

Preparing Your Students 3

What Does It Take to Put On a Play? 4

About the Show and Author/Playwright 5

Cast of Characters 6

English Language Activities:

Vocabulary 7

Discussion Questions 8

Poetry Activity 9

Interview a Character Activity 9

Letter to Home Activity 9

Math Activities:

Circumference of a Circle Activity 13

Social Studies Activities:

Science and Technology: Past, Present, and Future 15

Jim Crow Laws Activity 15

Science Activities:

Biome Activity 18

Taxonomy Activity 18

Just for Fun 21

Further Reading

More Like Holes 22

Books About Bad Luck 23

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Table of Contents

2

Introduction for Teachers

Welcome to Main Street’s Theater for Youth! We hope these supplemental materials will help you integrate

your field trip into your classroom curriculum. We’ve included a number of activities and resources to help

broaden your students’ experience. Please make sure that each teacher that will be attending the play

has a copy of these materials as they prepare to see the show.

Before you come to the theater, please take some time to talk with your students about what to expect.

Going to a live play is an experience unlike any other, and many students are more familiar with going to

the movies or sporting events. Please help them prepare for what they’ll see and how they should act.

Here are some things to think about:

• How is a play different from a movie or a television show?

• How is a play different from real life?

• Can the actors see and hear the audience?

• Which of the following is appropriate behavior for a theater audience? Clapping, talking, eating,

laughing, running, leaving during the performance.

• Ask students who have seen a play before to talk about what it’s like to be in the audience.

We invite you to have students write letters to the cast of Holes

with their thoughts and comments on the production.

All correspondence should be sent to:

SCHOOL BOOKINGS

Main Street Theater

3400 Main St. Suite 283

Houston, Texas 77002

Recent studies prove that integrating the arts into education

enhances a student’s development and performance.

Students learning through the arts are more able to think

at a higher level, collaborate with their peers,

and score higher on standardized tests.

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3

Preparing Your Students

• Discuss the page on theater etiquette with your students. Remind them that it can

get very dark in the theater before the play and in between scenes.

• Make sure your students use the restroom before they leave school or at the thea-

ter before the performance. If you get up during the performance, you may miss

your favorite part!

• Talk about what kind of show they are coming to see. Holes is a live theatrical per-

formance. Talk to your students about the difference between a movie and a play.

The actors are not on a screen and can hear everything the audience is doing or

saying.

• Talk to your students about imagination. People called actors perform in the play.

They pretend to be the people in the story. 12 grown-up actors perform in Holes.

Watch and see how they use their voices and bodies to become the characters.

• After the performance, the actors will remain on stage and answer questions that

the students may have. Discuss with your students what a question is. While the ac-

tors love to hear what a good time the students had or what part they like the best,

they LOVE to answer questions about the show, the book, or being an actor. Don’t

forget to raise your hand!

How Should I Prepare My Students for a Trip to the Theater?

3

Putting On A Play

It takes many years of preparation before you see a show at our theater. Many, many people work to put

all the parts of a play together. The play you’re seeing today comes from the book Holes, written and

adapted by author and playwright Louis Sachar.

About a year before MST’s production, the producer contacted the licensing agency about the rights to

perform the play. Once the agency agreed, the production team was assembled. The production team is

the group of people directly responsible for a how a play looks and sounds.

The director is the person who makes the decisions about who is in the play, how the play looks, and what

themes are emphasized to the audience. S/he works with the designers to establish the concept (or mood

& themes) of the play. The director also hires the actors to play the parts in the show. Once rehearsals

begin the director conveys the concept to the actors by giving them directions on their character

development and by blocking their movements.

The set designer creates the world that is seen when you enter the theater. S/he decides whether there will

be real furniture or pretend furniture (such as cubes or chairs). The set designer decides where all of the

different locations will be on the stage. The designer drafts diagrams so the carpenters can build the set. S/

he also comes back once the set is built to paint everything.

The costume designer is the person who chooses what clothes the actors will wear to represent the

concept of the play. The designer will sometimes shop for clothing or may build some costumes from

scratch. S/he works closely with the actors to make sure that all of the clothing fits and feels comfortable.

S/he also works with the set designer to make sure that the actors’ clothing will not clash with the colors on

the set.

The props designer is the person who provides all of the handheld items used by the actors during the play.

This person either buys or builds everything that the actors might need to convey the story. The sound

designer creates or selects all of the sound effects and music for the play.

The sound designer creates the noises that are heard when someone rings a doorbell, a dog barks

offstage, or a telephone rings. The sound designer can also create music pieces to aid in setting the theme

or the mood of the play.

The lighting designer decides how stage lighting will help tell the story. How can the color of lights comple-

ment the costumes and sets? Does the play require a scene at night? S/he will also decide when the lights

should go out to cover up a scene change or when they should stay on.

The actors are the people who perform the play. They are real people who are pretending to be the

different characters in the story. Actors are trained to play old people, young people and sometimes even

animals. It’s their job to tell the story to the audience.

The audience is part of the play too! Without someone to hear the story, there would be no reason to tell it.

The actors want to get the audience to care about the characters, to laugh and cry, and applaud when

the play is over.

4

What Does It Take to Put On a Play?

Preparing Your Students

4

About the Show Walking home from school on a day that Stanley

thinks cannot possibly get worse, a $5000 pair of

shoes falls from the sky and he is mistaken for a

thief. Stanley’s father tries to explain the curse

placed on their family years ago, but nobody

seems to believe him. With the choice of jail or

Camp Green Lake, Stanley heads off to camp

where his days are filled with digging holes.

Despite the name, there is no lake at Camp

Green Lake. The days are hot and the kids have to

stay outside digging until their hole is exactly five

feet deep and five feet wide. Soon Stanley begins

to realize that there is more to the holes than just

“building character.” The Warden has the boys

digging holes to find a hidden treasure that her

family has been trying to find for decades.

About the Author/Playwright Louis Sachar wrote his first children’s book Side-

ways Stories from Wayside School in 1976 after

graduating from the University of California at

Berkeley where he majored in Economics. Side-

ways Stories from Wayside School was published

during Sachar’s first week in law school. He went

on to graduate and pass the bar exam. He contin-

ued writing children’s books while doing part-time

legal work. In 1989 his books finally began selling

well enough for him to devote all of his time to

writing. Sachar is now an award-winning author of

twenty-five books for kids and young adults. His

book, Holes, won both the National Book Award

and the Newbery Medal.

5

About Holes

5

THE BOYS AT CAMP GREEN LAKE

X-Ray: the leader of the boys at Camp Green Lake

Armpit: a large and tough boy

Magnet: a somewhat friendly boy

Zigzag: a slightly wigged out boy

Zero: a loner of the group

Stanley: a 14-year-old convicted of a crime he did not

commit

The Toughest Kid in Camp

THE ADULTS AT CAMP GREEN LAKE

Mr. Sir: the head counselor at the camp. He acts much

like a drill sergeant

Mr. Pendanski: a seemingly caring counselor of the

camp

The Warden: a soft spoken woman

LATVIA/AMERICA, CIRCA 1870

Elya: Stanley’s “no good, dirty, rotten, pig-stealing

great-great-grandfather” at age 16

Madame Zeroni: a gypsy fortune teller who curses Elya

Yelnats and his family line

Igor Barkov: a large dirty old man

Myra’s father: not much better than Igor Barkov

Myra: the love interest of both Elya and Igor

Sarah: Elya’s wife

Stanley Yelnats the First: a successful young business-

man

TOWN OF GREEN LAKE, CIRCA 1900

Sheriff

Townspeople

Mrs. Collingwood: a resident in Green Lake

Kate Barlow: a beloved school teacher who becomes

deadly outlaw

Trout Walker: a handsome, wealthy young man who set

his eye on the new school teache

Sam: a farmer who sold onions for a living. He traded

his onions with Kate Barlow in exchange for her jars

of peaches

Linda Walker: a former student of Kate Barlow’s

Jesse: a rattlesnake hunter

OTHERS

Ms. Morengo: Stanley’s lawyer

Attorney General of Texas

Zero’s Mother

Stanley’s Father

Two Police Officers

Judge

Stanley’s Mother

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Cast of Characters

Who’s Who in Holes...

6

Amassed — gathered together

Auctioned — the public sale where items are sold to the highest bidder

Buzzard — a large bird of prey

Cursed — to invoke or use a curse against

Delirious — in a state of out of control excitement

Descendants — the distant connection of a relative or ancestor

Devotion — love, loyalty, or enthusiasm for a person, activity or a certain cause

Eternity — never ending

Gypsy — a member of a traveling group of people known for trading and fortune telling

Interfere — to prevent something from happening

Plow — large farm equipment with blades pulled by tractor or animals to prepare the ground for seeds

Rehabilitation — restoring someone to health or normal life

Sow — to plant seeds

Spigot — a small peg or plug to fit a cask

Stock Market — buying or selling ownership in businesses in an attempt to make money

Stranded — left without a way to move from that place

Suckle — the feeding of a baby from their mother

Warps — areas that are twisted or out of shape

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Vocabulary

English Language Activities

Curriculum Standards: English Language

6-ELA 110.18.b.2

7-ELA 110.19.b.2

8-ELA 110.20.b.2

7

English Language Activities

• Why does nobody believe Stanley or his father that their family is cursed?

• What did you expect Camp Green Lake to be like based on the name?

• Why is there no longer a lake at the camp?

• Why do you think the boys all come up with nicknames for each other?

• How does Stanley change throughout his time at camp?

• What reason is given for the boys to be digging the holes? What is the real reason they are dig-

ging holes?

• Do you think Stanley’s life was more changed by his choices or by the curse and why?

• Why does Zero dig Stanley’s hole after Stanley tells Mr. Sir that he stole his bag of sunflower seeds.

• Why does Stanley agree to help Zero learn to read?

• Why does Kate Barlow tell Sam that her heart is breaking?

• What is the significance of “God’s Thumb”?

• Why do you think Trout Walker burns the school house? Why does the Sheriff not do anything to

stop him?

• Why does the Warden destroy all of Zero’s records?

• Why does Kate touch the yellow spotted lizard?

• Why do the lizards not bite Zero or Stanley when they are surrounded by them?

• How is it that they are able to take Zero with them from the camp when they leave?

8

Discussion Questions

Curriculum Standards: English Language

6-ELA 110.18.b.3,5,6

7-ELA 110.19.b.3,5,6

8-ELA 110.20.b.3,5,6

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• Print out a class set of the Poetry Activity.

• Have a quick discussion about the metaphors, similes, and personification used in the play

• Have the class write a poem using 5 examples of figurative language

Examples of figurative language used in the play:

“He’s a mole. I think he eats dirt.”

“I can’t help it. My fingers are like little magnets.”

“Look around, the peach trees are in bloom,

the lake shimmers like an emerald.”

“It’s like being the sheriff of heaven.”

“And speaking of heaven, first prize goes to an angel,

our new schoolteacher, Miss Katherine Barlow,

for her spiced peaches.”

“Her head is as empty as a flower pot”

“It’s just…My heart is breaking.”

Curriculum Standards: English Language

6-ELA 110.18.b.15.b.ii

7-ELA 110.19.b.15.b.ii

8-ELA 110.20.b15.b.ii

Poetry Activity

English Language Activities

• Print a class set of the Interview a Character Activity.

• Have students select a character from the play to write the script of

a mock interview. This can include a kid from the camp, the war-

den, or one of the characters during the time of Kissing Kate. The

interview should include questions about events that happened to

that character in the play.

Curriculum Standards: English Language

6-ELA 110.18.b.5

7-ELA 110.19.b.5

8-ELA 110.20.b.5

Interview a Character Activity

Letter to Home Activity • Print a class set of the Letter to Home Activity.

• Have students imagine that they are Stanley and write a letter

home about his time at Camp Green Lake. This letter should include

many of the events that happened in the play to show their com-

prehension of the events.

Curriculum Standards: English Language

6-ELA 110.18.b.5

7-ELA 110.19.b.5

8-ELA 110.20.b.5

9

Poetry Activity

10

Figurative language is used quite a few times in Holes to describe people, scenery, and situations.

Some examples include:

“He’s a mole. I think he eats dirt.” — This is an example of a metaphor, which is a comparison between two

things without using ‘like’ or ‘as’. Zero is not actually a mole, but they compare him to a mole because,

like a mole, he is very good at digging holes.

“Look around, the peach trees are in bloom, the lake shimmers like an emerald.” — This is an example of a

simile, which is when ‘like’ or ‘as’ is used to compare two things. They are comparing the lake to an

emerald by saying it shimmers like an emerald.

“Her head is as empty as a flower pot” — This is another example of a simile. They are saying she is not

smart by saying her head is as empty as a flower pot.

In the lines below, write a poem about anything you want.

Use at least 5 examples of figurative language in your poem.

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Interview a Character

11

Select one of your favorite characters from the play. This can include a child or adult at the

camp or one of the characters during the time of Kissing Kate. Pretend you are a writer for a

magazine and you are writing an interview with that character. The interview should include

questions about events that happened to that character in the play.

Question 1:

Answer:

Question 2:

Answer:

Question 3:

Answer:

Question 4:

Answer:

Question 5:

Answer:

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Letter to Home

12

Imagine that you are Stanley Yelnats and you have been stuck at Camp Green Lake for

quite a while now. Write a letter home to your parents about your time there. This letter

should include many of the events that happened in the play.

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• Print a class set of the Circumference of a Circle Activity.

• The Warden is not happy with Stanley. She has decided

that as a punishment, he has to go out and measure the

circumference of the old holes that were dug in the

yard. Have the students find the circumference of the

holes on the worksheet.

Curriculum Standards: Mathematics

6-111.26.b.5

7-111.27.b.5

8-111.28.b.5

Circumference of a Circle Activity

Math Activities

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Circumference of a Circle

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• Print a class set of Science and Technology Past, Present, and Future.

• Stanley’s dad is an inventor who is trying to find a way to

recycle old sneakers. He gathered information about how

many sneakers are thrown away each day and he wants to

help the environment by finding a way to recycle old shoes.

• Have students think about scientific discoveries and techno-

logical advances that have changed daily life in the united

states.

This might be a good activity to work on in the library!

Curriculum Standards: Social Studies

6-113.18.b.20

7-113.19.b.20

8-113.20.b.20

Science and Technology: Past, Present, and Future

Social Studies Activities

• Print a class set of the Jim Crow Laws Activity worksheet.

• Have a discussion about segregation in our history and why

discriminatory Jim Crow laws were created.

• Have students use books or online resources to fill out the

worksheet

Curriculum Standards: Social Studies

6-113.18.b.1

7-113.19.b.1/5

8-113.20.b.1/7

Jim Crow Laws Activity

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Science and Technology: Past, Present, and Future

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Stanley’s dad is an inventor who is trying to find a way to recycle old sneakers. He gathered infor-

mation about how many sneakers are thrown away each day and he wants to help the environ-

ment by finding a way to recycle old shoes. Answer the questions below about ways that discover-

ies and technology have shaped our lives throughout history.

What is the cotton gin? Why was this an important invention?

What are some of the different types of transportation? How did this invention change lives?

How would life be different today without cars, trains, planes, etc.?

Do you think the internet helps us to be more innovative? How do you think it helps?

Can you think of a helpful invention that does not exist yet? What would it do?

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Jim Crow Laws

17

In the play, the people of Green Lake are uncomfortable with the relationship between Miss Kathe-

rine and Sam. The sheriff tells Miss Katherine that it is against the law for a black man to kiss a white

woman.

Unfortunately, these attitudes were not uncommon in American history. In the Southern states, Jim

Crow laws were passed that allowed for legal segregation. These laws created separate areas for

black people and white people.

How did the Jim Crow Laws discriminate against black people in the United States?

Housing:

Voting:

Leisure:

Travel:

School:

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• Print a class set of the Desert Biome Activity.

• Have students visit the library or take worksheet home to research one of the biomes of their choice.

For this activity, you can list more than the 5 biomes and break students up in order to research each

of the biomes and share the information as a class.

Curriculum Standards: Science

6-112.18.b.12

7-113.19.b.10-2

8-114.20.b.11

Biome Activity

Science Activities

• Print a class set of the Taxonomy Activity.

• Have students select a type of lizard that they would like to research. Have them fill out the worksheet

using the information that they find.

Curriculum Standards: Science

6-112.18.b.12

7-113.19.b.12

8-114.20.b.11

Taxonomy Activity

18

Biome Activity

Stanley and Zero leave the camp and find themselves in the middle of the desert with other animals and

plants that live in the area. The desert is an example of a type of biome. Biomes are regions of the world

that share similar climate (weather), animals, and plants. There are land biomes, which are called terrestrial

biomes, and water-based biomes, which are called aquatic biomes. The 5 major biomes are aquatic, de-

sert, forest, grassland, and tundra. The types of plants that can grow in each area is dependent on the

type of climate that they have. The types of animals that live in each are dependent on the type of plants

and animals that are available for food.

Using books or websites, select one of the main biomes and fill out the sheet below.

Name of biome:

Location in the world:

Climate (average temperature, precipitation, etc.)

Other environmental factors (soil, salinity, tides, etc.)

Plants:

•

•

•

•

Adaptations to environment:

•

•

•

•

Animals:

•

•

•

Adaptations to environment:

•

•

•

19 19

Taxonomy Activity

20

In the play, the yellow-spotted lizard is known to have a deadly bite. While the yellow-spotted

lizard does not exist, there are many lizards in real life that are venomous or poisonous. Choose a

specific lizard species and fill out the worksheet below using a book or online resource.

List 5 things that make your animal different from other animals such as birds or fish.

What types of places can you find your reptile?

Scientists use taxonomy classification to group similar types of animals. This allows us to better

understand them and to find similarities and differences between different organisms. Using the

internet or a book, find out the different classification groups that your animal belongs to.

Kingdom:

Phylum:

Class:

Order:

Family:

Genus:

Species:

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Just For Fun!

21

Spiced Peaches Recipe In the play, the Sheriff gives Miss Katherine’s spiced peaches first prize in a contest. If you’d

like to try a taste of her famous spiced peaches, here’s a recipe to recreate Kate Barlow’s

prize-winning spiced peaches.

Ingredients:

1 can (29 ounces) peach halves, drained (save the syrup in a separate bowl)

2/3 cup apple cider vinegar

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/4 teaspoon salt

8 whole cloves

1 cinnamon stick

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions:

In a saucepan, combine 2/3 cup of the peach syrup with all the other ingredients except

the peaches. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.

Pour over peaches. Cool, then cover and chill for at least 24 hours (or 110 years!).

Bring to room temperature and eat. Any leftover peaches will keep in the refrigerator for a

week.

Serves 6.

Recipe taken from Scholastic BookFiles: A Reading Guide to Holes.

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Further Reading

22

More Like Holes

Hatched

by Gary Paulsen

After a plane crash, 13 year old Brian is stuck alone in the wilderness for 54 days. With only

his hatchet that his mom gave him, he must learn to survive and get through his emotions

about his parents’ divorce.

Island of the Aunts

by Eva Ibbotson

Several sisters decide that they are going to kidnap children and bring them to their seclud-

ed island. The children are there to help care for strange sea creatures. Find out what will

happen when they are discovered and the safety of the sea creatures is at risk.

Scar Island

by Dan Gemeinhart

Twelve-year-old Jonathan has been sent to the Slabhenge Reformatory School for Troubled

Boys. It is a dark place and Jonathan feels he deserves whatever punishment is headed his

way. When a random accident leaves the kids without adult supervision, this freedom

comes with unexpected dangers. Can Jonathan move beyond his sins of the past and

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Further Reading

23

Books About Bad Luck

The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events: Book One)

by Lemony Snicket

After the sudden death of their parents, three gifted, but very unlucky siblings are sent to

live with their uncle who is out to steal their fortune.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hard Luck

by Jeff Kinney

Greg is not having the best of luck and even his best friend has ditched him. With the hope

of changing his fortune, Greg decides to take a chance and see if his decisions will turn

things around for him.

Fortune Falls

by Jenny Goebel

All of the children in Fortune Falls must take “luck tests” on a regular basis to see if they are

worthy. In a place where superstitions are real, Sadie has always been considered unlucky

and her younger, luckier brother gets all of the attention. When Sadie finds a very smart cat

named Jinx, her luck begins to change for the better.

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