Holes - Chapter 5

Study guide for 1st – 3rd Grade

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Copywork

About This Passage

Two sentences that hand Stanley the camp's whole law. Mr. Pendanski has just finished smoothing over Mr. Sir — and then he points past him: 'The person you've got to worry about is the Warden.' Then comes the rule, set up by a colon like a sign on a wall: 'Don't upset the Warden.' Copy both sentences exactly, with the capital W in Warden both times. Notice that Stanley gets this warning before anything bad has even happened — at Camp Green Lake, the most important fact is a person, and everyone already knows it.

The person you’ve got to worry about is the Warden. There’s really only one rule at Camp Green Lake: Don’t upset the Warden.

Full copywork activity with handwriting lines available in the complete study guide.

Discussion Questions

Narration Prompt

Tell the story of Stanley's first walk to D tent in order: meeting Mr. Pendanski, hearing the one rule, meeting the boys, and asking about water. Then tell which moment taught Stanley the most about how things work at Camp Green Lake, and what part of the story shows it.

Discussion Questions

  1. Mr. Pendanski tells Stanley, 'I want you to know, Stanley, that I respect you.' Later he says Zero is called Zero 'because there's nothing inside his head.' What do those two moments show you about Mr. Pendanski? Which detail in the chapter helps you decide whether his words fit together or not?
  2. When Stanley calls him Theodore, Armpit grabs him and throws him to the ground. Then Armpit still tells Stanley where the water spigot is. Why does Armpit get so angry about the name but still help with the water? What part of the chapter shows which name Armpit wants, and how do you know the help is real?

+ 2 more questions in the complete study guide

Vocabulary Builder

Item 1

The person in charge of the whole camp — the boss above everyone

Item 2

A faucet or tap where water comes out

Item 3

A special name friends call you instead of your real name

+ 5 more vocabulary words in the complete study guide

Critical Thinking

+ 4 more questions in the complete study guide

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