In
this novel unit, 7th grade standard English and Language Arts students
will be reading Holes by Louis Sachar.
The book tells the story of Stanley Yelnats and his adventures at a juvenile
detention center called Camp Green Lake. Once a thriving lakeside town, the
camp is now home to quite a few holes, some yellow-spotted lizards, and a
wild-west folktale that is almost too crazy to believe. There is also a legend about
Stanley’s own family, which readers come to discover is the key to unlocking
the mystery of Camp Green Lake.
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| Cover of Holes by Louis Sachar |
The
themes and topics highlighted in the unit will center on the book’s core ideas:
family, legends and folktales, redemption, and friendship. An important aspect
to the entire unit is media literacy. The book was made into a popular movie in
2003 and students will learn to compare and contrast what they see in movies to
what a book actually says. Another important topic that will engage students is
the understanding about folktales and legends. Average ability students will
dissect lower level folktales using picture books in order to identify
characteristics of folktales and legends. After reading a picture book about
Paul Bunyan, students will research the legendary lumberjack to find that sometimes
folktales are rooted in some truths behind an areas local culture and history. Students
of all abilities will then go on to create their own folktale for a younger
class with an opportunity for differentiation and multimedia incorporation.
