Holes · Garden Heights Academy
Part 1
for Holes · Part 1 · Chapters 1–7 · Book Part One: “You Are Entering Camp Green Lake”
a novel by Louis Sachar
This workbook is built on a solid pedagogical foundation, effectively integrating content and language learning based on the CLIL framework (Content and Language Integrated Learning), elevated by our unique 5th C — Connection — and an integrated Standardized Test section that weaves every SAT & TOEFL question type right into the novel, so learners build real test skills easily, naturally, and with fun.
💭 Before You Read · Just for Fun
No right or wrong answers — just think or chat about it: Have you ever been blamed or punished for something you did not do? How did it feel — and what did you wish the people in charge understood? Do you think bad luck can really follow a family, or do people make their own luck?
What Happens in Part 1
Stanley Yelnats is sent to Camp Green Lake, a brutal detention camp in the Texas desert where there is no lake at all — only a dried-up, sun-baked lakebed. Every boy must dig one hole a day, five feet deep and five feet wide, supposedly to ‘build character.’ Stanley is there for a crime he did not commit: stealing a famous athlete’s sneakers. His family blames their endless bad luck on a curse that began long ago when his great-great-grandfather, Elya Yelnats, broke a promise to Madame Zeroni.
What We Will Learn
| Literary Element | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Setting | The time and place where a story happens — here, the harsh, dried-up Camp Green Lake |
| Foreshadowing | Clues a writer drops that hint at what will happen later |
| Flashback | A scene that jumps back to an earlier time, before the main story |
Chapter Summary
| Chapter | Key Events |
|---|---|
| Ch.1 | Camp Green Lake — the camp is a hot, dry, dried-up lakebed in Texas; the only danger is the deadly yellow-spotted lizard |
| Ch.2 | Digging Holes — every boy must dig one hole a day, five feet deep and five feet across; they are told it ‘builds character’ |
| Ch.3 | Stanley’s Bad Luck — Stanley is wrongly convicted of stealing a star athlete’s sneakers; his family blames an old curse |
| Ch.4 | Arrival — Stanley meets Mr. Sir and is warned that the yellow-spotted lizards are the real thing to fear |
| Ch.5 | D-Tent — Stanley meets Mr. Pendanski and the boys: X-Ray, Armpit, Squid, Zigzag, Magnet, and Zero |
| Ch.6 | The First Hole — Stanley digs his exhausting first hole and finishes last, his hands raw with blisters |
| Ch.7 | The Curse — a flashback tells how Elya Yelnats broke his promise to Madame Zeroni, starting the family curse; Stanley digs up a fossil |
Copyright Notice
Independent study guide by Garden Heights Academy. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Louis Sachar or the publisher. No text from the novel is reproduced. Students should read the original book.
Part 1
Vocabulary
Study 10 key words from Chapters 1–7, then answer each question.
Knowledge Bank · Environmental Science in Desert Basins
Environmental Science · Desert BasinsBackground · History Stanley is sent to Camp Green Lake , a harsh correctional camp in the dry Texas desert. In real life, some American states ran tough boot-camp programs for young offenders, built on the idea that hard physical work and discipline could change behavior. Sachar uses this real setting to ask whether breaking children down with endless labor is fair — or just cruel. Background · The Desert & Its Science Green Lake was once the largest lake in Texas; it dried up more than a hundred years ago into the cracked, waterless flat where the camp now sits. When a lake loses more water to evaporation than rain and streams can replace, it shrinks to a hard, salty bed (a playa ) — exactly the sun-baked ground the boys are forced to dig. Researchers connect desert basins to rain shadow by naming measurable changes. Comparing evaporation across desert basins sites makes the explanation testable. The key principle is hydrology.
ⓘ Vocabulary words are selected to help you understand and complete this workbook. Some may not appear verbatim in the novel.
desolateadj.Ch.1
Empty, bare, and lonely
“The desolate lakebed stretched empty for miles.”
barrenadj.Ch.1
So dry that nothing can grow
“Nothing grew on the barren ground but a few dry weeds.”
parchedadj.Ch.1
Extremely dry from heat and lack of water
“The parched earth had cracked in the blazing sun.”
swelteringadj.Ch.1
Uncomfortably and exhaustingly hot
“The boys dug all day in the sweltering heat.”
perilousadj.Ch.4
Full of danger
“A bite from a yellow-spotted lizard is perilous.”
juvenileadj.Ch.2
To do with young people; for young offenders
“Camp Green Lake is a juvenile detention camp.”
delinquentn.Ch.2
A young person who breaks the law
“The camp is meant to reform young delinquents.”
cursen.Ch.3
Words or a spell meant to bring bad luck
“Stanley’s family blamed their troubles on an old curse.”
innocentadj.Ch.3
Not guilty of a crime
“Stanley was innocent, but he was sent away anyway.”
fossiln.Ch.7
The preserved imprint or remains of an ancient living thing
“Stanley dug up a fossil of a small fish.”
1The empty, bare, and lonely lakebed at Camp Green Lake is best described as —Ch.1
2If land is “barren,” many plants and flowers grow there.Ch.1
3The ground at Camp Green Lake is so dry it has cracked in the heat. It is —Ch.1
4Fill in each blank with the correct word.Ch.1
Word choices:swelteringparchedfossilcurse- some words will not be used
The boys dig all day in the heat.
By noon the ground is and hard.
5Something “perilous” is safe and harmless.Ch.4
6Camp Green Lake is a place for young people who have broken the law. Such a young person is called a —Ch.2
7Stanley did not commit the crime he was punished for. He is —Ch.3
8A “curse” is words or a spell meant to bring bad luck.Ch.3
9Fill in each blank with the correct word.Ch.2–3
Word choices:juveniledelinquentinnocentcurse- some words will not be used
Camp Green Lake is a detention camp.
Stanley’s family blames their troubles on an old .
10Stanley digs up the preserved imprint of an ancient fish. This is a —Ch.7
Part 2
Comprehension
How well do you understand Chapters 1–7?
Knowledge Bank · Field Ecology in Desert Basins
Field Ecology · Desert BasinsLanguage · Palindrome Spotlight The hero’s name is Stanley Yelnats — and if you spell the last name backwards, you get the first. A word or name that reads the same in reverse is a palindrome , and Sachar chose it with great care. A palindrome loops back on itself, which is exactly what this whole book does: the story circles through past and present until the ending answers the beginning. The name is also handed down the generations — there have been many Stanley Yelnatses — so it becomes a symbol of family history repeating itself, of a ‘curse’ that loops from grandfather to grandson. Feel how a single clever name quietly announces the book’s deepest idea before the plot even starts. Watch how a writer can bury a theme inside a name: here, a name that mirrors itself belongs to a boy trapped in a story that keeps turning back to its own beginning. The key principle is inference.
1What is surprising about Camp Green Lake?Ch.1
2The most dangerous creatures at Camp Green Lake are the yellow-spotted lizards.Ch.1–4
3What must each boy at the camp do every single day?Ch.2
4What are the boys told that digging holes will do for them?Ch.2
5Put these events from Part 1 in the correct order. Write 1–4 (1 = first).Ch.3–6
- Stanley chooses Camp Green Lake instead of jail.
- Stanley digs his very first hole in the dried-up lake.
- Stanley is wrongly convicted of stealing a star athlete’s sneakers.
- Stanley arrives and is warned about the yellow-spotted lizards.
6Stanley was caught actually stealing the sneakers from a store.Ch.3
7What had Stanley supposedly stolen?Ch.3
8Who does Stanley’s family blame for their bad luck?Ch.3
9Stanley finishes digging his first hole quickly and easily.Ch.6
10In the flashback, what did Elya Yelnats forget to do for Madame Zeroni?Ch.7
Part 3
Literary Elements
Understanding HOW and WHY Sachar writes Chapters 1–7 the way he does.
Knowledge Bank · Literary Craft in Desert Basins
Literary Craft · Desert BasinsAuthor’s Craft Sachar builds Part 1 with three tools: setting (the deadly, dried-up lake), foreshadowing (warnings and hints — like the lizards and the order to report anything ‘interesting’ to the Warden), and flashback (the Elya Yelnats story from long ago). Craft Spotlight · Motif, Names & the Machinery Ahead Notice the images and names that repeat. The hero’s name, Stanley Yelnats , is a palindrome — notably, it reads the same forwards and backwards — and it is handed down four generations (Stanley Yelnats I–IV). Sachar also plants two things here that pay off much later: a family curse, and Elya’s failure to carry Madame Zeroni up the mountain. These repeated names and events are motifs — threads the author will pull to braid the book’s three time periods together. A setting becomes active when its physical rules limit every choice. Repeated heat, distance, and thirst can function like pressure in an experiment, revealing character through response. The key principle is foreshadowing.
📚 Literary Devices in This Part · definitions & examples
Setting is the time and place where a story happens. The hot, dry, dangerous Camp Green Lake is a setting that shapes everything the characters do.Foreshadowing is when a writer drops clues that hint at what will happen later. Sachar fills Part 1 with such clues.Flashback is a scene that jumps back to an earlier time, before the main story. Sachar uses one to tell the family’s past.
The questions below are mixed — not grouped by device. Decide which device each one is about.
1The hot, dry, dangerous Camp Green Lake is the story’s —Ch.1
2Being told to report anything ‘interesting’ to the Warden is a clue that the digging has a hidden purpose.Ch.2
3Fill in the blanks with the correct words.Ch.7
Word choices:flashbackpastrhymecurse- some words will not be used
A scene that jumps back in time is called a . It shows events from the .
4Early warnings about the yellow-spotted lizards hint that they will matter later. A clue about what is coming is called —Ch.4
5A flashback tells about events that happened before the main story.Ch.7
6Fill in the blanks with the correct words.Ch.1
Word choices:settingplacerhymelizard- some words will not be used
The time and place where a story happens is its . Camp Green Lake is the main of the story.
7The story of Elya Yelnats and Madame Zeroni jumps back more than 100 years. A scene set in the past like this is called a —Ch.7
8Setting is the time and place where a story happens.Ch.1
9Fill in the blanks with the correct words.Ch.2–4
Word choices:foreshadowingcluerhymehole- some words will not be used
A hint about what will happen later is called . The lizards are an early that danger is coming.
10Telling Stanley’s present-day story and the Elya Yelnats flashback side by side creates a —Ch.7
Part 4
Think Deeper
Four deeper challenges — no single-word recall. Read, weigh the evidence, and reason it through.
Knowledge Bank · History & Ethics in Desert Basins
History & Ethics · Desert BasinsAuthor’s Craft The curse raises a big question: are Stanley’s troubles destiny , plain bad luck, or the result of unfair systems? Sachar lets all three possibilities sit together. As you answer, think about why he places family history beside a modern punishment camp. Justice — the camp: ‘Character-building’ work camps for boys have a real, troubled U.S. history, from convict labor to modern desert boot camps criticized for cruelty; Camp Green Lake is Sachar’s dark echo of them. Folklore — the family curse: The Yelnats curse traced to Elya and Madame Zeroni is built like an old-world folktale, where one broken promise haunts a family for generations. Water policy can favor upstream users while downstream communities run dry. Ethical analysis follows who controls a watershed, who bears scarcity, and whether rules distribute risk openly. This context connects rain shadow with evaporation as ethical evidence. The key principle is accountability.
1Claim: “Stanley is sent to Camp Green Lake for a crime he did not commit.” — choose the two details that best prove it.Claim & Evidence
2Shows the injustice of Stanley’s situation, or just a fact about the camp? Tap each item to send it left or right.Sort into two
◄ The injusticeJust a fact ►
3Match each cause to its result. For each cause, pick its result.Cause & Effect
Stolen sneakers fall onto Stanley→
Stanley is wrongly convicted→
At the camp every boy digs→
The family blames an old curse→
4Fill both blanks to complete the reasoning.Build the Argument
Stanley ends up at Camp Green Lake because , which shows that .
Part 5
Standardized Test · Vocabulary in Context & Main Idea
Part 1 builds four exam reading skills — Vocabulary in Context, Main Idea, Inference, and Author’s Purpose — in the styles the SAT and TOEFL use. Read the passage (the highlighted words are tested below), then choose the answer best supported by the text.
Knowledge Bank · How the SAT & TOEFL Ask
Test Skills · Part 1Real reading exams rarely test a single fact. This section practices four question families: Vocabulary in Context (what a word means in this sentence), Main Idea (the central point), Inference (what must be true even if unstated), and Author’s Purpose (why a detail is included). For vocabulary, cover the word, read the sentence, and predict a replacement before you choose. Later parts add more question families and build toward a mixed practice test.
A lake can vanish. When more water evaporates under a hot sun than rain and rivers can replace, a lake slowly shrinks until only a dry, cracked lakebed remains. As the last mud dries, it shrinks and splits into a mosaic of hard, curling plates, each edge peeling upward in the heat. A pale crust of salt and other minerals is often left behind, whitening the ground for a great distance where the water once stood. Such a barren flat can stretch for miles, remote from any town and almost empty of life.
Yet the desert that follows is not truly dead. Plants and animals that endure these harsh places have learned to adapt. Some lizards stay still through the immense heat of the day and hunt at night, when the air is cooler. Water is so scarce that every drop matters, and for people a dried lakebed can be dangerous. The ground bakes into a hard crust, shade is rare, and the shift from cool night to blazing noon is abrupt. Anyone crossing such a vast, sun-struck flat must carry water and respect the land, because the desert punishes every careless mistake.
Original passage written for Garden Heights — not a quotation from the novel.
1As used in the passage, the word “barren” most nearly means —SAT · Words in Context
2According to the passage, why do desert animals rest by day and hunt at night?TOEFL · Factual Information
3According to the passage, a lake disappears when —TOEFL · Factual Information
4As used in the passage, the word “endure” most nearly means —SAT · Words in Context
5According to the passage, how do some desert lizards handle the daytime heat?TOEFL · Factual Information
6As used in the passage, the word “scarce” most nearly means —SAT · Words in Context
7Which statement best expresses the central idea of the passage?SAT · Central Ideas
8The passage calls the shift from cool night to blazing noon “abrupt”; travelers must therefore —SAT · Inference
9The passage most strongly suggests that crossing a dried lakebed without water would be —TOEFL · Inference
10Why does the author mention lizards that hunt at night?SAT · Text Structure & Purpose
Part 6 · Optional
Creative Writing
A bonus challenge to practice your English.
About This Section
This writing task is optional and not part of your auto-graded score. Feedback checks length, spelling, and grammar only.
Writing Task — Part 1 “Welcome to Camp Green Lake”
Use setting and imagery to describe Camp Green Lake on Stanley’s first day. What does he see, feel, and fear in the heat? Write at least 40 words.
You can start with: “As the bus doors hissed open, a wall of dry heat hit Stanley, and the first thing he saw was…”
0 / 40 words minimum
🗣 Teach It · Just for Fun (optional)
No right or wrong — close the screen and tell someone nearby what happened in this part. Can’t find anyone? Tell yourself out loud. The moment you teach it, you truly understand it.
🏆
Part 1 Complete!
You finished Chapters 1–7 of Holes.
Here are your auto-graded results:
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points out of 100