Holes - KS3 - teaching resource

Holes by Louis Sachar – KS3 Teaching Resource

This comprehensive KS3 unit of work is based on Louis Sachar’s award-winning novel Holes. Designed to engage pupils through a mix of analytical, creative, and discussion-based activities, the resource includes a 182-slide editable PowerPoint presentation and 27 accompanying PDF worksheets. Together, they provide up to 23 fully planned lessons.

Students will:

• Explore the historical and social context of the novel, including youth detention in the USA and the use of boot camps

• Work through structured, chapter-by-chapter activities to support understanding of plot, characters, and themes

• Analyse major characters such as Stanley Yelnats, Zero, the Warden, Mr Sir, Mr Pendanski, Kissin’ Kate Barlow, and Sam

• Examine key themes including crime and punishment, friendship, fate, and redemption

• Develop core reading skills such as inference, deduction, and using quotations effectively in written responses

• Analyse Sachar’s style and techniques, including his use of narrative hooks, tension, and setting (Camp Green Lake)

• Engage in creative learning tasks such as hot-seating, empathy writing, and role play to deepen character understanding

This scheme of work is adaptable and differentiated, making it suitable for a wide range of KS3 learners. It provides everything needed for an engaging and thorough study of Holes.

To download two lessons from this unit of work for FREE, please click here.

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