Holes Lesson 21: Lifting the Curse - PowerPoint

In Lesson 21 titled "Lifting the Curse," students delve into the critical role of the character Zero in the novel "Holes." The objective of this lesson is to deepen the students' knowledge and understanding of Zero, also known as Hector Zeroni, and his significance to the unfolding of the plot and the development of the themes within the story. The lesson involves a close examination of Zero's character through the creation of a mind map, which encourages students to collate information revealed by the author up to the end of Chapter 43. This mind map serves to visually organise the newfound details about Zero's background, including his homelessness and the fact that he was the one who stole the sneakers, pivotal to the novel's events.

The lesson continues with a reflective activity that asks students to recall the events of Chapter 39, where the curse that has long plagued the Yelnats family is finally lifted. Students are tasked with completing a table that contrasts the actions of Stanley's great-great-grandfather, Elya Yelnats—who failed to fulfill a promise to carry Madam Zeroni up the mountain—and Stanley's own actions within the story. This comparison aims to help students understand the critical moment when Stanley inadvertently rights the wrongs of his ancestor, thereby lifting the curse. For the plenary, students pair up to discuss and explain how Stanley's actions led to the curse being lifted, using the completed table to aid their explanation and reinforce their comprehension of this key plot point.