When and How to Pair:
Introduce this short poem before students begin reading Holes, in order to introduce the idea of ancestry and how it affects us today. Hughes writes of his ancestors all over the world and how common experiences, such as living by rivers, bind them together. Stanley, the main character in Holes, has a complicated ancestry of his own. Ask students, as they read the novel, to look for evidence that reveals how Hughes feels about his connection to his ancestors. Ask students to discuss what they know about their own ancestry - their parents, grandparents, or even farther back. Do they feel any kind of connection to the past like Hughes does? As they read, have students look for ways Stanley finds connections to his ancestors.