1. Assignment Preparation
‘Holes’
Assignment Preparation

2. Task:
When Stanley Yelnats first arrives at Camp Green Lake, he has little sense of self-worth. However, during his time there, Stanley develops into a character with admirable qualities and emerges as a true hero.

3. What we know: Stanley starts his journey with little self-worth
Stanley’s admirable qualities  how he slowly transforms  hero
We have collected quotes from the novel and have started planning our paragraphs.
We are now ready to start planning to write our assignments.

4. Planning:
What is it?
Why is it important?
Planning is very important when writing any assignment. We need to work out what we are going to include in our paragraphs (remember, we can’t include everything), and how to structure our paragraphs so that our argument makes sense.

5. ‘My Place – Sally’s Story’ by Sally Morgan
‘My Place’ is Sally Morgan's rich, zesty and moving story of her childhood and growing up in Perth, Western Australia. It tells how she gradually came to realise the truth about her family and their heritage. In its original edition, ‘My Place’ was warmly and enthusiastically received by readers and critics.

6. ‘Sally’s Story’ example essay
Look out for:
introduction and conclusion – what is included?
Topic sentences
Quotes
Punctuation
Formal style of writing (third person)
‘Clincher sentences’

7. Introduction
What do you think needs to be included in the introduction? (refer to the ‘Sally’s Story’ example if you need to).
Name of the novel and the author
Any interesting information about the novel
Brief plot synopsis
Thesis (what you are arguing)

8. Planning your introduction
Write the following onto your planning sheet:
‘Holes’ written by Louis Sachar
Published in 1998
Has won the ‘Newbery Medal’ and has been adapted into a screenplay for the 2003 film by Walt Disney Pictures.
Brief plot synopsis (summary) 2-3 sentences
Thesis (main argument)

9. What to include in your second paragraph:
What do you think you would write about in this paragraph?
When Stanley Yelnats first arrives at Camp Green Lake, he has little sense of self-worth. However, during his time there, Stanley develops into a character with admirable qualities and emerges as a true hero.
What are some examples where the reader is positioned to see that Stanley has little sense of self-worth?

10. Structuring your second paragraph:
Topic sentence
Stanley enters Camp Green Lake with low self-esteem
Use some examples from the novel to support this:
Bullied at school
Teacher using Stanley’s weight as example – Stanley is embarrassed by his size
Family having no luck
Use quotes to support your ‘examples’
Remember the sandwich rule – never leave a quote by itself.
Don’t think that the reader of your essay has read ‘Holes’. Therefore you need to explain/introduce the characters you mention.
Clincher sentence: links back to thesis statement

11. What should you include in your third and fourth paragraphs?
When Stanley Yelnats first arrives at Camp Green Lake, he has little sense of self-worth. However, during his time there, Stanley develops into a character with admirable qualities and emerges as a true hero.
Discuss how Stanley develops ‘admirable’ qualities
How, through the struggles he faces, he begins to emerge as someone who is strong, in control of his life and becomes more confident.