Flashbacks are a common literary technique used by authors such as Louis Sachar in the book, Holes.
Flashbacks can reveal vital and crucial information in a story. These stories flip back and forth between the story’s present and past. This story structure is an effective way to build suspense as the flashbacks at first deepen and eventually elucidate mysteries in the present narrative. Flashbacks can also help highlight themes or character development that appear in the story’s present.
To have students analyze connections between a flashback narrative and a story’s main narrative, make use of a T-chart or two-columns storyboard. For each significant element of the flashback plot, have students find a connection to the present-day plot. The example above illustrates the connections between the main narrative in Holes and one of the novel’s flashback narratives.
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Due Date:
Objective: Create a storyboard that shows how the flashbacks in the book, Holes connect to the story's present.
Student Instructions:
Guide your students to link past events with present character actions in Holes. This approach deepens comprehension and encourages critical thinking about how characters evolve over time.
Choose flashbacks that give insight into why a character behaves the way they do in the present. Focusing on motivation helps students make meaningful connections.
Ask questions like, “How did this event shape the character’s choices?” or “What might the character have learned from this flashback?” These prompts spark deeper analysis and discussion.
Remind students to support their ideas with specific quotes or events from Holes. This practice builds close reading skills and strengthens arguments.
Wrap up by having the class collaboratively list ways flashbacks influence characters. Highlight how understanding the past enriches the story’s present.
Flashbacks in Holes are scenes that take readers back to events before the main timeline. They are important because they reveal key information, deepen mysteries, and connect past events to the present plot, helping students understand character motivations and themes.
To teach students to identify flashbacks in Holes, encourage them to look for shifts in time, changes in setting, or different character perspectives. Using a T-chart or storyboard helps students visually track and connect flashbacks to the main narrative.
An effective activity is having students create a storyboard or T-chart that pairs flashback events with present-day scenes, illustrating and describing the connections. This helps students see how past events influence the main story.
Flashbacks in Holes reveal characters’ backgrounds, motivations, and relationships. By connecting flashback events to the present, students can better understand why characters act as they do and how they change over time.
The best way is to use a T-chart or two-column storyboard: one side for flashback events, the other for related present-day events. Students can illustrate or describe each, making the narrative structure and connections clear and visual.