Giant of Seville, a literature-based unit study for the book by Dan Andreasen

Summary:
Captain Martin Van Buren Bates and his wife are giants looking for a place to live after touring the world in the circus. Will he be able to find a quiet home for them to live in Seville, Ohio?

Unit prepared by Heidi Dombrowski

Bible

When you hear the word giant, what Bible story do you think of? Could it be David and Goliath? The story of David and Goliath can be found in 1 Samuel 17. Read the story together and compare the similarities and differences between Goliath and Captain Bates.

Do you remember who Mrs. Crawley was and what she did? Mrs. Crawley ran the boardinghouse that Captain Bates stayed at when he visited Seville. She went to great lengths to make sure the captain was taken care of and enjoyed their town. 1 Peter 4:10-11 talks about the gifts we have and how to bring God honor by using our gifts.

Captain Bates was looking for a place for him and his wife to live. No matter where he went, Captain Bates could not find the right place to live. He even worries that he is too big for Seville. The Bible talks about how God cares for us. Matthew 6:26 says we are more valuable to God then the birds and yet he takes care of them so we do not need to worry.

What did the town’s people of Seville do for Captain Bates and his wife at the end of the story? They built him a house and showed kindness and compassion towards him even though he was afraid they didn’t want him to stay. Read Ephesians 4:32 to see what the Bible says about compassion and forgiveness. You may want to memorize this verse.

Language Arts

Vocabulary

Lapel-The part of the collar of a coat or jacket that folds back over itself.

Parlor- A formal living room, especially in an old house, that is used for receiving guests.

Boardinghouse-A house where paying guests are provided with meals and lodging.

Porters- Someone who carries luggage for people at a railroad station or hotel.

Bugle- a brass wind instrument resembling a trumpet but without keys.

Vigor- active strength or force.

Threshold- The bottom of a door usually made of a piece of weed, metal, or stone.

Tall Tale (based on a true story)
The Giant of Seville is a story about a real man, Martin Van Buren Bates, whose life story is stretched and turned into a tall tale. What is a tall tale? A tall tale is fiction and is usually about a person that is extraordinary and ‘larger than life’.

The last page of the book, under the author’s note, gives some information about Captain Martin Van Buren Bates’ life. In what way is the tall tale similar to his real life? In what way are they different?

Captain Van Buren’s size was exaggerated in the story and his size caused problems for the town of Seville. Solving each of the problems the Captain faced is funny and draws the reader in. What parts of the story tell you that the story is a tall tale?

Other tall tales that might be fun to read would be Paul Bunyan, Pecos Bill and Johnny Appleseed. Compare The Giant of Seville to one of these stories. What is similar? What is different?

Puns
Puns are "the humorous use of a word or words, which are formed or sounded alike but have different meanings, in such a way as to play on two or more of the possible applications; a play on words." (Websters)

For example, some foods help our brains to function better.....so a pun would be to say that broccoli and cauliflower are "food for thought."

Here are a few more puns:
    I work as a baker because I need dough.
    I used to be a carpenter, but then I got bored.
    Calendars are always up to date.
    When a clock is hungry, it always goes back for seconds.
    The best way to communicate with a fish is to drop them a line.
    To write with a broken pencil is pointless.
    Math teachers have lots of problems.
    On the shelf there are ten math books, five geography books, and the rest is history.

Now that your student knows what a pun is, ask him if he can figure out the pun in this story.   The title says that this is a "tall" tale, this play on words also refers to the fact that Captain Bates is very tall.

Would your student like to try his hand at creating a pun? It's not always easy, so I wouldn't ask a student if they easily get frustrated at not being able to. However, some kids it comes quite easy. One the best ways to come up with a pun is think of the homophone(s) for a word, then create a way to say one of the words but mean the other. (These are called homophonic puns.)   Example: Seven days without prayer makes one weak.

November 8 is "Pun Day"....be sure to celebrate!

Some possible go-along books to check out:

The King Who Rained
Chocolate Moose for Dinner
A Little Pigeon Toad

Mathematics

Measurement
How tall was Captain Bates? According to the author’s note, Martin Van Buren Bates was seven feet eleven and a half inches. Using a tape measure, measure the Captain’s height on a wall and compare the height to with the members of your family. If you have paper that you can cut that large, such as butcher paper, you could draw a man that measures the exact height of the Captain.

How many johnnycakes can you make from 4 gallons of batter? Make your favorite johnnycake batter. Measure how much batter it makes and how many cakes you should be able to make out of the batter. The first recipe for johnnycakes, in the Just for Fun section below, makes about 4 cups or 32 oz of batter. The second recipe makes 2 cups or 16 oz of batter. If 8 oz equals 1 cup, 4 cups equals 1 quart, and 4 quarts equal 1 gallon, how many times would the recipe need to be made to feed Captain Bates? Use liquid measuring cups, 1 quart container and a clean gallon jug to figure out how many cakes.

For your younger child, let them fill up a clean gallon jug with water and count how many cups it takes to fill it up.

Science

Sunflowers
The story tells us that Captain Bates had a bright yellow sunflower in his lapel. Why do you think he would have a sunflower in his lapel instead of a carnation or rose? The Captain is tall, so what better flower to wear than a sunflower?

Sunflowers are native to the Americas and can grow to heights of 8’ to 12’. Sunflowers need full sun to grow. There are 23 varieties of sunflowers. If the weather is good, plant some sunflowers and watch them grow. Have your child draw a seed before you start and continue to draw the sunflower’s life cycle as it grows. At the end of the season, wrap the head of the sunflower in a bag and close with a rubber band. Let it dry in a cool, dry place. Once it is dried, shake the flower in the bag and you will have sunflower seeds that you can use to feed the birds or to plant the following year. If you feed the birds, try to keep track of which ones come to eat it. A field guide will be very helpful.

Steam Trains
Trains during the time of the story were powered by steam engines. What is steam? How would steam move trains? Steam is the vapor or gas form of water when water is boiled.

Activity: You can use a pinwheel for a fun way to learn about how steam is used to power trains. Boil a pot or tea kettle of water for your student. Wearing a pot holder, hold a pinwheel over the steam from the boiling water. What happens? Move the pinwheel away from the water. Now what happens? When water is turned to a gas it increases in volume and rises off the boiling water causing the pinwheel to spin. In a steam engine, the pressure from the water expanding into steam and causes the train to move.

Social Studies

Geography -- Ohio
Using a map of the United States, locate Ohio on the map. What part of the United States is Ohio located in? Can you find Seville, Ohio on the map? Ohio is located in the North Eastern part of the United States and borders Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana and Michigan. Ohio is the seventh most populated state. It became a state on March 1, 1803 making it the 17th state. Seville is located south of Columbus, Ohio and south west of Akron, Ohio. Columbus is the capital of Ohio.

Circus
Have you ever been to the circus? What types of performances would you see at a circus? Clowns, jugglers, acrobats, trained animals, tightrope, trapeze artists as well as other acts can be seen at the circus. A circus is usually held in an oval or round stadium with tiered seating around the edge. Tents are used for circuses that travel from place to place. There is usually a ringmaster that introduces the performances to the audience.

What is your child’s favorite part of the circus? What would they like to see at the circus? Depending on your child’s age, ask them to write or dictate what they would like to see at the circus. Draw a picture to accompany the story. Perhaps the circus will be in your area and you will be able to go.

Circus by Peter Spier as well as other books about circuses would make a fun addition to this lesson

Working together
Take a look at the illustration opposite the big kettle towards the end of the story. What are the town's people doing? The town people worked together to make Captain Bates and his wife a new home. Working together to finish a project, whether big or small, makes the work more enjoyable and the work can be accomplish a lot faster.

Can you remember a time that you worked with others to get a job done? Perhaps you helped your mom fold clothes and put clothes away so that you could do something fun. Were you able to finish the job faster than if you did it alone? Next time you see work that needs to be done, try to help out.

Art

Make a Sunflower
A sunflower craft would be a fun addition to this unit. The instructions can be found at the Enchanted Learning website.

Basically the stem is made by wrapping green construction paper around a paper towel roll and attaching with glue or tape. The petals are made by tracing your child’s hand six times on yellow construction paper and cutting it out. Glue or staple the handprints around a small paper plate. Glue sunflower seeds to the center of the flower using a thin layer of glue. Staple the paper towel roll to the flower.

You could also download a sunflower coloring page for a child who likes to color.

Illustrations
Take some time to look through the illustrations in the book. Notice the proportion of size between the Captain and the people and objects around him. Do the illustrations make him look like a giant? What are some things in the story that look tiny compared to the Captain?

Stencils
Take a look at the Captains trunk. Do you see the words “CAPTAIN MARTIN VAN BUREN BATES EIGHTH WONDER OF THE WORLD” on his trunk? The letters are stenciled on his trunk to show the trunk belongs to him.

What are stencils? A stencil can be a piece of cardboard, plastic, metal or other material that has letters or object cut out of it. When the stencil is placed over an object and paint or ink is applied, the design is transferred on to the object. Have some fun and allow your student to play with stencils. If you do not have any pre-made stencils, you can make them by cutting out designs or letters from a piece of cardboard. A craft knife on a self healing mat or glass mat will allow you to cut out your stencil.

Just for fun

Cooking -- Johnnycakes
Johnnycakes are bread or cakes made from cornmeal. Make your favorite recipe and enjoy your johnnycakes just like Captain Bates did!

Johnny Cakes
(4 servings)

2 cups white cornmeal
2 teaspoons sugar
1 and 1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups boiling water
3 Tablespoons butter
Preheat oven to 250 F.

Mix cornmeal, sugar and salt in large bowl. Mix in 3 cups boiling water (batter will be thick).

Melt 1 Tbsp. butter on heavy griddle or in large skillet over medium heat. Drop batter onto griddle by tablespoonfuls, spreading with back of spoon to 2" diameter cakes. Cook until golden brown, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to platter. Keep warm in oven. Repeat with remaining batter, adding more butter as needed. Note: I found it difficult to spread the batter when I first put it on the griddle. I let it cook a few minutes, flipped them and then pushed them flat with a spatula. I also added more water (1/2 cup at a time) to make them thinner. Recipe source

Here's another recipe for johnnycakes.

Johnnycakes

2 cups stone ground cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons boiling water

Cream the cornmeal, salt, and butter together. Add the milk and enough water to make a moist but firm batter. Drop by large spoonfuls onto a hot greased griddle, and flatten slightly with the back of a spoon. When brown, turn and cook the other side. Recipe Source

Serve johnnycakes warm with additional butter and maple syrup, assorted breakfast rolls and sliced melon to round out the meal.