Tall tales, Paul Bunyan, Lumberjacks, Maple syrup Teacher’s notes This is a collection of material which can be used separately or as a whole project. Tall tales: Read the background information about tall tales (p. 1) and do the tasks on the

accompanying worksheet (p. 2). The learners are challenged to differentiate between sentences that state facts and sentences that exaggerate. The focus is on the lexical items “as big as” and “so big that ..” for exaggerating. These language awareness tasks are good preparation for reading the Paul Bunyan vignettes (p. 3). The topic of tall tales lends itself well to dramatization, storyboarding, and writing.

Lumberjacks: Paul Bunyan was a legendary lumberjack figure. The lumberjack culture was

particularly strong in northern New England and the Great Lakes area of the United States, where most virgin forests were felled in the 1800s. The Paul Bunyan story can be extended to the topic of lumberjack breakfast (p. 4) and you and your learners can even make pancakes (p. 5) and serve them with maple syrup, which is now widely available in Austria (check the health foods section at the supermarket). This topic can be extended to ordering breakfast in a restaurant as well and the cooking can be integrated as English across the curriculum in home economics classes. In addition, the cultural aspect of measuring ingredients can be addressed: “cups” and “ounces” as opposed to mg and ml. Generally, all dry and wet ingredients are measured by their capacity. One cup is 8 ounces and is equal to 236 ml.

Maple syrup: The handouts for maple syrup are an example of English across the curriculum. The

content ties in well with biology and geography. Ask learners to fist explore the pictures of sugarmaking (p. 6), then do the language work (p. 7). The additional texts about the seasons (p. 8) and maple sugar facts (p. 9) are challenging. Throughout this topic, it is important to focus on understanding and to limit what you expect your learners to (re)produce. Other supplemental material you could integrate: pictures of autumn in New England (the red colors come from the maple trees), a map of the US to show learners where maple syrup is made (northern New England and the Great Lakes region), maple syrup for the learners to taste.

Dramatic action activity The process of sugarmaking can be presented through drama. Ask volunteers to help you. You need a tree, a spout, a bucket, a pot, fire, sap, and maple syrup. The volunteers do not have to say anything. Help the volunteers to position themselves as the objects they play (standing tall with arms for the tree, a finger as a spout sticking out of the tree trunk, arms held out in a circle for the bucket below the spout, sap that “goes into” the bucket and is poured from the bucket to the pot, etc.) As you position the “objects”, say what they are and why they are important. Then, when all are in place, tell the story of sugarmaking.

Tall tales

Paul Bunyan: A tall tale Tall tales are traditional American stories. They are called “tall tales” because they exaggerate. Everything is larger than life. The people and animals are gigantic and the events are crazy and unrealistic. The stories are funny and exciting. These stories were important in the days before TV and radio.

Words and phrases to exaggerate = übertreiben larger than life = unrealistisch gigantic = riesig lumberjack = Holzarbeiter to cut down = hier: fällen furniture = Möbel competition = Wettbewerb skill = Fähigkeit tool = Werkzeug axe = Axe chain saw = Kettensäge

The story of Paul Bunyan is a traditional tall tale. Paul is a giant lumberjack. Lumberjacks work in the forest. Many years ago in the 1800s, lumberjacks lived in the forest in lumberjack camps and they cut down many trees, which were sent down rivers to big towns. The wood was for building houses, making furniture, and making paper. Today in the United States, you can go to lumberjack festivals in the summer and watch lumberjack competitions. The “lumberjacks” show their skills in cutting trees. They use traditional and modern tools, like axes and chain saws. For more information about tall tales, do an internet search! You can find out about Pecos Bill, John Henry, Johnny Appleseed and many more tall tale characters.

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Tall tales

1 Tick the tall tale sentences.

Paul was a big baby. Paul was so big that five storks had to bring him to his parents. He grew so fast that he had to wear his father’s clothes when he

was one week old. Paul’s shoes were as big as wagons. Paul ate a lot. He ate forty pancakes for breakfast. Paul had a pet ox. Its name was Babe. Sourdough Sam was the camp cook. Sourdough Sam made pancakes as big as lakes.

2 What does it mean in your language?

… was so big that … ……………………………………………………… … grew so fast that … ……………………………………………………… … as big as … ………………………………………………………

3 Fill in the phrase builders with your ideas.

Paul was so

big

strong

fast

that

……………………………………………………………………… .

……………………………………………………………………… .

……………………………………………………………………… .

Paul was as

big

strong

fast

as

……………………………………………………………………… .

……………………………………………………………………… .

……………………………………………………………………… .

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Tall tales The Birth of Paul Bunyan Imagine the excitement at the birth of Paul Bunyan! Five giant storks brought him to his parents. He grew so fast that after one week he had to wear his father’s clothes. His lungs were so strong that he could empty a whole pond of frogs with one “holler”. Paul the Giant Baby Paul was a giant baby. On his clothing they used wagon wheels for buttons. They used a lumber wagon and a team of oxen as a baby carriage. He ate forty pancakes for breakfast. As a child, Paul played with an axe and crosscut saw like other children play with toys. On his first birthday his father gave him a pet blue ox named Babe.

The Young Paul Bunyan

-3-

Paul and Babe were best friends. They were so large that their footprints formed lakes wherever they went. That is why the state of Minnesota has 10,000 lakes. Babe the Blue Ox grew to be seven axe handles wide between the eyes and his favorite snack

was thirty bales of hay. The Year of the Two Winters In the year of the two winters, the snow was so deep that Paul had to dig down to the trees to do his lumberjack work. It was very cold. The boiling coffee froze so fast that it was still hot when it was frozen. When the men spoke, their words froze in the air. When it thawed in the spring there was a terrible chatter for weeks. For more Paul Bunyan stories, go to www.paulbunyantrail.com.

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Lumberjacks

A lumberjack breakfast Lumberjacks worked very hard in the forest. The lived in lumberjack camps and they worked all day, cutting trees and sending the logs down the river. The wood was very important for building houses and making furniture. The camp cook was very important, because the lumberjacks had big appetites. They were very hungry. In the morning, they ate a big breakfast. They had eggs, bacon, sausages, and pancakes with maple syrup. They had a special word for pancakes: flapjacks. They drank coffee and milk.

Words and phrases log = Baumstamm bacon = Frühstücksspeck lumberjack = Holzarbeiter to raise money = Spenden sammeln Today in the United States, you can have a lumberjack breakfast

at some restaurants and festivals. Sometimes people have a lumberjack breakfast event to raise money for special projects.

1 Fill in the menu.

Lumberjack breakfast special …………………………………………………… …………………………………………………… …………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………

2 Would you like a lumberjack breakfast? Talk with a partner.

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Lumberjacks

Recipe: Lumberjack flapjacks (pancakes)

Ingredients: 1 ½ cups flour 3 ½ teaspoons baking powder ¾ teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons sugar 1 egg, beaten 1 ¾ cups milk 3 tablespoons melted butter

Directions: Mix the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar together in a large bowl.

Mix the egg, milk, and butter in another bowl.

Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and beat until smooth.

Drop by large spoonfuls onto hot pan. Cook until the top is full of bubbles, then flip and cook the other side. Serve the pancakes with butter and maple syrup.

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Maple syrup 1 Look at the pictures. What do you see?

Language to go a bucket a spout a fire a tree sap syrup

sugarmaker

to check to boil to look to pour to tap

2 Fill in the text with the words.

bucket maple syrup pot sap spout spring water It is …………………… . The sugarmakers are making maple syrup. They tap the tree and hang a

…………………… under the …………………… . The …………………… runs into the bucket. Then the

sugarmakers put the sap in a big …………………… and they boil it for a long time. The …………………

boils out of the sap. Then they have …………………… . It is sweet.

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Maple syrup 3 Write the words.

b…………

s…………

sp…………

m……… tr……… 4 Number the steps.

Making maple syrup

…… Cook the sap at a very high temperature so the water evaporates.

1 Make a tap with a spout.

…… Put the syrup in containers.

…… Store in a cool place.

…… Tap the trees and hang a bucket under the spout.

…… Collect the sap and put it in a big pot.

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Maple syrup 5 What season is it? Underline the keywords and write in the season. List the science

words.

The Seasons of Maple

Season: ……………………………

In this season, the green pigment in the leaves (chlorophyll) collects energy from the sun. The roots take in water and minerals from the earth. In the process of photosynthesis, the tree makes a simple sugar and saves it as starch. This is the maple tree’s food and energy reserve. It is also what makes the sweet sap that the sugarmakers will harvest nine months later. For the sugarmaker, it is a time to package and sell his maple syrup.

Season: ……………………………

-8-

During this season, the trees are dormant (not active). The starch is in the tree, waiting to be converted to sugar in the spring, and to sweeten the sap that the maple producer will collect. For many sugarmakers, the Christmas holiday season is a time when they sell a lot of maple syrup. It is a favorite Christmas gift for many people.

Season: ……………………………

This is the time when the sugarmakers have a lot of work. They tap the trees, collect the sap, and make maple syrup. Most sugarhouses are open to the public during the boiling season. Many have restaurants where you can have pancake breakfasts with fresh maple syrup. Because fresh sap makes the best syrup, sugarmakers often work all night. At the end of the season, the sugarmakers clean their equipment and put it away for the next year.

Season: ……………………………

The days become cooler and shorter and the leaves begin to slow down their chlorophyll production. Sugar in the leaves combines with other substances, and the leaves show their bright red and gold colors. After the leaves drop, it is a lot easier to work in the forest because it is easier to see, and the heat and insects of summer are gone. Sugarmakers take care of their trees and cut firewood.

Science words

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Maple syrup Maple syrup facts

What are the right weather conditions for sap flow?

The sap flow depends on temperatures which go back and forth past the freezing point (32 degrees F or 0 degrees C.). The sap flows best when nighttime temperatures are below freezing and daytime temperatures are above freezing. The longer it stays below freezing at night, the longer the sap will run during the warm day. If the weather gets too cold and stays cold, sap flow will stop. If the weather gets too warm and stays warm, sap flow will stop. The cold weather at night allows the tree to cool down and take in moisture from the ground. During the day, the tree warms up and the sap flows.

What does maple sap look and taste like?

Maple sap is a clear liquid with about 2% sugar. It looks like water, and it has a very slight sweet taste. The true maple flavor comes out in the boiling process. Maple syrup is brown and has a sweet taste.

Does tapping harm the maple trees?

Proper tapping does not harm the tree. Trees must be about a foot in diameter before they can be tapped. Most trees can have one or two taps per season. Larger trees may have more. Many of the big maple trees in New England have been tapped every year for over 100 years.

How much sap does it take to make a gallon of syrup?

Depending on the sweetness of the sap, it can take anywhere from 25–75 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup. Normally it takes 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup (or 40 liters to make one liter). Each tap in a tree will give about 10 gallons (40 liters) of sap over 4–5 weeks, so you need one tree to make one liter of syrup.

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Tall tales, Paul Bunyan, Lumberjacks, Maple syrup Teacher’s notes Paul Bunyan: A tall tale The Birth of Paul Bunyan Paul the Giant Baby The Year of the Two Winters A lumberjack breakfast Lumberjack breakfast special

Recipe: Lumberjack flapjacks (pancakes)