Introduction

Charles Edward Carryl was a cultured and sensible stockbroker by day, but in the evenings, inspired by his children, he created bizarre, fantastical adventures using rhythmic wordplay. “The Sleepy Giant” was one of his widely praised and anthologized poems. One purpose of this unit of study is to provide students with an opportunity to understand the nuances of words in interesting and creative ways. The big idea “Things are not always what they appear to be” guides thinking and learning in this section of the lesson, and allows students to make connections to the poem using prior knowledge and new information. Another purpose of this unit is for students to analyze patterns in history using the theme of “the sleeping giant.”