Grandpa’s Clock: Teacher’s Guide

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Summary

It’s Cayley’s turn at last. Her beloved Grandpa is going to build her a grandfather clock of her very own – she has helped make all the nineteen clocks he’s built so far. Cayley is impatient for her clock to be done, but when Grandpa is taken ill, Cayley learns to apply the patience of clock-making to Grandpa’s recovery. A story of family connections and the love that binds a family together, and in particular, the deep love between Cayley and her grandfather – a love that resonates like a heartbeat, and the beating of a clock. A multi-layered story with numerous classroom applications.

General Themes And Connections

  1. Family relationships
    • Inter-generational relationships
    • Senior members of the family
    • Sharing time with seniors
    • The love and special connections between children and grandparents.
  2. Health
    • Heart health
    • Heart attacks
    • Hospitals
    • Ambulances and ambulance workers
  3. Patience and steadiness – Slow and Steady
    • Patience in making objects by hand
    • Patience in healing
    • Patience in dealing with younger children
  4. Woodworking
    • stages of making something out of wood
    • use of woodworking tools
  5. Safety when using woodworking tools
  6. Grandfather clocks
    • Building things by hand
    • How pendulum clocks work
    • The stages of building a clock frame
    • Heritage timepieces
  7. Telling Time
    • Telling time with a clock face
  8. Similes and Metaphors
    • the beating of a clock and the beating of a heart, amongst others.

Classroom Activities

  1. Topics of Discussion
    1. How many characters are there in this story and who are the main characters?
    2. What is Cayley helping Grandpa make? Does she have a special relationship with Grandpa? Why?
    3. Why is she so excited?
    4. How is Grandpa’s attitude towards building the clock different from Cayley’s?
    5. What game does Grandpa like to watch on TV? What does Cayley feel about Grandpa watching this game, and why?
    6. What noise does Cayley hear one morning, when it’s barely light outside? What does she think it is? What is it really?
    7. What has happened to Grandpa that he is taken away in the ambulance?
    8. What signs have there been in the story, before Grandpa is taken ill, that there is something wrong with his heart?
    9. Why does Cayley decide to take the old curve top clock to Grandpa in the hospital?
    10. Discuss similes and metaphors. What similes are used in this story? What metaphors?
    11. Why is the beating of a clock likened to the beating of a heart?
    12. What has Cayley learned from the making of clocks with Grandpa, that she applies to helping Grandpa heal?
    13. Grandpa uses some particular turns of phrase. What are they?
    14. Discuss the phrase: slow and steady. How does it apply to a clock? To a heart? To making a clock? To healing? To keeping Aaron happy?
    15. Discuss what you have learned about building clocks? What are the various stages?
    16. What illustrative device is shown on each page above the text? How does this echo the mood of the story?
    17. At the end of the story, how do you think Grandpa feels at the idea of building another clock, for Aaron? Why?
    18. Why does Cayley’s father offer to help with the clock building? How do you think Grandpa feels about this? Cayley?
    19. Discuss different time keeping devices through the ages: eg: sundials, hour glasses, etc.
    20. Discuss how time is told with a clock face as opposed to a digital clock.
  2. Writing exercises
    1. Write a journal entry Cayley might write at the start of the story. How would she feel?
    2. Describe what Cayley loves about the Lord Nelson, more than other clocks.
    3. List the various feelings that Cayley experiences through the story.
    4. Write a description of any senior in your life – a grandparent, or neighbour. Write about your relationship with him or her.
    5. List the parts of a grandfather clock mentioned in this story.
    6. Are there any particular turns of phrase that your family uses? Or people you know use? List them. What do they mean?
    7. Write a journal entry Cayley might make when Grandpa is taken ill.
    8. Imagine that you are a mouse living in Cayley’s clock? Write an account of a day in the clock.
    9. Imagine that you had a magical clock that could take you into the past or future. Where would you go? Describe your adventures.
    10. Write a story about Cayley and her Dad helping Grandpa make Aaron’s clock. Remember to put in something exciting, some kind of problem that will make your story interesting.
  3. Art Projects
    1. Draw a picture of a clock you would love to have.
    2. Draw faces showing Cayley’s feelings at the start of the story; when Grandpa falls ill; when he’s getting better; and at the end when her clock is ready.
    3. Make a poster about this story.
    4. Draw a picture of Aaron’s clock.
  4. Drama
    1. Write and act out a new scene between Grandpa, Cayley, Cayley’s Mom and Aaron at the start of the book when Cayley comes home and finds Grandpa watching baseball.
    2. Write and act a new scene in the hospital when Grandpa is ill. Bring in some new characters, such as a nurse and a doctor, as well as the characters in the story.
  5. Extra Study and Research activities
    1. Research grandfather clocks and report on their history and origins.
    2. Research the mechanism of a grandfather clock and write a report, or do a class presentation.
    3. Research how time has been told through the ages. Name and describe three methods of telling time.
    4. Research how the heart works. Draw a picture of the heart with the four chambers.
    5. Community helpers: Who are the people who work in hospitals? Name at least three and describe the work they do.

Copyright © Rachna Gilmore

One of a series of Teacher’s Guides found at www.rachnagilmore.ca

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