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TG 9780064407663
TG 9780064407663
ies of Unfortunate E
Ser ven
A ts
CLASSROOM
ACTIVITY KIT
Dear Brave Teacher,
Lemony Snicket
AWFUL ALTER EGOS
Rhyme and Alliteration
Count Olaf and his crew often wear disguises and create aliases. Discuss
the term alias with the class. Have students invent aliases of their own. They
may choose to scramble up the letters in their names to make an anagram.
For example, an anagram of the name Brian could be Nirba. Students may also
use alliteration to confuse others. For example, Susan might call herself
“Superstitious Susan.” Finally, students can create rhyming names for themselves,
such as Sad Brad.
Ask the children to write their own rhyming couplets with clues to a secret hiding place.
Have them read their poems out loud so that the group can guess the hiding place each is
describing.
TO THE RESCUE!
Language Arts
In The Austere Academy Violet, Klaus, and Sunny make friends with the Quagmire
triplets. Lemony Snicket makes these comments about friendship: “It is a relief, in
hectic and frightening times, to find true friends . . . .” Then later in the same para-
graph he says, “Friends can make you feel that the world is smaller and less sneaky
than it really is, because you know people who have similar experiences . . . .”(p. 52).
PEOPLE PLACES
Vice Principal Nero Damocles Dock
Esmé Squalor Café Salmonella
Georgina Orwell Lake Lachrymose
Coach Ghengis Mulctuary Money Management
Al Funcoot Prufrock Preparatory School
Duncan and Isadora Quagmire Veblen Hall
Heimlich Hospital
The Bad Beginning nefarious (pg. 118, ln. 9); illegible (pg. 124, ln. 22)
The Reptile Room lampoon (pg. 186, ln. 3)
The Wide Window mute (pg. 126, ln. 16)
The Miserable Mill atrocious (pg. 19, ln. 21)
The Austere Academy obsession (pg. 101, ln. 4); treacherous (pg. 108, ln. 7)
The Ersatz Elevator muffled (pg. 57, ln. 1); enormous (pg. 186, ln. 20)
The Vile Village immense (pg. 105, ln. 12)
The Hostile Hospital soothed (pg. 51, ln. 3 & 7); dismay (pg. 85, ln. 9)
Ask students to define these words the way Lemony Snicket would, reflecting his voice and style.
As an extension activity, have students write the next episode in the lives of the Baudelaires in the
style of Lemony Snicket. Encourage them to create their own pseudonyms, use literary allusions,
anagrams, synonyms, and vocabulary from above.
THE UNFORTUNATE WORLD
Map Skills
Using clues from the text, as well as their knowledge of maps, students can create a map of the fic-
tional setting in A Series of Unfortunate Events. Review with the class different types of maps and
the markings associated with each. Then have students select a type of map they wish to replicate.
Students can use the scenarios below as possible springboards for their maps, or search the text
for the area they would like to create.
In The Ersatz Elevator, we learn that Mr. Poe was “taking a three-week helicopter ride to a mountain
peak…” (p. 10). From the penthouse they can view “. . . a faint blue strip far, far away, the beach where
they had received the terrible news that had begun all their misfortune” (p. 34). Later in the book we
read, “The Fish District smelled like fish because it was located near the docks of the city”(p. 75).
In The Miserable Mill, we learn that the children took a train to a “dark and eerie countryside” (p. 4).
Mr. Poe remarks on page 5, “What a lovely forest!” And the children’s new guardian makes them
work at a lumber mill, where there is a logging camp.
In The Wide Window, the orphans go to live with their aunt Josephine, who lives in a house on top of
a steep hill that overlooks “the inky blob of Lake Lachrymose, huge and dark as . . . a monster” (p. 10).
The children arrive and “look down to see the town far, far below them, the cobblestone road curl-
ing around the buildings like a tiny gray snake, and the small square of Damocles Dock” (p. 10).
CRYPTIC TRIPTYCH
Art
In The Austere Academy Mr. Snicket explains what a triptych is (p. 55) and gives a few exam-
ples. Ask students to choose one of the books about the Baudelaires and draw a triptych to
illustrate what has happened to them. Have students share their drawings with the class and
have the other class members guess which book the illustrations represent.
• Who is Lemony Snicket? How does he know so much about the Baudelaires?
• Who is Beatrice?
• Why do you think Lemony Snicket warns readers at the beginning of and
several times throughout each book to put it down and read something else?
Have you considered obeying his request? Why or why not?
• There is a clue in the illustration at the end of each book to give the reader
a hint about what the next adventure might be. Choose one of the books
you have read and discuss the clue. Would you have used the same clue or
another one? Why? Try drawing an illustration with a clue for your favorite
book about the Baudelaires.
• At the end of each book there is a Letter to the Editor from Lemony
Snicket that foreshadows the events in the next book. What is an editor?
What is the relationship between an author and an editor? Hold a class
discussion on the publishing process, from the drafting stage to the
final book release. Model the process
by assigning an “editor” to ever y
“author” within the class. Then turn your
classroom into a children’s book publishing compa-
ny!
WRETCHED REPRODUCIBLES
The following pages contain four reproducible activities.
Reproducible Activity A: Baby Babble
Answers: Across: 1.Reauhop; 2. Minda; 4. Ecrif, 6. Tretchev; 8. Chonex
Answers: Down: 2. Manco; 3. Neebdes; 5. Fut; 7. Futa; 8. Chittol; 9. Wolick; 10. Bax
Reproducible Activity D:
Answers: 1) B, 2) C, 3) A, 4) C, 5) A, 6) A, 7) B, 8) D
A E
Y L
IT IB
V C
TI DU
AC RO
P
BABY BABBLE
RE
Sunny, the youngest Baudelaire, speaks in a nonsensical manner which most people find
difficult to understand. Using the glossary below, fill in each crossword puzzle clue with
the word from Sunny’s vocabulary that makes sense.
ACROSS: DOWN:
1. Something you might say to a friend before 2. What you might yell if you were drowning
she takes a test 3. You might ask this when something said is unclear
2. What would you say to someone if she said 5. You might say this to your older brother who is
the sky is falling? accusing you of whining all the time
4. A synonym for afraid 7. You say this to someone who shares the same opinion
6. What you might say to someone who is 8. The opposite of false
returning from a trip 9. People who offer to lend a hand might say this
8. What you are if no one else is around 10. How you might feel if you got called into the
principal’s office
SUNNY’S GLOSSARY
Fut . . . . . . .I do not! Reauhop . . .Good luck Wolick . . . .We’re happy to be of assistance
Minda . . . .Don’t be ridiculous Ecrif . . . . . .Scared Futa . . . . . .I agree
Chonex . . .All alone Chittol . . .True Neebdes . . .Can you explain that a bit more?
Tretchev . .Welcome home Bax . . . . . . .Nervous Manco . . . .Help
10
9
8
7
1
2 3
5
4
6
RE AC
PR T
O IVI
DU T
CI Y B
BL
SECRET IN A MESSAGE
E
Below is a letter from Lemony Snicket warning you of the whereabouts of Count
Olaf. Circle the spelling errors and write out the correct or missing letters
on the lines provided at the bottom of the page. When you have completed this
grueling task, it will reveal one of the places that Count Olaf terrifies the Baudelaires.
Dear Reader:
If this letter has reached you, it must mean that you have read the woeful
tales of the Baudelaires. Against your better judgment and my konstant
-
warnings, you have chosen to reed about the misery and horrors that
have befallen Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire. From the terible
news on the beach, to the deadly serpents, the hungry leeches, and the
angry mob, you have sadly shared in their suffering. Now, they need
your help. If you are up to this task, you can help find the Baudelaires to
warn them that Court Olaf is on the prowl.
However, you must fand the clue yourself. When you have uncovered
the clue, be very careful not to say it out loud, for surely Count Olaf
and his associates are close by, listening to ebery word you say. So, keep
it to yourself, but be sure to find a way to relay the messuge to the
Baudelaires without being caught.
I hope you, unlike the ill-fated Baudelaires, are lucky enough to survive
this risky mission.
Lemony Snicket
C
C E
Y L
IT IB
V C
TI DU
AC RO
P
RE
1
You overhear a conversation between Count Olaf and a French-speaking
associate. The associate says, “Je veux des gants noir.”
Title of a book that might help you:
2
One of Count Olaf ’s associates is making you dinner and insists that
cyanide is a key ingredient in chicken parmigiana.
Title of a book that might help you:
3
You are being chased by a pack of wild dogs and need to find a way
to tame them.
Title of a book that might help you:
4
You are told that you may not see the Quagmire triplets because they
have a highly contagious disease called scoliosis.
Title of a book that might help you:
5 You are tr ying to plan an escape route to another countr y, but you’re
not familiar with the local roads.
Title of a book that might help you:
1
What is the name of the evil man who is after the Baudelaire orphans?
A. Old Man Grumpus C. Mr. Poe
B. Count Olaf D. Lemony Snicket
2
Which of the names below is not one of the Baudelaire orphans?
A. Sunny C. Adam
B. Violet D. Klaus
3
How did the Baudelaire orphans’ parents die?
A. A fire C. Sore throats
B. An angry rhinocerous D. Old age
4
What is Count Olaf ’s most distinguishing feature?
A. A mole over his right eye C. A tattoo of an eye on his left ankle
B. A birthmark behind his left knee D. An incredibly handsome smile
5
How is Count Olaf supposedly related to the Baudelaires?
A. The Baudelaires’ distant cousin C. Sunny Baudelaire’s godfather
B. Hairdresser to the Baudelaires’ mother D. The Baudelaires’ long-lost brother
6
In The Reptile Room, which of Count Olaf ’s associates helped attempt to
capture the Baudelaires?
A. The hooked man posing as Dr. Lucafont C. The Incredibly Deadly Viper
B. White-faced woman D. The Cyclops
7
Where would Count Olaf most likely be lurking?
A. A small apartment in Siberia C. A warm tropical island near Vermont
B. Anywhere near the Baudelaires D. In the White House
8 Which of the following disguises has Count Olaf not used to trick the
Baudelaire orphans?
A. A shaven eyebrow C. A shaven beard
B. A shaven head D. Shaving cream
ies of Unfortunate E
Ser ven
A ts
Books available
in this dreadful
New York Times best-selling series...
A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book the First: A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book the Fourth: A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book the Seventh:
THE BAD BEGINNING THE MISERABLE MILL THE VILE VILLAGE
Tr 0-06-440766-7 Tr 0-06-440769-1 • Au 0-694-52543-X Tr 0-06-440865-5 • Au 0-694-52624-X
A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book the Second: A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book the Fifth: A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book the Eighth:
THE REPTILE ROOM THE AUSTERE ACADEMY THE HOSTILE HOSPITAL
Tr 0-06-440767-5 Tr 0-06-440863-9 • Au 0-694-52594-4 Tr 0-06-440866-3 • Au 0-694-52625-8
A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book the Third: A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book the Sixth:
THE WIDE WINDOW THE ERSATZ ELEVATOR
Tr 0-06-440768-3 • Au 0-694-52542-1 Tr 0-06-440864-7 • Au 0-694-52593-6
Lemony Snicket:
The Unauthorized Autobiography
Tr 0-06-000719-2
www.harperchildrens.com www.lemonysnicket.com
Teaching ideas prepared by Susan Geye, Library Media Specialist, the Crowley Ninth Grade Campus, Fort Worth, Texas.
To purchase books visit your local bookseller or educational distributor.