COMMON CORE CLASSROOM READY GUIDE

HC 978-0-316-12305-1 PB 978-0-316-33684-0

When Did You See Her Last? by Lemony Snicket, pictures by Seth
Common Core ConnectionsFourth-Grade Focus
Many books can meet most, if not all, Common Core Standards.
However, we have found that some books speak strongly to a few
standards. These one-page applications connect a focused text and the
Common Core Standards as written for fourth gradersleaning on this
texts literary strengths.

RL.4.3
This reading standard asks students to describe a character, setting, or event, as well as to
document their thinking by drawing on specific details from the story such as a characters
thoughts, words, or actions. This second book in the series picks up with characters who
are familiar to readers who have completed Who Could That Be at This Hour?. S. Theodora
Markson, the dastardly Hangfire, Moxie Mallahan, and Ellington Feint return in When Did You
See Her Last? as Lemony seeks the missing Cleo Knight. In each book, readers learn more
about these characters, and there is no lack of action. Students should choose one character
to follow and continue asking questions, making inferences based on the information that
is provided by the storyteller explicitly while using her or his own background knowledge
(RL.4.1). Encourage students to create a chart to follow a character (or two) and record the
characters thoughts, words, and actions. Once readers have done this thinking they can go a
level deeper by making some inferences (or predictions) based on their findings that they can
then verify by reading on!
RL.4.6
The standard focuses on point of view. Students are asked to compare and contrast
point of view from different stories narration. In this series, Snicket claims to tell a semiautobiographical story. Each book is told in the first person, and it is very evident from the
first page: While I was in the town, I was hired to rescue this person, and I thought the statue
was gone forever. Snickets voice tells this second story while also bringing readers back plot
points from the first book, in case they have not read it yet. (There is a thread throughout the
series, but each book has a mystery of its own.) Since the first person narration is evident, this
book makes a good reference point to contrast with many third-person points-of-view from
other fourth-grade level texts.

COMMON CORE CLASSROOM READY GUIDE

W.4.2
This writing standard invites students to write an informative (or explanatory) text that
examines a topic; students need to convey ideas and information clearly and connect back to
the book. Snickets When Did You See Her Last? is full of action and includes moments that
leave readers wondering what will happen next. W.4.2 provides an opportunity for students
to explain their thinking, giving them a chance to think through their ideas and clarify them
as they write (drawing on W.4.9s call for evidence through text analysis, reflection, and
research.). W.4.2 has five components for consideration: introduce the topic with thought
toward formatting (headings, illustrations, paragraphs); include facts, details, quotations and
such to support the topic; utilize linking words (such as another, for example, also, because);
use precise language and Snickety vocabulary to inform readers on the chosen topic; and
conclude with a statement related to the information or explanation presented. Snicket
unravels the story chapter by chapter/clue by clue. Readers can unpack a chapter or section of
the story or write to inform about an event or a character to interact with this writing standard.
RL.4.4 and L.4.4
These standards engage readers with considerations of the words or vocabulary in the text.
Snicket plays with language as he creates an engaging mystery. The following table supplies
teachers with ideas of the kinds of words students will encounter in this book. At times,
Snicket lays out the meaning of the word, and other times he makes readers work to grasp
it within the context. This series is a wonderful opportunity to discuss how to define words.
Students should record words that they read that are new, different, or surprising like the ones
listed below:

survey (p. 4)
flattery (p. 28)
indulging (p. 115)
vexing (p. 9)
fortunate (p. 41)
provoke (p. 136)
foreboding (p. 15)
impertinent (p. 47)
asinine (p. 138)
apothecary (p. 25)
intimidating (p. 86)
defenestration (p. 232)

Challenge students to write a working definition for these words using the following strategies
for vocabulary (as per L.4.4):

Use context of the text (explicit and implicit)

Use common, Greek, and Latin affixes and roots as clues
Consult reference materials (both print and digital)

This guide prepared by Mollie Welsh Kruger, Ed.D., Bank Street College of Education.