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BOOK STATSGrade Level Equivalent: 4–7Ages: 9 Lexile Measure: 680LPages: 176Genre: Mystery and AdventureSubject/Theme: Family, Historical, AdventureTeaching the BookOne False Note continues the adventures of Amyand Dan Cahill as they crisscross Europe in theirquest to discover the 39 Clues needed to find thesource of their family’s power. The book provides anopportunity to discuss the conflicts that move theplot forward as well as the author’s use of figurativelanguage. Students will engage in activities rangingfrom listening to Mozart to writing an adventurescene set in their community.Theme Focus: AdventureComprehension Focus: Analyze ConflictLanguage Focus: Figurative LanguageABOUT THE AUTHORGordon Korman wrote his first book when he was inseventh grade. His language arts teacher told the students to work on whatever they wanted, so Gordonwrote a novel. He sent his manuscript to Scholasticand it was published as This Can’t Be Happening atMacdonald Hall when Gordon was just fourteen. Henow has more than 65 novels to his credit.During his writing career, Korman has written humor,suspense, and action/adventure novels. What is thesecret to his success? “It’s a combination betweenreal life and pure imagination,” he says. “I alwaysstart off with something real, but then I unleash myimagination to make it more exciting.”Korman lives with his wife and children on LongIsland, NY.For more about Gordon Korman, visit his website,http://www.gordonkorman.com/.Common CoreStandardsReadingWritingListening &SpeakingLanguageGrade 4RL.4.1, RL.4.3,RL.4.4W.4.3SL.4.1L.4.5, L.4.6Grade 5RL.5.3, RL.5.4,RL.5.5W.5.3SL.5.1L.5.5, L.5.6Grade 6RL.6.1, RL.6.3,RL.6.4W.6.3SL.6.1L.6.5, L.6.6OVERVIEWBook SummaryAfter finding the first of the 39 Clues in Paris, Amyand Dan Cahill board a train to Vienna, Austria—the home of their illustrious relative, WolfgangAmadeus Mozart. Along the way, they encounterseveral nefarious relatives—all of them determinedto thwart Amy and Dan from finding the next Clue.Dan uses his photographic memory and Amy usesher powers of deduction to track down the diary ofMozart’s sister, Nannerl. Unfortunately, three keypages from the diary are missing, and Amy and Danhurry to Salzburg, Mozart’s place of birth. Whenthey arrive, Amy and Dan catch a glimpse of theiruncle Alistair Oh and follow him into the SalzburgCatacombs.A dark journey through the catacombs almostleads to a real dead end for Amy and Dan, but theysurvive to discover the missing diary pages. Writingon the pages sends them off to Venice, where theyventure into an underground art collection belonging to the Janus branch of the Cahill family.After a narrow escape, Amy and Dan jump into aboat for a high-speed chase through the canals ofVenice and survive an attempt on their lives by theevil Kabras. The second installment in the series endswith another Clue revealed, and the young Cahills,accompanied by Nellie, and their cat, Saladin, boarda plane for Japan to continue their quest. 2012 SI ALL RIGHTS RESERVEDTEACHER GUIDE1

Get Ready to ReadPre-Reading ActivitiesA Map of the Journey Many students will havealready read The Maze of Bones, Book One of The39 Clues. Discuss the quest Amy and Dan Cahillare on . . . to be the first of the Cahill family todiscover the 39 Clues that will give them incrediblewealth and power.Draw a simple plot map of the journey Amy and DanCahill have been on so far. Ask students to brieflydescribe some of the conflicts or adventures that Amyand Dan encountered in each of these places.Cahill mansion Boston Philadelphia ParisAsk students to continue to map the journey as theyread and think about the conflicts that move the action of the story forward.STORIA ENRICHMENTSThis Storia e-book has the following enrichmentsto enhance students’ comprehension of the book. Word Twister (2) Do You Know? Word Scramble (2) About You Who Said It? Collectible CardsClarify that the author compares Amy and Dan’swild adventures with a roller coaster because theyare fast, dangerous, and unpredictable. Tell studentsto watch for the other examples of metaphors andsimiles as they read, and refer to the text to understand the comparison being made. Suggest that theyrecord other examples of metaphors and similes thatthey find in the text.?BIG QUESTIONCritical Thinking Ask students tothink about this question as theyread and be ready to answer itwhen they’ve finished the book.Write the question on chart paperor have students record it in theirreading journals.How are Dan and Amy changingas a result of their quest for the39 Clues?VocabularyFigurative Language Gordon Korman peppers hisstory with figurative language that brings the action to life. Remind students that a metaphor is acomparison between two unlike things. A simile is acomparison between two unlike things using “like”or “as.” Both figures of speech create a surprising ordistinct picture in readers’ minds.Distribute copies of Resource #1: Language Cardson page 7 to students.Ask students what is being compared in the firstmetaphor on page 3 of the book. How does themetaphor help describe Amy and Dan’s experiences?“Grace was the one who had started them on thisdangerous roller coaster.”2TEACHER GUIDEAs You ReadReading the BookModeled Reading Read aloud pages 1–4 from thefirst chapter of the book, asking students to followalong. Then prompt them to ask and answer questions about what you just read; for example: How

would you describe Amy and Dan’s feelings towardeach other? What is Nellie’s role in the book? Whois Mozart? Where are Amy, Dan, Nellie, and Saladinheading and why?Independent Reading Assign students One FalseNote to read independently. Encourage them topartner with another student to share questions andreactions to the book.Comprehension FocusAnalyze Conflict The plot of One False Note rocketsalong as the two protagonists travel from one placeto another, encounter conflicts, and resolve them.Explain to students that a conflict is a clash of actions,ideas, or goals. A physical conflict can be between twoor more characters, or between a character and nature.A mental conflict can be between a character and ahard-to-understand puzzle. An emotional conflictis often between a character and him or herself; forexample, fear. A moral conflict is between a characterand what he or she believes is right.Use the graphic organizer on Resource #2: AnalyzeConflict to model for students how to analyze theconflicts in the book. Project the page on a whiteboard or pass out copies to students.After You ReadQuestions to DiscussLead students in a discussion of these focus storyelements.1. Mystery What are some examples of codes thatDan and Amy must unravel to find the Clues? Howdo they manage to figure out the codes? (Answerswill vary.)2. Analyze Conflict What is an example of a moralconflict in the story? How do Amy or Dan resolvethis conflict? What does it tell you about their characters? (Sample answer: They decide to steal the diaryto fulfill Grace Cahill’s quest, but they worry aboutwhether it is the right thing to do.)3. Figurative Language Choose one of Amy andDan’s relatives to describe by using an animal metaphor or simile. Write a sentence about the characterusing figurative language. What characteristics areyou comparing? (Sample answer: Natalie Kabra hissedlike a venomous snake.)WORDS TO KNOWFigurative LanguageModel: What was a major conflict that Amyand Dan faced on the train from Paris toAustria? Well, a big part of the action waswhen the Holts chased them. So, I’ll writeAmy and Dan vs. the Holts. It was definitelya physical conflict. The resolution was whenSaladin shredded the lead and the Holts werecaught by the conductor and jumped offthe train.Have students fill in the rest of the organizer forconflicts in each of the next five places on the conflict chart. Explain that each place may have severaldifferent conflicts and answers. Encourage studentsto share their answers and discuss them.Ask students to refer to their languageresource cards and the pages in the book asyou discuss the meanings of the metaphorsand similes. Read each metaphor fromResource #1. Then ask students the followingquestions:Is the figure of speech a metaphor or asimile?What two things are being compared?Do you think it is an effective metaphoror simile? Why or why not?Encourage students to share otherexamples of figurative language thatthey recorded while reading the book.TEACHER GUIDE3

Questions to ShareEncourage students to share their responses with apartner or small group.1. Text to Self Imagine that you are Amy and Dan’sbrother or sister and joining them on their quest.How would you react in the situations they are in?Would you want to continue on the quest?2. Text to World The story of The 39 Clues takesplace in the real world, but do you think what happens is realistic? Choose an action in the plot thatyou think could not occur in the real world.3. Text to Text Different authors write each of thebooks in The 39 Clues series. How did GordonKorman inject his sense of humor into this book?Compare it to Book One of the series.ination to make it more exciting.” Challenge studentsto write a scene in which Amy and Dan Cahill arrivein the city or town where they live. Ask students tostart with a real place in their community and thenunleash their imaginations about what would happenthere. Remind them to include a conflict that buildssuspense and excitement. Encourage students to sharetheir adventure scenes.Don’t forget theBIG QUESTIONReading/Writing ConnectionCritical Thinking Give each studentan opportunity to answer the bigquestion. Encourage students to support their answers with details andevidence from the text. Remind themthat there is no one right answer.The Cahills Come to Town Read aloud GordonKorman’s quote about how he writes: “I always startoff with something real, but then I unleash my imag-How are Dan and Amy changingas a result of their quest for the39 Clues?Extension ActivitiesContent Area ConnectionsMath Kilometers and Miles Remind students thatEurope uses the metric system of measurements. Distance,for instance, is measured in kilometers, not miles. 1 kilometerequals 0.621371 miles. 1 mile equals 1.60934 kilometers.Have partners write word problems for each other to solveusing kilometer and mile equivalents.Art Artists of the Janus Branch In Venice, Amy andDan fall into an underground museum of art done by famousartists from the Janus branch of the Cahill family. Encouragepartners to research several of the artists mentioned: Rembrandt, Gilbert Stuart, Vincent Van Gogh, Andy Warhol, etc.and find out when they lived and how they painted.Geography Travel the Canals of Venice Amyand Dan have an exciting boat chase through the canals ofVenice; students will enjoy taking a virtual trip through thecanals by visiting: http://bit.ly/RdDvBv. The site, sponsoredby the city of Venice, provides interactive tools to explore themuseums, sights, and canals of the city.4TEACHER GUIDEMusic Mostly Mozart Most of the action in One FalseNote takes place where Mozart himself lived and worked.After reading the book, some students may be curious tohear Mozart’s music, especially his pieces for the harpsichord. Download free recordings of his music from the webto play for students. Ask them to record their impressions ofthe music by using metaphors or similes.B I G AC T I V I T YMy Famous Family Gallery Amy and Dan Cahilllearn that they are related to some of the most famous andtalented people who ever lived. Ask students to imagine thatthey are members of a secret, famous family. What people—living or dead—would they want to be related to? Encourage students to think about the traits and talents that aremost important to them. Make copies of the Big ActivityWorksheet and distribute to students. Encourage them toshare their galleries when they are completed.