Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“Petra and Calder Find Another Vermeer”

After observing Calder and Petra’s investigation of several Vermeer paintings in Chasing Vermeer, students will use characterization and plot details from the text to write a short creative piece in which the two young detectives investigate another of Vermeer’s works.

In this activity, you will choose one of Vermeer’s paintings that is not specifically mentioned in Chasing Vermeer. Then, you will write a short narrative (about 2 pages) in which Petra and Calder find this painting and investigate whether or not it is actually a Vermeer painting.

• Go back to Chasing Vermeer and make some notes for yourself:
• How do Calder and Petra act, talk, and think? What sets them apart from one another and from other people?
• What characteristics of Vermeer’s work do Petra and Calder notice and find important? Knowing what you know about their personalities, how would they go about deciding if a painting is or is not by Vermeer?
• Choose a Vermeer painting that is not mentioned in Chasing Vermeer. This site is a complete interactive catalog of Vermeer’s works and is a good place to look for a painting for this activity.