ABSTRACT
Used with fiction, biography, or autobiography, the Case Files unit physicalizes language with metaphors and hands-on, creative projects. The critical thinking in planning the Case File responses represents outstanding kid literary analysis and requires strong connections to create and explain metaphors. The What’s in the Pockets? activity will require the deepest critical thinking on the part of the students, citations of textual evidence, imagination, and creativity. These items metaphorically represent the person’s thoughts, achievements, and personality. As such, this is Grade 5 literary analysis and response at its most demanding. When students have explained their metaphors guided by the activity sheets, they will add a creative art project by creating the physical metaphors and dropping them into an evidence bag to be included with the case file. In a final product, students use inferences to make a model of a character or person’s prized childhood possession and then share the products in a public speaking or writing assignment. The prized childhood possession is the last component of the case file and requires creative three-dimensional art skills. As always, the creation requires literary analysis, critical thinking, and creativity.
