Find a Mini Mixed-up File
A LitWits Creative Teaching Idea for
From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
At the climax of this story, siblings Claudia and Jamie have six minutes left to find a secret folder in Mrs. Frankweiler's whacky filing system. That folder will reveal the truth they've been seeking: is the Angel statue at the Met really the work of the great Michelangelo? And because Claudia picks on Jamie's grammar yet again, he says the word that leads to success:
"Oh, boloney, Claude. Why do you always pick on my gra. . . "
“Boloney, boloney! That’s it, Jamie. She bought Angel in Bologna, Italy. The paper said so. Look up Bologna.” Both ran back to the files and pulled out a file folder fat with papers and documents. It was labeled BOLOGNA, ITALY. They knew even before opening it that it was the right one. —Ch. 9
What kid can resist a secret sketch in a secret folder in a secret cabinet? Not Claudia, not Jamie, and not your kids either! In this activity, they'll get to draw a sculptor's sketch of Angel on the back of Michelangelo's sonnet, like he did; then tuck it into a secret folder and file it in the cabinet, like Mrs. Frankweiler did; then discover the folder and pull it from the filing cabinet, like Claudia does in the story's resolution.
The other side of the paper needed no translation. For there, in the midst of sketches of hands and torsos was a sketch of someone they knew: Angel. There were the first lines of a thought that was to become a museum mystery 470 years later. There on that piece of old paper was the idea just as it had come from Michelangelo’s head to his hand, and he had jotted it down.
Claudia looked at the sketch until its image became blurred. She was crying. —Ch. 9
Your kids get to go home with these experiences AND the sketch—no need to wait for Mrs. F to pass away!
SUPPLIES
black cardstock trimmed to approximately 7.5" x 10"
the basics: scissors, pencil, and glue
Design your own templates, or use those included with our printables set. These will need to be trimmed for the project - you can do it ahead or have the kids do it.
mini file folder template; print on ivory card stock.
file cabinet template; print on white card stock (or the ivory).
Michelangelo sonnet (for sketching "Angel" on the back); print on regular paper.
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DIRECTIONS
Write Bologna, Italy on the tab of the large manila folder.
Glue trimmed black card stock to the front of that folder.
Cut out the cabinet if it hasn't been done yet.
With black pen, label the cabinet drawers starting at the top: A, B and C.
Cut almost all the way across the top of the second cabinet drawer.
Glue the cabinet to the card stock, but ONLY put glue around the outer edges (or the mini-file won't be able to slip into the drawer).
Cut out the mini-folder, and fold it in half. Write Bologna, Italy on the tab.
Sketch Michelangelo's angel on the back of his sonnet, in pencil or charcoal. Slip it into the mini-folder.
Tuck the mini-folder into the cabinet drawer marked B for Bologna!
TALKING POINTS
Mrs. Frankweiler's files are in a special order that only makes sense to her. Where do you store the things you know?
Why does the author let Jamie be the one who saves the day (by saying "boloney")?
How has Claudia's and Jamie's partnership changed since they first set out?
How might having a secret change someone inside, for better or for worse?
We have LOTS more free, creative, hands-on ideas for bringing this book to life. Come see!