Case studies can be a powerful strategy to use for helping students learn critical thinking processes that are key to interpreting and responding to literature and writing. Some of the major benefits of applying case methods are: cases provide an environment for active learning; they encourage the creation of a community of learners; cases help students tap into their prior knowledge; and cases help students come to understand the characters, concepts, and themes in the literature, primarily through discussion and debate. One such case study activity prepares students for Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel "The Scarlet Letter" and also teaches students some of the skills and strategies involved in writing an argument. Another activity is designed as a prereading activity for works such as William Golding's "Lord of the Flies" or Jack London's "The Call of the Wild." The activity is designed to put students in a "survival mode." Case studies can enliven literary study, help students learn how to interpret and write about literature, and help them to become more independent learners. (Contains 19 references; appendixes contain the two case studies on which the activities are based.) (RS)