Lesson Two: Cinderella Stories in Different Cultures

OVERVIEW
Unit Topic: Comparing & Contrasting with Folk & Fairy Tales
Content Area: ELA
Grade Level: 2nd

Standards Addressed:
 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.1
Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.
 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.2
Recount stories, including fables and folktales from diverse cultures, and determine their central message, lesson, or moral.
 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.3
Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.
 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.5
Describe the overall structure of a story, including describing how the beginning introduces the story and the ending concludes the action.
 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.7
Use information gained from the illustrations and words in a print or digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting,
or plot
 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.9
Compare and contrast two or more versions of the same story (e.g., Cinderella stories) by different authors or from different cultures.

Essential Questions:
1. Should we retell and change stories?
2. Why do we like stories that are similar?
3. How do similarities and differences in stories help us better understand our world?

Narrative:
In the second lesson of the Comparing and Contrasting with Folk & Fairy Tales Unit, students will have already learned the importance of story
structure in order to organize information. The second lesson will expand upon the first lesson of story structure to now include cultural
perspective. Students will therefore focus on different cultural versions of the Cinderella stories. In this lesson, students will read the Chinese
version of Cinderella, Yeh-Shen, as well as the Irish version - The Irish Cinderlad. Students will be asked to compare and contrast the differences
between the two tales as well as make connections to the Cinderella tale they already know.

Methods of instruction will address the diverse needs of students through multiple representations of material (print, visual, and auditory
material). Students will have access to the digital version of presentation throughout the lesson and/or to use at home. The digital presentation
also links to additional resources for any student who needs additional help with concepts previously learned. The presentation also provides
students with visual, text, and verbal means to address all forms of learning. Student selection is also featured as students may choose to read or
read and watch the second Cinderella fairy tale version. Moreover, the independent practice portion of this lesson incorporates an element of play
to keep learners engaged.

OBJECTIVES
The student will be able to:
 Recall story telling elements such as character, plot, and setting
 Organize key details in similar texts into similar and different categories
 Define perspective and its influence on similar cultural stories
 Evaluate folk and fairy tales to extract cultural ideas

ASSESSEMENT
 Class Discussion
With teacher verbal prompts, students will discuss the following throughout the lesson:
- Plot, Character, and Setting from the previous lesson
- What they already know about Cinderella
- Why differences in the story help them better understand a larger idea
- What makes them like one similar story over another
- Difference throughout cultures
Throughout these class discussion topics, teacher will assess student response for accuracy and relevance as well as indicate any notes for
ways to improve instruction for class as a whole and/or individual student needs
 Individual Digital Exploration
Monitor and assess students’ use of digital tools as they attempt to extract information on Ireland. Teacher will guide and model
exploration behavior for individual students while circulating the classroom as necessary.
 Cinderella Compare/Contrast Group Card Game
Teacher will circulate the classroom as the game unfolds. Teacher will assess student responses for accuracy and relevance as well as
direct student conversation as they attempt to answer the card questions. Teacher will respond to students with comments, so students
can be redirected to correct path immediately.
  Cinderella Worksheet (Homework)
Teacher will utilize responses from Cinderella worksheet as summative assessment of the lesson, as student answers and reflections of
key ideas will indicate if they met the learning objectives and are actively engaged in the unit.

INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS

Opening
 Teacher will introduce Cinderella stories by having students reflect on prior lesson where they watched two different versions of Red
Riding Hood tales. Through whole class discussion, we will reflect on why we had to first identify the story elements (setting, plot, and
character) before we started to compare and contrast the two similar stories (Slide 2). Teacher will ask students to remember why the
differences in the story made them like one more than other in order to have students relate the story to their self and find personal
relevance as well as recall key lessons and ideas.
 Teacher will briefly explain how stories change over time and introduce the concept of “Cinderella Stories.” Acknowledge the Disney
version since it is likely the student’s first exposure to the tale and indicate that it originated from older versions. Have students play a
short game of whisper down the lane to demonstrate the basic concept of story sharing. Explain that almost every culture has their own
version of the tale.
 Through whole class instruction, teacher will then ask students to brainstorm what they already know about Cinderella so that when they
read the new and different versions they can compare it to their first exposure with the tale (Slide 3).
 Teacher will explain, although there are many different versions, we are only reading two today. One from China and one from Ireland
(Slide 4).

During
Introduce New Knowledge
 Teacher will introduce the concept of “perspective” by looking at two black cats. Teacher will explain that the artists of these black
cats viewed black cats differently. One thought of them as rounded and cute and one thought of them as angular and mysterious
(Slide 5). Teacher will then extend this concept to Cinderella with China and Ireland, explaining how each of the stories mean
different things to different cultures, but some elements are the same implying that although the cultures are different they have
some things in common that bring people together.

Guided Practice
 Teacher will explore China on Kids National Geographic, verbally highlighting related cultural elements of Yeh-Shen (Slide 6,
website linked).
 Whole class will then read Yeh-Shen from China, periodically stopping to make predications based on what we already know about
Cinderella as well as connecting any cultural differences we learned from China as they come up (Slide 7).
 Independent Practice
 Students will explore Ireland on Kids National Geographic independently (Slide 9).
 Students may then choose to read The Irish Cinderlad in a group or independently through listening (Slide 10 & 11).
 Once finished reading, students will then split into groups to play Compare/Contrast game, which builds on Lesson One, where
plot, character, and setting was used to first compare and contrast story elements. The card game also introduces the new topic
of cultural perspective by including cards that ask students to describe the setting differences of country in the Cinderella stoires
(Slide 12).

Closing
 As a class, return to essential questions, focusing on number 3, especially. Teacher will have students discuss and reflect on what
they personally learned and what they now know about others from reading and understanding the moral of each Cinderella
story.
 Review Cinderella worksheet together that will be assigned for homework in order for students to continue thinking about the
lessons learned. Teacher will evaluate results to gage student understanding and engagement (Slide 13).

MATERIALS & RESOURCES

1. Canva Cinderella Stories Presentation
a. Digital
https://www.canva.com/design/DACpg_heByg/fkqTY1VohdDQORT1cG2lnw/view?utm_content=DACpg_heByg&utm_campaign=desig
nshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=sharebutton
b. PDF
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Po2Ux0KSYVY4zUFi_VYt-EkPr9JWVo3D/view?usp=sharing

2. Kids’s National Geographic Website

a. China – https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/countries/china/#china-dragon.jpg
b. Ireland - https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/countries/ireland/#ireland-dublin.jpg
Embedded in presentation.

3. Yeh-Shen: A Cinderella Story from China, by Ai-Ling Louie

ISBN: 0698113888
https://www.amazon.com/Yeh-Shen-Cinderella-Story-Ai-Ling-Louie/dp/0698113888/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1513216510&sr=8-
1&keywords=Yeh-Shen
4. The Irish Cinderlad, by Shirley Climo
ISBN: 0064435776
https://www.amazon.com/Irish-Cinderlad-Trophy-Picture-
Paperback/dp/0064435776/ref=pd_sim_14_3?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0064435776&pd_rd_r=H1F7H5AYH636Y4Q9TT2X&pd_rd_w=m
eAEq&pd_rd_wg=ilKpU&psc=1&refRID=H1F7H5AYH636Y4Q9TT2X

5. Yeh-Shen Visual Recording of Story

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SboVXL6gx9g
Embedded in presentation.

6. The Irish Cinderlad Visual Recording of Story

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Im5xTy2xdyQ
Embedded in presentation.

7. Cinderella Card Game

See Appendix C

8. Homework: Digital Cinderella Stories Worksheet

https://app.wizer.me/learn/B4P72S
STUDENT PIN: B4P72S
Appendix
Appendix C: Cinderella Card Game

Magical Yeh-Shen The Step

Friends Becan Mothers

PLOT PLOT PLOT

Beginning Middle End

SETTING SETTING SETTING

Where When Country