Folklorist Alan Dundes claims that over 1,000 versions of the Cinderalla story have been found throughout the world. Many older children are fascinated to discover that, while the names vary, the magical objects differ, and settings change, the basic elements of the story remain the same. I love the idea of a literature unit for upper elementary students to learn about folktales and develop critical reading skills through comparison. Added bonus? Students are introduced to a variety of cultures from around the world.
Cinderella Folk Tales: Variations in Plot and Setting - from EdSITEment, from the National Endowment for the Humanities
Cinderella Folk Tales: Variations in Character - companion lesson to ^
Folktales: Lessons in life from around the globe - extensive teaching unit for 2nd grade
Behind the Scenes with Cinderella - 7 lesson unit for 3-5th graders from ReadWriteThink
Lesson on Folktale Elements from ArtsEDGE - I LOVE this educational resource center from the Kennedy Center.
Cinderella Trilogy - ArtsEDGE unit focused solely on Cinderella tales (for 3-4th grade)
Searching for Cinderella - another Arts EDGE lesson, this time for 5-8th grade, with emphasis on music and language arts
University of Pittsburgh site for teaching about ethnicity/diversity - Folktale unit is "When Tortoise Wins"
Comparing folktales from NC -focus on 3 folktales originating in North Carolina
Next post: Great Cinderella versions - a bibliography
