Lesson Overview:
There are more than 300 versions and variations of the tale known as "Cinderella." Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine use the Brothers Grimm version of the tale called "Ashenputtel" in their musical, Into the Woods, Junior. Students are given a list of clues about this "Cinderella" and search through versions of the “Cinderella” tale until the correct one is identified as "Ashenputtel." The students locate the geographic region from which that version came. Students then identify a story line, event, or characteristic and use it to create a madrigal about the "Cinderella" tale that was studied. This is performed for the class as a spoken or sung piece.
Length of Lesson:
Two 45-minute periods
Instructional Objectives:
Students will:
- identify characteristics of a "Cinderella" story.
- identify elements of the "Cinderella" used in Into the Woods.
- locate on a map where the "Cinderella" story he/she read originated.
- read and listen to the Prologue of Into the Woods.
- read and research a "Cinderella" tale to discover if it was used in Into the Woods.
- work in cooperative groups to create a madrigal about "Cinderella."
- work in cooperative groups to identify key elements, events, or lines of the "Cinderella" story he/she read.
- work in cooperative groups to present their madrigal to the class.
Supplies:
- Recording: Evening Storms by Trammell Starks
- Sound system
- Audio tape
- Pencils and paper and notebook/journal
- World map or globe
- Small Post-It notes
Instructional Plan:
Warm Up
"Cinderella" stories are found all over the world. They are possibly the most recorded of all folktales. The stories have cultural differences but basically tell the same tale.
Discuss and identify what characteristics make a story a "Cinderella" story. List them on the board. Judy Sierra (See Sources.) summarizes the "Cinderella" stories as follows: "A young girl (boy) is mistreated by her family, but she receives magical help so that she can be recognized for the good and beautiful person that she really is."
Read "Cinderumpelstilzkin" by Jon Scieszka and The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Lane Smith. Have students take notes about "Cinderella" elements they hear in the story. Which elements do and don't belong?
Discuss and identify what elements make each a "Cinderella" story. (For example, the stories include a stepmother, two stepsisters, and a ball thrown by a prince. The Cinderella character cleans the house, is forbidden to go to the ball, and disguises herself in fancy clothes.)
Introductory Activities
Stephen Sondheim and James
Lapine use a "Cinderella" story in their musical, Into the Woods. They introduce the setting and the characters - and what each character wants - in the Prologue.
The Prologue is written in the style of a madrigal, in which three or more singers interweave lines, phrases, and tunes to create new lines. Have students listen to the song twice — listening to the song once to familiarize themseleves with it, then listening a second time to identify how each character weaves his/her lines in and out of the song.
Have students listen to the Prologue of Into the Woods a third time and try to find clues as to which version of the "Cinderella" story was used to shape the musical.
Students list the clues they hear/see in "Cinderella." As the class discusses the clues, list these preliminary ideas on the board. How is "Cinderella" like the traditional story the students know? What elements listed by the students are found in this version? How is it different? Record these responses on the board.
Developmental/Guided Practice
Give each student a Cinderella Clues Checklist. Explain to students that they are going to work in groups to search for the version of "Cinderella" that Sondheim and Lapine used as the basis for the musical Into the Woods.
Divide students into groups based on Internet availability and available book resources. (See the Sources section for more information.) If Internet access is limited, you may choose to download several different versions of the "Cinderella" stories. Try to collect stories from each continent.
Assign each group a "Cinderella" story to read.
As students read their assigned stories, they should check off the clues that will lead them to the version used by Sondheim and Lapine. (It is the German Grimm Brothers' tale, "Ashenputtel." Make sure at least one or two copies of the story are in the room.)
Students should also note lines, events, characters, or other story elements that make the story they are reading a "Cinderella" story.
Allow time for students to discuss their findings.
Have the students who were assigned "Ashenputtel" retell the story.
Have the students locate the country of origin of the tale they read. On a Post-It note, write the name of the story and place it at the correct location for the story's origin on a class map or globe. (Example: Write "Ashenputtel" on the Post-It and stick it on Germany.)
Independent Practice
Listen to the Prologue of Into the Woods again. Can the students identify the "Ashenputtel" parts of the madrigal?
Regroup the students into groups of three. The groups should have people
who read different versions of "Cinderella" in it. Distribute the Creating a Madrigal worksheet to each group. Review the directions together before studetns begin the assignment.
Give students ten to fifteen minutes to create a madrigal of their "Cinderella" stories. Each group member must find a line, a phrase — something not the same as the others — and then find a common element to play with in creating the madrigal with the group. (They should have noted lines, events, characters, or any story elements that make their story unique on the Cinderella Clues Checklist.) Circulate the room, helping students with this task as needed.
The groups record in writing the final product.
Closure
Have the groups present the "Cinderella Madrigals" to the class. You may wish to tape the performance for purposes of sharing/assessment.
Have the class identify which tale is being told.
Assessment:
- The students used the Cinderella Clues Checklist and recorded different elements of "Cinderella."
- Students correctly identified "Ashenputtel" as the source for the "Cinderella" used in Into the Woods.
- Students correctly located the country of origin of their "Cinderella" story on a map.
- Students, in groups, successfully created a "Cinderella Madrigal."
Sources:
Print:
- Ai-Lingg, Louie. Yeh-Shen. Ed Young (ill.). New York: Philomel Books, 1982.
- Climo, Shiley. The Egyptian Cinderella. Ruth Heller (ill). New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1989.
- Climo, Shiley. The Irish Cinderlad. Loretta Krupinski (ill). New York: Harper
Collins Publishers, 1996.
- Climo, Shiley. The Korean Cinderella. Ruth Heller (ill.). New York: Harper
Collins Publishers, 1993.
- Climo, Shiley. The Persian Cinderella. Robert Floczak (ill.). New York: Harper
Collins Publishers, 1999.
- Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. The Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers
Grimm. Jack Zipes (trans.) and John B. Gruelle (ill.). New York: Bantam Books, 1992.
*Note: In this edition, the "Ashenputtel" story uses the English title
of "Cinderella."
- Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. Cinderella (Ashenputtel). Nonny Hogrogian (ill.). New York: Greenwillow Books; 1981.
- Huck, Charlotte. Princess Furball. Anita Lobel (ill). New York: Scholastic
Press, 1989.
- Martin, Rafe. The Rough Faced Girl. David Shannon (ill.). New York: G.P. Putnam's
Sons, 1992.
- Perrault, Charles. Cinderella or the Little Glass Slipper. Erroll
LeCain (ill). London: Puffin Books, 1972.
- Pollack, Penny. The Turkey Girl: A Zuni Cinderella. Ed Young (ill.).
New York: Little Brown & Co., 1996.
- Scieszka, Jon and Lane Smith. The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly
Stupid Tales. New York: Viking Press, 1992.
- Sierra, Judy. Cinderella The Oryx Multicultural Folktale Series.
Joanne Caroselli (ill.). Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press, 1992.
- Sondheim, Stephen and James Lapine. Into the Woods. New York: Music
Theatre International, 1988.
- Sondheim, Stephen and James Lapine. Into the Woods Junior. New York:
The Broadway Junior Collection, 1988.
Media:
- Evening Storms by Trammell Starks
- Sondheim, Stephen and James Lapine. Into the Woods. Original Cast Recording. RCA Victor, 1998.
Web:
Authors:
-
Mary Beth Bauernschub, Teacher
Kingsford Elementary School
Mitchellville, MD
