Comparing and contrasting
Name
Several Cinderellas
When Mrs. Price told her students they were going to read Cinderella, they all groaned,
saying they already knew that story. Mrs. Price said that they certainly knew one version of
Cinderella. She explained that Cinderella was a folk tale with many different versions found all
over the world. She asked the students to search the library to find these different versions of the
story. When the students returned to class, they were excited by all the different Cinderella
stories they found.
Alison told a Cinderella story from Ireland. A kind girl has two wicked sisters. After the sisters
leave the girl to do all the housework while they go to church, a henwife magically makes
beautiful gowns for her as a reward for her kindness. Each Sunday, the girl stands outside the
church door wearing a beautiful gown, and everyone admires her beauty. When the people try
to talk to her, she rides quickly away on a white horse. At last a prince is able to grab her blue
slipper when she rides by. Determined to marry the girl whose foot fits the slipper, the prince
travels through the village until he finds her. However, before the prince can marry her, he has to
fight all the other men in the village who also want to marry her. The prince wins the fights and
marries the girl.
Kara shared a Cinderella story from India. In this version a young girl's mother is transformed
into a goat. Her father remarries, but the new stepmother is very cruel to the girl and her brother,
making them work hard and giving them little food. When the stepmother finds out that the goat
is magically providing food for the children, she has the goat killed. Because the goat bones are
planted in the ground, the children are still able to magically get food whenever they ask for it.
One day when the stepdaughter is washing her face in the river, her nose ring falls into the
water. It is eaten by a fish, which is later caught and prepared as a dinner for the king. When the
king hears that a nose ring had been found in his fish, he sends word throughout the kingdom
that the owner of the ring should come to the palace. The king meets the stepdaughter and
marries her because of her beauty and kindness.
Andy then told the Indonesian version of Cinderella that he found. In this story the beautiful
young girl has a cruel stepmother and stepsister who make her work very hard. One day when
the girl is washing clothes in the river, she meets a magic crocodile whom she treats very kindly.
Because she is so nice, the crocodile gives her a beautiful silver dress. When the prince comes to
the village, looking for a girl to marry, the cruel stepsister takes the dress for herself, leaving the
girl only rags to wear. She returns to the crocodile who gives her beautiful golden clothes and
slippers and a horse and carriage but warns her to return all the gifts at dawn when the rooster
crows. The prince sees the girl dancing in her golden clothes and falls in love. At dawn the girl
runs off but loses a golden slipper. The prince searches the village for the girl whose foot will fit
into the tiny slipper and, of course, finds her and marries her.
After sharing these stories, the students were surprised to find out that Cinderella was such a
popular story, told in so many different ways and in so many countries around the world.
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Scholastic Success With Reading Comprehension: Grade 5 Scholastic Teaching Resources
Comparing and contrasting
Name
1. Using the three Cinderella versions, complete the following chart. Parts of it have been
completed for you.
Country
Family
treats girl
cruelly.
Ireland
Girl is
beautiful
and kind.
Object
proves girl's
identity.
There is a
happy
ending.
marries
prince
yes
India
Indonesia
Girl has
magic
helper.
goat
yes
gold slipper
2. What happens in the Cinderella story you knew before reading these versions? Complete
the following chart based on the story you know.
Your version Family treats
of
girl cruelly.
Cinderella
Gi r l i s
beautiful
and kind.
Girl has
magic
helper.
Object
proves girl's
identity.
There is a
happy
ending.
3. What characteristics do all versions of Cinderella seem to have in common? ____________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
4. Where are the biggest differences in the versions? ______________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
5. How does the Irish Cinderella differ in its happy endings from the other versions? ______
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
On another piece of paper, write your own version of Cinderella. Be sure to include all the
necessary characteristics, but feel free to make changes in the time and setting and some of
the characters. Read your story to a friend.
Scholastic Success With Reading Comprehension: Grade 5 Scholastic Teaching Resources
19
Pages 1819
1. Ireland: yes, yes, henwife, blue
slipper, marries prince; India: yes, yes,
goat, nose ring, marries king; Indonesia:
yes, yes, crocodile, gold slipper, marries
prince; 2. yes, yes, fairy godmother,
glass slipper, marries prince; 3. Family
treats girl cruelly. The girl is beautiful
and kind. The girl has a magic helper.
There is an object that proves the girls
identity. There is a happy ending.
4. the type of magic helper and the
object that proves the girls identity;
5. The prince has to fight all the other
men in the village who also want to
marry her.
