This page is full of fun ideas to use along with the Cinderella story elements interactive.
The activities described on this page come from another interactive website called
ReadWriteThink, established in April of 2002, is a partnership between the International Reading Association (IRA), the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), and the Verizon Foundation.
NCTE and IRA are working together to provide educators and students with access to the highest quality practices and resources in reading and language arts instruction through free, Internet-based content. For more information about Read Write Think, visit their About Page.
Once you visit Read Write Think this is the home page you will see.
Clicking on the purple tab, STUDENT MATERIALS, takes you to a page full of reading and writing activity templates.
Here are some of the great templates from Read Write Think that you cuold use along with the cinderella interactive. To the left, and at the end, I have included a link to finished examples of all of these activities.
Character Trading Card
The interactive Character Trading Cards tool is a fun and useful way for students to explore a character in the story of cinderella. They might also use it to examine a character from a different version of Cinderella or a different fairy tale altogether. Finally, it can be used as a prewriting exercise when creating characters for original stories. Students are asked to describe a character's appearancepersonality, thoughts, feelings, actions, interactions, and connect to the character with their own likes and dislikes. This is all done on a fun trading card template.
Story Map
The Story Map interactive is designed to assist students in postreading or prewriting activities by focusing on story elements. Again, students could use the original Cinderella tale from the interactive, another version of Cinderella, another fairy tale, or as a prewriting plan for their own creative writing. Students create four graphic organizers focusing on the key elements of character, setting, conflict, and resolution. Each organizer asks a student questions, and inserts their responses in to the web. Each web has three defining questions for that particular story element. For example, for setting, the student describes when the story takes place, where the story takes place, and describes the setting.
Plot Diagram
The Plot Diagram is an organizational tool focusing on a pyramid or triangular shape, which is used to map the events in a story. This mapping of plot structure allows readers and writers to visualize the key events of a story. Students choose to use beginning middle end, or exposition, climax, resolution. Students enter the events of the story, place them on the graphic in order where they belong, and describe each event. Each item placed on the diagram has a title, and additional space for description. The number of items added and the amount of space for description, however, is limited. Students must learn to be concise! Again, students could use the original Cinderella tale from the interactive, another version of Cinderella, another fairy tale, or as a prewriting plan for their own creative writing.
Circle Plot Diagram
Students enter the events of the story, place them on the graphic in order where they belong, and describe each event. Each item placed on the diagram has a title, and additional space for description. The number of items added and the amount of space for description, however, is limited. Students must learn to be concise! Again, students could use the original Cinderella tale from the interactive, another version of Cinderella, another fairy tale, or as a prewriting plan for their own creative writing. This template, however really works best with a circular story, such as If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff, where the story begins and ends the same way.
Comparison & Contrast Guide
The Comparison and Contrast Guide outlines the characteristics of how to compare and contrast and provides direct instruction on the methods of organizing, gathering ideas, and writing comparison and contrast essays. This is not a template for students to fill in, but more of a tutorial.
Compare & Contrast Map
The Compare & Contrast Map is the interactive template that goes along with the guide. Students create a graphic organizer that enables students to organize and outline their ideas for different kinds of comparison essays. This template would be especially good if students were comparing two different versions of Cinderella or another Fairy Tale.
Venn 2
This interactive tool is another way for students to compare and contrast two different versions of Cinderella or another Fairy Tale. It allows students to create Venn Diagrams that contain two overlapping circles, enabling them to organize their information logically. Students place the ways the stories are alike in the overlap, and the ways they are different outside. Each item placed on the diagram has a title, and additional space for description. The number of items added and the amount of space for description, however, is limited. Students must learn to be concise!
Venn 3
This interactive tool is another way for students to compare and contrast , but this time with three different versions of Cinderella or another Fairy Tale. It allows students to create Venn Diagrams that contain three overlapping circles, enabling them to organize their information logically. Students place the ways the stories are alike in the overlap, and the ways they are different outside. Each item placed on the diagram has a title, and additional space for description. The number of items added and the amount of space for description, however, is limited. Students must learn to be concise!
Fractured Fairy Tale
Fractured fairy tales are traditional fairy tales with a twist – for example, telling the story of Jack and the Beanstalk from the giant’s perspective. The Fractured Fairy Tale tool encourages students to create their own fractured fairy tales Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood, or Princess and the Pea. This interactive is terrific after reading different versions of Cinderella or another Fairy Tale. Students can take off with creativity to write their own fairy tales.
Book Cover Guide
Explore the parts of book covers and dust jackets with this online guide, designed to to allow users to review the content that appears on each portion of these artifacts. Again, this is not a template for students to fill in, but more of a tutorial.
Book Cover Creator
The Book Cover Creator is designed to allow users to type and illustrate front book covers, front and back covers, and full dust jackets. Students can use the tool to create new covers for books that they read as well as to create covers for books they write individually or as a class.
Finished Examples of these Activities!
