4 engaging cinderella around the world activities for 1st grade

We’re continuing our Cinderella Around the World Unit, learning about cultures around the world through different versions of the Cinderella story!  Did you know there were so many different versions of Cinderella? I wasn’t familiar with all of the different versions before I started teaching this unit, but I love reading them all and seeing the kids–even the boys!–enjoy different versions!

Each week we’ve focused on a new continent as we’ve read their Cinderella stories and learned about the culture and fact about that continent to integrate a little first grade social studies into our literacy block.

This world map is posted in our room, and we have been referring to it throughout the Cinderella unit. As we read each version of Cinderella around the world, we add the book cover to our map to show the setting of each story. This is a great reference tool for the kids throughout the Cinderella unit.

Continent Morning Messages

This week, we focused on Africa.  Our message time this week was about Africa.  During our message times, I write an informative paragraph, and students help read and predict what I will write.  We reread the whole paragraph together after I write each sentence.  Then, the kids get their own copy of the message to put in their independent reading binders.  {There is an informative message on each continent included in my Cinderella Around the World Unit Packet.}  Since the messages are only 5-7 sentences, it gave just enough information to get the kids interested in Africa and asking questions!  

“I Wonder” Questions

So, Monday, after our message time, I gave each student a sticky note and they wrote an “I wonder” question about Africa.  Then, they posted their sticky note questions on our wonder wall in our room. We’ve spent a lot of time this year working on what a question is, question words, and how to ask questions that are on topic! 🙂 So my kids were pretty independent at writing a question on their sticky note at this point in the year!

The goal is to get kids asking good questions, and then be motivated to listen for and answer their questions.  Once we find the answer to their question, they write the answer on their sticky {or sometimes I write it if we answer their question as a class} and we move their sticky off of their wonder wall “bubble” to the Key Questions board as an answered question.  

Honestly, I haven’t been as good at setting aside time to allow kids to write down their questions as I have been in the past.  But they were just so interested in the continents the past two weeks that I just had to make time to do it this week! And they loved it…I need to be better and making the time for this during EACH unit!  After all, good inquirers, make good learners!!

Cinderella Around the World Read Alouds

Later, we read books about Africa and charted our learning on our Africa anchor chart.

The versions of Cinderella we read this week were Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters and The Egyptian Cinderella.

We pretty much followed the same pattern as last week with these books and then voted on our favorite African version of Cinderella.  This is the third year I’ve taught this Cinderella unit, but this was the first year that Mufaro’s didn’t win the popularity contest! Clearly, each class of firsties has a mind of its own!

Next week, we are moving on to North America and cowboyin’ Cinderella up a bit!  Which version of Cinderella is your favorite?