Students will read three different Cinderella tales, including tales from Africa, China, and America. Upon completion of a Venn diagram comparing the similarities and differences of these tales, the students will complete and present multimedia presentations showing their results.

Multiple copies of... Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters, Yeh-Shen, and Rough Face Girl, Venn diagram sheets, KWL chart, world map, globe

Computer, presentation software, computer projection device, such as LCD projector or TV scan converter

Students will already have knowledge on how to build slides for a PowerPoint presentation, import graphics, use estimation, make story predictions, and write story summaries.

1.)Day One: The teacher will ask the students what they know about Cinderella tales. The teacher will record the students' responses on the displayed KWL chart. Next, the teacher will ask the students what they want to learn about Cinderella tales. She will record the students' responses on the KWL chart. After completing the first two sections of the KWL chart, the teacher will introduce the book Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters. Students will locate Africa on the globe and make estimates on how far away they think it is. The teacher will do a "picture walk" with the students through the book and have them make predictions on what they think it will be about. Once the picture walk is completed, the students will read the book in small groups and individually write a summary of the story.

2.)Day Two: The teacher will ask for volunteers to share their summaries on Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters, then introduce the book Yeh- Shen. Students will locate China on the globe and estimate the distance China is from Africa and from where we live. The teacher will do a picture walk on the book and have students make predictions. Students will then read the book in small groups and individually write a summary about the book.

3.)Day Three: The teacher will ask for volunteers to share their summaries on Yeh-Shen. She will then introduce the book Rough Face Girl. Students will discuss the Native American culture and how it is different from the African and Chinese cultures. The teacher will do a picture walk of the book and have students make predictions. Students will read the book in small groups and individually write summaries on the story.

4.)Day Four: The students will use their summaries of the three Cinderella tales to complete a Venn diagram on the similarities and differences of the three books. The teacher will lead this activity on the board and students will record the responses on their individual Venn diagrams. After completing the Venn diagram, the teacher will redirect the class to the KWL chart. She will ask students what they learned from the Cinderella tales, and record their responses on the chart. She will also ask students how they felt about the Cinderella tales and take a quick vote on the class's favorite Cinderella tale read. Students will then edit and revise their summaries to use in the computer lab as they prepare for their PowerPoint projects.

5.)Days Five and Six: Students will work in the computer lab preparing a four-slide PowerPoint presentation on each of the Cinderella tales covered in class. The teacher will provide each student with a grading rubric so they can see what is expected. Students are required to use their summaries written in class and incorporate graphics on each of their slides.

6.)Day Seven: The students will share their PowerPoint presentations.

Students will be assessed on their individual summaries, Venn diagrams, and their participation in creating the KWL chart. Students will be assessed on their PowerPoint project using a grading rubric (examples can be found at Rubistar).