Cinderella: read-aloud with discussion questions
Read Cinderella aloud on the projector: 17 pages of big type with each word lit as it is said, 1069 words (about 8 minutes), level 9, grade 4, and 5 questions to talk about.
Page 1 of 17
Once upon a time, a kind gentleman married for the second time. His new wife was the proudest, crossest woman anyone had ever met, and she had two daughters who were exactly like her. The gentleman also had a daughter of his own. She was gentle and sweet, just as her own mother had been, and she was the loveliest girl in the land.
Keys: ← → or Page Up and Page Down turn the page, Space starts and pauses the voice, Home and End jump, F fills the screen. Tapping the right side of a page goes on; the left side goes back.
How to use it
- Press Full screen (F) to put the book on the projector.
- Press Read to me (Space), or read it yourself and turn pages with the arrow keys or a tap. Pick the Pace that suits the class.
- After the last page the questions come up on the screen. The same questions are below, with what to listen for.
About this book
- Level 9, Grade 4
- 17 pages, 1069 words, about 8 minutes aloud
- A classic tale, gentle
Related
About Cinderella
A 1,069-word retelling with the pumpkin coach, the glass slipper and the midnight rule. It is long enough to split across two sessions, and a natural stopping place is the end of the first night at the ball.
Cinderella scrubs the floors while her proud stepsisters go to the Prince's ball. Then her fairy godmother turns a pumpkin into a golden coach, and Cinderella must be home before the clock strikes twelve.
Before you read
Ask the class what they know about the story and what they would change. Then ask them to listen for what the fairy godmother says about midnight, because it matters later.
Words to preview
- cinders (SIN-durz)
- burnt wood bits
- godmother (GOD-muh-ther)
- a caring helper
- splendid (SPLEN-did)
- very grand
- footmen (FOOT-men)
- carriage servants
- curtsied (KURT-seed)
- bowed politely
- finery (FY-nuh-ree)
- fancy clothes
Questions to talk about
- How does Cinderella's family treat her, and how does she answer?Listen for: The stepmother gives her the hardest work and she sleeps in a cold attic, and the stepsisters call her Cinderwench. She stays gentle and even does their hair.
- What does the fairy godmother turn into the coach, horses, coachman and footmen?Listen for: A pumpkin, six mice, a fat rat and six lizards.
- What is the one rule the fairy gives, and what happens when Cinderella breaks it?Listen for: Leave before midnight or everything turns back. On the second night she forgets the time, the clock strikes and she runs, dropping a glass slipper on the palace steps.
- How does the Prince find her?Listen for: He says he will marry the girl whose foot fits the slipper. The stepsisters cannot get it on, but it slides onto Cinderella's foot, and she has the other slipper in her pocket.
- At the end Cinderella forgives her stepsisters. Why do you think the story ends this way?Listen for: The last line says her own kind heart won everyone over, even her sisters. Ask whether forgiving is the same as agreeing with what they did, and ask for a line from the text.
Questions
How long does Cinderella take to read aloud?
It has 17 pages and 1069 words, so about 8 minutes at the Steady pace and a little less at Quick. If you stop to talk on the way, plan for more.
What reading level is Cinderella?
Level 9, Grade 4. The library numbers its levels from 0 to 18 and puts the level of a book on its cover; level 9 sits at grade 4. A level is a guide for choosing, so look at the pages yourself.
Whose voice is it?
Your browser's own. Read to me uses a speaking voice already on the computer, so it sounds like that computer and works without a sign-in. Voices differ: some light each word as it is spoken, and some do not, in which case the highlight follows a steady pace instead. Some browsers use an online voice; if yours does, the browser, not us, sends the words of the page to its speech service. If no voice is installed, turn the pages and read it aloud yourself.
Do students need an account?
No. Nothing is asked of anyone and nothing is sent to us. Project the page, or share the link and let students open it on their own screens.
Is this the original text?
No. It is a retelling in Peabody's own words at this reading level, so it may differ from the edition you know.
Nothing you do here is sent to us. The voice is your browser's own. No sign-in, no ads.