Cinderella as Retold / Summarized by Rm 15

In 4th grade, we are learning about the difference between retelling and summarizing a story. Retelling has lots more details and may contain dialogue, like the students' retelling of "Cinderella" below.

Ms. Moore's favorite retelling is "Ever After," starring Drew Barrymore.
Photo from thewonderfulworldofcinema.wordpress.com.

Retelling

Once upon a time, there was a happy couple and they had a child named Ella. Then Ella’s mom was mortally sick and died. Then the dad married a very rude and sassy woman with two crazy children. The stepmother liked her two children, but made Ella do chores. 

Then the father died, and the stepmother got even meaner. Ella got so dirty doing the chores, they called her Cinderalla. (Cinders are ashes, and they had a fireplace that needed to be cleaned out.) 

One day, they got four pieces of mail, and it was invitations for a ball. The stepsisters said they were going to go, but they didn’t want Cinderella to go. The mom agreed that C. shouldn’t go. The mice made a dress for C., but the sassy stepmother and crazy stepsisters tore it apart. Now she definitely couldn’t go, and she was sad. Then the mice made her a new dress, and the stepsisters tore that apart too and then left for the ball. 

C. cried and cried and cried until her fairy godmother came. The FG said, “Hello, there dear! It is I, your FG. I will grant you one wish, but once the clock strikes 12, this wish will expire. Like milk.” 

C says, “But how will I get there? The ball ends in three hours!” 

The FG pointed her wand at a pumpkin, and it transformed into a carriage with horses pulling it. She said, “Have fun! I’ll be cleaning up the house while you’re gone.” 

Then the prince said, “Dad, I don’t want to get married.” The king says, “You have no choice.” The duke says, “Line up the women.” The crazy stepsisters ran up to the prince and tried to hug him, fighting over him. 

C. finally got to the ball. The prince saw her and danced with her. The crazy stepsisters were so mad and jealous. When the clock struck 12, she ran away and left behind a glass slipper. The prince said, “I’ll find you … even if it takes me my whole life, I will find you,” and looks out in the distance. 

The man went out knocking on people’s doors, trying to find C. He knocked on C’s family’s door, and the stepsisters answered. They tried on the glass slipper, but it didn’t fit. Then the prince noticed C. cleaning, and asked her to try on the shoe. She did, and it fit. They lived happily ever after, and the two stepsisters had to clean and got a taste of their own medicine.

Summary

After we retold Cinderella in 426 words, it was time to summarize it in a couple of sentences. The method I taught the 4th graders is Somebody Wanted But So Then. Here are some of the summaries they came up with: 

Cinderella

wanted to go to the ball, 

but the stepmother didn't want her to.

So the fairy godmother came and got her a dress and said it would expire at 12, like milk. 

Then she went to the ball and danced with the prince. 

The stepsisters 

wanted to dance with the prince, 

but Cinderella got to instead. 

So they were surprised to see her there. 

Then they got a taste of their own medicine. 

The stepmother 

wanted her daughters to go to the ball and meet the prince,

but Cinderella came and danced with him.

So the stepsisters were mad.

Then the clock struck 12.