Download Study Guide for The Egyptian Cinderella

Act!vated Story Theatre
National Touring Theatre
Study Guide for The Egyptian Cinderella
Synopsis
The Egyptian Cinderella, considered to be the oldest of the many Cinderella stories, may be
based on true events. It first appeared in written form in the First Century BCE, written by the
Roman historian Strabo. The pharaoh Amasis II, who ruled from 570 to 526 BCE, was said to
have married a Greek slave girl named Rhodopis, meaning rosy cheeks, who was said to have
served with a slave named Aesop, the legendary teller of fables. As for the rest, who knows?
Language Arts
Discuss: How is the Egyptian Cinderella story similar to the classic Cinderella story we've
always heard? How is it different?
Related Reading
One excellent retelling of the Egyptian Cinderella is The Egyptian Cinderella by Shirley Climo
(HarperCollins 1989)
Other Cinderella books:
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The Korean Cinderella by Shirley Climo (HarperCollins 1996)
The Persian Cinderella by Shirley Climo (HarperCollins 2001)
Yeh-Shin: a Cinderella Story from China by Ai-Ling Louie (Puffin Books 1982)
The Golden Sandal: a Middle Eastern Cinderella Story by Rebecca Hickox (Holiday House 1999)
The Rough-Face Girl (Native American) by Rafe Martin (Putnam & Grosset 1998)
The Irish Cinderlad by Shirley Climo (HarperCollins 1996)
Cinderella (The Oryx Multicultural Folktale Series) (The Oryx Press 1992) This book compares
Cinderella stories from 25 cultures!
At your local library 398.2 and j398.2 is where you will find more folktales from around the
world.
Listen to the The Rough-Skinned Girl Podcast by Act!vated Story Theatre players.
http://activated.libsyn.com/webpage/rough_skinned_girl
Vocabulary
 Falcon a type of a bird
 Hieroglyphics ancient Egyptian pictorial writing system
 Horus the Egyptian sun god, often depicted as a falcon
 Pharaoh a ruler or king in Egypt
 Servant/Slave: what is the difference?
http://ActivatedStoryTheatre.com for more folktale fun
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Act!vated Story Theatre
National Touring Theatre
Writing
The Egyptians had more than one system for writing. Hieroglyphics is the best known and
perhaps the oldest, but it was used mainly for formal purposes such as inscriptions, as it was
more picturesque and elaborate. Hieroglyph means "holy writing”, because it was believed to be
a gift from the gods. The symbols were both pictographic and phonetic; it was common to write
a word such as “cat” by including both a picture of a cat and the symbols that spelled out the
word for cat.
The symbols were not necessarily written in a straight line, however, but could be arranged any
way the writer pleased.
After doing a bit of research have your students write in hieroglyphs. Additional Resources for
learning hieroglyphics: http://www.greatscott.com/hiero/
Social Studies
Culture
Egyptians believed in more than 100 different gods. They also believed that the gods
communicated to them with omens from animals or other things in nature. In the show the falcon
is a symbol of the sun god Horus.
No Bullies
Discuss: Why do the servants tease Rhodopis? Because she is different from them. She is from
Greece and doesn't look like they do. They think they are better than her because she is a slave
and although they are servants they get paid for their work. What is wrong with their behavior?
How does Rhodopis deal with their bullying? What can we learn from it?
Geography
Egypt and Greece are located not far from each other, just across the Mediterranean Sea, a major
trade route for all kinds of cargo (including slaves). The capital of Egypt, where the Pharaoh
lived, was called Memphis. It was located on the Nile River, not far from the Mediterranean Sea.
Its ruins can now be viewed just outside the modern city of Cairo.
History
Learn more about pharaoh Amasis II, who ruled from 570 to 526 BCE
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amasis_II
Egyptian Math
We like this site http://www.eyelid.co.uk/numbers.htm for learning more about how the
Egyptians used and developed mathematical concepts.
Fine Arts
You may use the following music clips from the show for the Dance and Music activities
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EgyptianBall.mp3 length 2:42 http://traffic.libsyn.com/activated/EgyptianBall.mp3
EgyptianWorkers.mp3 length :52 http://traffic.libsyn.com/activated/EgyptianWorkers.mp3
http://ActivatedStoryTheatre.com for more folktale fun
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Act!vated Story Theatre
National Touring Theatre
Dance
In ancient Egypt the workers would often work in time to music in the field. What types of
repetitive movements might they have used while working? Have the students demonstrate
and experiment with movement.
Music
Notes from the Composer: To suggest the music of ancient Egypt, I composed the dance tune
using what is sometimes called the Egyptian scale: C-D-Eb-F#-G-Ab-B-C. (This is only one
scale to be called the Egyptian scale.) Additionally, I used modern instrument sounds that suggest
some of the instruments that would have been used: the oboe, the harp, the tambourine and the
trumpet. The Egyptians played a double-barreled reed instrument called the zummara that might
have sounded somewhat like the modern oboe or clarinet.
Theatre
Have your class put on their own version of the Egyptian Cinderella play using the script by our
award winning playwright. http://activatedsorytheatre.com/folktales/scripts.html
Puppetry
What was the falcon puppet made out of? An old boot and a feather duster. Does this give you
any ideas about how to use common objects to create something new? What could you use to
make a puppet out of?
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