Ella Enchanted

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

CREATIVE WRITING: “Adapt Your Favorite Fairy Tale”

In this activity, students will rewrite their favorite fairy tale with an unusual twist.

Gail Carson Levine’s novel adds a twist to the classic Cinderella story. For this Activity, you will select one fairy tale to adapt and/or add a new twist to the story. Consider the following questions as you draft your fairy tale:

• What is your unique twist/change to the plot?
• How does your change affect the major characters and the setting of the story?
• What must the characters do in order to find a resolution to the twist?
• Is there still a “happily ever after” ending? Why or why not?

After creating your adaptation, share your piece with the class. Consider the ways in which the classic fairy tale themes of Magic, Romantic Love, and The Power of Family and Friendship are either present or missing from your classmates’ adaptations.

Teaching Suggestion: This Activity invites students to explore the structure of a fairy tale within the context of a creative writing exercise. Students may work in the same small groups as the Short Activity to create a new version of their previously chosen fairy tale, or they could work individually and select a new story.

Paired Text Extension:

Levine’s novel is a readaptation of Cinderella, a famous fairy tale that has been adapted on numerous occasions. Read the Brothers Grimm’s 1812 Cinderella and watch Walt Disney’s 1950 Cinderella, then consider the following questions for a short response paper:

• How is the protagonist portrayed in each of these adaptations?
• How do the authors use comedy or drama within the adaptations of the story?
• What are the audiences of the different stories? For example, which type of reader would gravitate toward the Brothers Grimm’s story? Which would prefer Disney’s adaptation and/or Levine’s?

Teaching Suggestion: Students may use this Paired Text Extension as either an in-class discussion, a presentation extension, or a take-home/in-class writing exercise.

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. In the novel, the fairies make a distinction between “big magic” and “small magic.”

• Which characters believe that it is acceptable to use “big magic,” and which characters disagree? (topic sentence)
• Select 2-3 characters from the text and explain how they respond to the use of magic and why.
• In your concluding sentence, reflect on how these distinctions speak to the larger theme of the use of Magic to solve problems.

2. Ella possesses qualities that distinguish her from her female companions.

• What qualities shape Ella, and how do they affect her relationship with Char? (topic sentence)
• Compare and contrast Char and Ella’s relationship with Sir Peter and Olga’s relationship.
• In your concluding sentence, discuss how these different types of relationships and the qualities of the partners speak to the theme of Romantic Love.

3. Although Ella experiences a variety of hardships, she is supported by her small and loving community.

• What difficulties does Ella face, and how do her friends and family support her? (topic sentence)
• Select 2-3 examples from the novel where Ella is supported by her family or friends in a difficult situation, and explain how they help Ella overcome that hardship.
• In your concluding sentence, consider what these examples suggest about The Power of Family and Friendship.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by textual details, and a conclusion.

1. Foils are characters with contrasting personalities. Which characters act as foils to one another in the novel? Consider the protagonist as well as the antagonists in your answer. How do foils emphasize the traditional qualities of a fairy tale?

2. A static character remains unchanged throughout a story, while a dynamic character undergoes a transformation. Which characters are static in the novel? Which are dynamic, and why? How does the personal growth of the dynamic characters connect to the progression of the plot?

3. A trope is a reoccurring theme that appears in stories. In Ella Enchanted, Ella both conforms to and deviates from the trope of the victorious underdog—a theme in which a disadvantaged individual overcomes the odds and succeeds. How is Ella similar to and different from the traditional victorious underdog? How does her perseverance through constant struggles and setbacks help her find success by the end of her journey?

Multiple Choice and Long Answer Questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, exams, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. Which of the following words best describes the way Ella’s father acted toward Ella throughout her childhood?

A) Doting

B) Generous

C) Distant

D) Gregarious

2. What word best describes Ella’s first impressions of Hattie and Olive?

A) Bountiful

B) Dainty

C) Egotistical

D) Refined

3. Which of the following words best describes how Lucinda acts with magic?

A) Impulsive

B) Cautious

C) Humble

D) Stingy

4. What type of knowledge is Ella naturally gifted in?

A) Economics

B) Mathematics

C) Physics

D) Linguistics

5. What is the true purpose of the book that Mandy gives Ella?

A) To provide insight into different topics specific to Ella

B) To teach her the importance of manners

C) To share with Ella the love letters between her parents

D) To instruct Ella with the rules of magic

6. Ella reflects that “Areida’s voice was as smooth as syrup and as rich as gnomes’ gold.” Which of the following literary terms is used in this quote?

A) Allusion

B) Metaphor

C) Personification

D) Simile

7. How do the elves treat Ella upon her journey?

A) With kindness

B) With hatred

C) With suspicion

D) With fear

8. Which of the following is true of the Ayorthaians, based on Char’s descriptions?

A) They are verbose.

B) They are calculated.

C) They are clumsy.

D) They are giddy.

9. Which of the following phrases best describes why the letters are important to Char and Ella?

A) They give Ella the opportunity to see Char’s cruelty.

B) They allow Char the chance to practice his Ayorthaian.

C) They remind Char his true love for Hattie.

D) They permit Char and Ella to develop feelings for one another.

10. How does Ella’s father respond to the letter she writes about how her stepfamily is treating her?

A) He shows concern for his daughter’s well-being.

B) He expresses distaste for his new wife.

C) He reprimands Ella for bothering him.

D) He urges Ella to remain strong until he finds her a husband.

11. Which of the following words describes Ella’s financial background in the beginning of the novel?

A) Affluent

B) Impoverished

C) Mediocre

D) Paupered

12. Which of the following words describes the setting of the novel?

A) Continental

B) Futuristic

C) Mythical

D) Realistic

13. Which of the following statements best describes the plot of Ella Enchanted?

A) It mirrors a well-known fairy tale.

B) It argues the importance of animal rights.

C) It reflects Levine’s childhood.

D) It opines the necessity of magic in a child’s life.

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating textual details to support your response.

1. What is the setting of the novel?

2. Who is the narrator of the novel? Does this role differ from the protagonist and the antagonist? Explain.