Sootface: An Ojibwa Cinderella Story Freebie! and More

Sootface: An Ojibwa Cinderella Story Free Book Unit - is one of the many Cinderella

stories from around the world I have available in my TES Shop. 

Sootface is based on a Native American legend retold by Robert D. San Souci and carries a common theme widespread among Native American people of the Northeast and Great Lakes tribes - such as the Ojibwa* and other Algonquian groups - that good will triumph over evil. In this legend, a widowed man has three daughters, the two older girls are cruel to the younger girl - who they make do all of the work - including slaving over a hot fire - which singes her hair and leaves burn scars on her face. In some versions, the older sisters go so far as to beat the younger girl and rub soot all over her face - hence the name "Sootface." At the end of the village, is a great hunter, only he is invisible to all but his sister. The girls of the village want to marry him, but he will only marry the one who can see him. In the end, that maiden is "Sootface."

Another wonderful version of this Cinderella story is The Rough Face Girl by Rafe Martin and beautifully illustrated by Dan Shannon. In the author's note - Martin also credits

an Algonquian legend as its source. Both are classic versions where good is rewarded and evil punished. Yet a third version is available on YouTube. In fact, this version could also be used with the "Sootface Book Unit" - even without the book. 

The Algonquian Cinderella story appears in writing as early as 1884 in The Algonquin Legends of New England, by Charles G. Leland, [1884]. 

One of the most important things I emphasize when teaching Sootface, The Rough-Face Girl or any other Native American myth or legend is that Native American communities, tribes, bands and nations are still alive in the Americas and that - despite much hardship - many are thriving and still carry out their ancient traditions today. While we can't erase history - we can represent it in the light of the norms that existed when events occurred and not gloss over the way Native Americans historically were treated; likewise, we should not disregard the accomplishments of modern day Native Americas.

A great resource for Native America Myths and legends - as well as information on how different groups of people lived, what they ate, how they played and what each culture was like then - and is like now - can be found on the website of The Native Languages of the Americas.

Information about Sootface can be found on Google Books.

*Note: Many textbooks refer to the Ojibwa as Chippewa; however, they call themselves Anishinabe - which means "original people" in their native language.  A great complement to "Sootface: An Ojibwa Cinderella Story Free Book Unit" is the YouTube video "I am Anishinabe".

Thank for stopping by.


Chapin-Pinotti, Elizabeth Chapin-Pinotti, freebielessons, free lessons, free instructional material
Elizabeth Chapin-Pinotti
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Interactive Notebooks for Engaging 21st Century Learning

What is an Interactive Notebook?

In simplest terms - an Interactive Notebook is a pop-up book!

We all loved pop-up books. If the truth be told, I would love to see some of the literature we require of our students - and read ourselves - to contain pop-ups. Can you imagine much more engaging say, The Scarlet Letter would be if a student turned a page and up pops Hester Prynne, baby in arms, leaving a prison -- and the crowd of people pop-up, but when you pull the paper toggle marker - Hester turns into a goat - overtly alerting students that she is the scapegoat for all of their sins. Not only would they want to read more - they'd remember more. Why do we stop adding pictures, and interactive ones at that, because students get older. 

Admit it - wouldn't you love to see David McCullough's 1776 "popped-up? Or, how about Steven King's - well anything by Steven King - popped up! Our minds think in pictures - the first letters were pictures - so to speak - and emoticons seems to be sending us back to the hieroglyphics found in ancient tombs - see Fortune Magazines: A Return to Hieroglyphics. So why not pop-ups for older students and adults and if publishers are not going to provide them for our students - you can help them make their own by using Interactive Notebooks.

Interactive Notebooks are "popping" up everywhere (pun intended) and for good reason - they help embed critical concepts and important information into the minds of students. Imagine ears popping up in IV.vi.21 or when Claudius says the whole ear of Denmark is "Rankly abused..." (I.v.36-38) - bam! up comes another ear.


So, what is an interactive notebook - a wonderful teaching tool by way of a self-made pop-up notebooks - you provide the templates, pictures, foldables, cutables - or have your students and learning becomes tactile, interactive, social and engaging. I say social - because I let my students talk - as long as most of the topic is on the subject. I flat out tell them - okay so if you're going to talk about the game on Friday - you better do in within the confines of the interactive notebook you are creating - this is a great way to insert formative assessment - you'd be surprised how well you can tell which students are grasping a concept when it is relayed back and forth in terms of a football game, dance or even the latest Instagram or Snapchat trends. Can Formative Assessment be fun - yep.

The Interactive Notebook page samples in this page come from my Huckleberry Finn Novel Study and illustrate some of the interactive pages you can create for your students

Bonus: Interactive Notebook Pages are naturally differentiated - as the output students provide demonstrates their individual levels of understanding, they help students synthesize their work, and they help students expand their knowledge.

High School Novel Units with Formative Assessments Included:

• Go Set a Watchman Novel Unit
• To Kill a Mockingbird Novel Unit
• Frankenstein Novel Unit

Interactive Notebooks make teaching fun and learning engaging. If you need more tips and tricks or would like a specific lesson, book or novel turned into interactive notebook pages - please email: elizabethpinotti@gmail.com - turn around is about a week, but I have many already available. I also have a collection of 80 Common Core State Standards Interactive Notebook templates - that are generic and can be used with any story or novel; however, the more tailored to the book the more engaging!  Interactive Notebook Pages and Foldables.

Have a great day!

Elizabeth Chapin-Pinotti