The Egyptian Cinderella

Perfectly linking English with your Ancient Egypt topic, this Egyptian Cinderella planning pack invites your Year 3 class to explore and retell fairy tales with an Egyptian twist! Using 'The Egyptian Cinderella' by Shirley Climo as inspiration, your pupils will compare this version of the classic story to the traditional Cinderella tale, spotting similarities and differences. They will then be challenged to plan and write their own imaginative Egyptian versions of well-known fairy tales, drawing on features from the model text and the ancient civilisation they’ve been learning about.

This fully prepared Egyptian Cinderella planning pack includes detailed lesson plans, engaging lesson slides, and printable resources — giving you everything you need to confidently teach your class to write their own Egyptian fairy tales.

You may also like our 'Explanation Texts: How to Mummify a Tomato' or 'Cleopatra' English schemes of work. 

Reading the Story

Introduce your Year 3 class to the enchanting story of The Egyptian Cinderella by Shirley Climo with this fully resourced lesson. As you read the story together, your KS2 pupils will explore the plot, characters, and setting, engaging in meaningful discussions along the way.

During independent activities, children will dive deeper into the characters’ motives, thoughts, and feelings through carefully designed comprehension tasks. Alternatively, bring the story to life with role-play and freeze-frame activities, encouraging pupils to empathise with the characters and develop their speaking and listening skills.

This ready-to-use lesson pack includes everything you need: a detailed lesson plan, a slideshow for the teaching input, differentiated activity ideas, and a wide selection of printable resources to make your lesson both fun and effective.

View Lesson 1

Comparing Stories

Challenge your class to compare the traditional Cinderella tale with the Ancient Egyptian version they’ve explored together. Through guided discussion, pupils will identify the key similarities and differences between the two stories, considering which essential elements must be present for a story to be called a ‘Cinderella story’.

Using the ready-made lesson slides and printable resources, including a pre-prepared storyboard of The Egyptian Cinderella and differentiated worksheets, your class will analyse and compare these two familiar yet distinct versions, deepening their understanding of story structure, character roles, and cultural influences.

View Lesson 2

Retelling Fairy Tales

Get your KS2 class confidently retelling fairy tales and familiar stories with this ready-to-use Retelling Fairy Tales lesson pack.

Using the included teaching slides, you’ll introduce children to a selection of traditional fairy tales, exploring key events and characters together. Pupils will then learn how to use storyboards and story maps to help sequence and retell these classic tales. For a more active approach, encourage your class to bring the story to life through drama — using freeze frames, photographs, and discussions to capture and reflect on key moments.

By the end of the lesson, your pupils will be ready to put an Ancient Egyptian twist on a well-known fairy tale — and you’ll have everything you need to make it happen. This complete pack includes a detailed lesson plan, slideshow, and a variety of printable resources, all ready to download and teach.

View Lesson 3

Planning an Egyptian Fairy Tale

Take your class's comparison skills one step further with this ready-to-teach lesson. Using the complete lesson plan, teaching slides, and printable resources, your pupils will continue exploring how familiar fairy tales can be adapted and retold.

In this creative session, your Year 3 class will draw on their understanding of The Egyptian Cinderella to plan their very own Egyptian version of a well-known fairy tale. They’ll examine how the story was given its Ancient Egyptian setting, then share ideas, build characters, and plot out their version — ready to bring it to life in the next lesson!

View Lesson 4

Fronted Adverbials

Take your class's comparison skills one step further with this ready-to-teach lesson. Using the complete lesson plan, teaching slides, and printable resources, your pupils will continue exploring how familiar fairy tales can be adapted and retold.

In this creative session, your Year 3 class will draw on their understanding of The Egyptian Cinderella to plan their very own Egyptian version of a well-known fairy tale. They’ll examine how the story was given its Ancient Egyptian setting, then share ideas, build characters, and plot out their version — ready to bring it to life in the next lesson!

View Lesson 5

Writing an Egyptian Fairy Tale

In this final lesson, your Year 3 class will bring together everything they've learned to write their own Ancient Egyptian story, inspired by The Egyptian Cinderella. Using their planning, discussions, and creative ideas from previous lessons, pupils will craft imaginative narratives set in Ancient Egypt.

The lesson also supports children in using fronted adverbials effectively within their writing. With the help of printable resources and word banks, they’ll be encouraged to select adverbials that enhance their stories. Once their first drafts are complete, pupils will put on their ‘editing hats’, focusing on one aspect at a time to carefully edit and improve their work using the included editing cards.

This fully-prepared Ancient Egyptian Stories lesson pack includes everything you need to teach with confidence: a detailed lesson plan, teaching slides, differentiated activity ideas, and a wide range of printable resources.

View Lesson 6