The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Andersen

Andersen, Hans Christian. The Ugly Duckling. 2016.

Lexile Level: 840L

Book Review

The Ugly Duckling is a beloved fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen. It tells the story of a large, gray duckling that struggles to find acceptance. Initially, his mother brings him and his kin to the farmyard, where he is taunted and ostracized by the hens, turkeys, and even his brothers and sisters. After running away, he meets a group of wild ducks who offer to take him in, but they are then shot and killed by a group of hunters. Fleeing once more, the duckling attempts to fit in with an old woman, her hen, and her cat. The hen and the cat eventually drive the duckling off again. During a terrible winter, the duckling watches swans fly overhead and feels a kinship with them. Nearly freezing to death, he is rescued by a peasant, only to find himself fleeing their home as well. As the spring arrives, the duckling meets a group of swans who happily accept him, at which point he realizes that he was a swan, not a duckling, all along. Because of the hardships that the duckling had to endure, the titular character learns to appreciate his good fortune at finally finding his place of belonging. This tale also teaches readers the negative consequences of judging someone by their appearance, as the once ugly duckling was actually a beautiful creature, both inside and out. The Ugly Duckling is a classic for a reason, and should be enjoyed by as many readers as possible!

Learning Activity

As one of the primary themes of this tale is belonging, I thought it would make sense to have the students write two brief passages, one describing a time in which they felt bullied or ostracized, and one describing a time in which they felt accepted.

Learning Standards

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.2
Recount stories, including fables and folktales from diverse cultures, and determine their central message, lesson, or moral.

Goal

Students will be able to apply a moral or lesson from this story to their own experiences.

Outcome

Students will write two brief passages describing times in their life in which they felt ostracized, as the ugly duckling does throughout the story, as well as when they felt accepted, as the swan feels at the end of the story.