Joan Martin 4th Grade Drama Club
presents
The Emperor’s
New Clothes
Teacher’s Educational Packet
2011
Dear Teachers:
Welcome to the 4th Grade Drama Club’s production of The Emperor’s New Clothes.
The Emperors New Clothes is a familiar story for many children. Please familiarize your
class with our story before you attend the performance so that children may fully enjoy
the experience and feel familiar with the characters. Our play portrays the moral to think
for yourself and trust your own judgment.
For your convenience we have prepared an educational packet that includes: audience
protocol, synopsis of the story, vocabulary, lesson and workshop ideas for integrating this
experience into your classroom curriculum. In addition, we have attached resources you
might find useful in the Bibliography (including websites).
Our volunteer group is eager to make this a special experience for your class. If you want
further information or want to become a volunteer with our theatre group now or at a
future time, please contact us. We also enjoy hearing from you and your students and
look forward to receiving any pictures, stories, or comments.
WELCOME TO THE AUDIENCE
When young people have the opportunity to attend live theater, it is a good time to establish and
review audience protocol. Before you come to the theater space, please remind the students of
appropriate audience behavior. By doing this, students will be poised to give their best attention,
be equipped to handle their feelings and be able to express their enthusiasm in appropriate ways.
BE PREPARED: Arrive on time. Use the restroom and find your viewing space in advance of
“curtain time” (the hour at which the show is scheduled to begin.)
BE AWARE: A theater is an energy space. When the “house lights” go down and “stage lights”
go on, it is a time of anticipation and quiet. The theater is also a “live” space which means that
sound carries very well to the audience in the gym. This also means that sounds in the audience
such as whispering, rustling papers, speaking and moving about can be heard by other audience
members and by the performers.
PRACTICE: The International Sign of “Quiet Please” by silently raising your finger to your lips.
In this way, you can communicate to others that you would appreciate silence during the
performance.
CONCENTRATE so that the actors feel that you are with them. Just like good athletes or
scientists, actors spend many months practicing their skills. They use concentration when they
perform and if the audience watches in a concentrated way the actors feel supported and can do
their best.
RESPECT AND APPRECIATIONS: The actors show respect for their art form and for the
audience by doing their best work. The audience shows respect for the performers by watching
attentively. Applause is the best way for the audience to show their enthusiasm and to show
appreciation. The performers show appreciation of the audience by bowing to them. It is always
appropriate to applaud at the end of a performance and it is customary to continue clapping until
the curtain comes down or the lights on stage go dark. During performances you may even want
to applaud in the middle of a song or an event that is particularly pleasing. If the action on stage is
funny you may feel like laughing, if the action is sad you feel like crying or you may feel like
sighing if a part feels beautiful to you. Appreciation can be shown in many different ways.
USE COMMON SENSE: The rules of behavior good for public places apply to the theater. If
audience members conduct themselves by respecting the space of those around him or her,
everyone will be able to enjoy the live theater experience.
THE EMPEROR’S NEW CLOTHES
SYNOPSIS
The Average Everyday Fairytale Kingdom is preparing for the Parade with the King placing too
much emphasis on his clothes. Two schemers, Luigi and Guido Farabutto, passing through the
kingdom note King’s clothes obsession. They plot to swindle the king into paying a large sum of
gold and diamonds to weave a mystical, magical fabric for his new clothes. This fabric is
invisible to anybody who is foolish or unfit for his job.
Rather than appearing foolish, when viewing the loom and sewing room, all the townspeople and
all the king’s ministers, including the king, acknowledges that the fabric is the most beautiful ever
seen, even though there is no fabric at all.
On the day of the Parade, the Farabutto Brothers have fled with the gold and diamonds, while the
king appears before his entire kingdom dressed only in his underwear and fine accessories.
During the parade the king’s son, the Prince, interrupts to tell everyone that the king truly is not
wearing any clothes. When everyone realizes that the Prince is right, they support their king and
love him anyway, regardless of his silly mistakes.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
KING
QUEEN
PRINCE
PRINCESS
LUIGI and GUIDO FARABUTTO (The scoundrels)
THE MINISTERS (King’s loyal advisors)
THE GUARDS
THE COURT HERALD
TOWNSPEOPLE
What Kind of Story is This?
The Emperor’s New Clothes is a fairy tale. Most fairy tales are actually folk tales, stories
that were part of a long oral tradition with no single author, which were recorded and
then embellished by more modern authors. The stories commonly known as Grimm’s
Fairy Tales are of this sort. Andersen’s stories are classified as fairy tales for they often
deal with fantastic creatures, characters and settings, as well as ending with a strong
moral lesson and Andersen was often inspired by various folk tales he had collected.
About the Author
Hans Christian Andersen was born in 1805 in the slums of Odense, Denmark. His father
was a shoemaker and his mother was a washerwoman. At age 14 Andersen had to go to
work after the death of his father. He apprenticed to a weaver and a tailor, then found a
patron who allowed him to pursue a career in the theater as a singer. Forced to give up
performing when his voice changed, he attended school for a while to try to complete his
education. Eventually he managed to get admitted to Copenhagen University. In 1829
the Royal Theater of Denmark produced Andersen’s first play. He also wrote travel
sketches, prose stories and plays throughout his life, but is best know for his fairy tales,
which were combinations of folk tales and his imagination. The third volume of his tales
contained The Emperor’s New Clothes, a story Andersen adapted from a 14th century
Spanish story by Don Juan Manuel
LESSON IDEAS for THE EMPEROR’S NEW CLOTHES
Many of these ideas came from the following websites:
http://www.marilynkinsella.org http://www.lessonplanet.com
READING WRITING CONNECTION
 Read aloud from Hans Christian Andersen’s The Emperor’s New Clothes and two other
fairy tales, such as The Snow Queen or The Little Mermaid. Compare and contrast the
three stories from the standpoint of setting, character, and action.
 Discuss the differences between realism and fantasy. Could any of the bizarre events in
the stories really happen?
 Write a story about the Parade when the people saw the Emperor in his invisible outfit.
Choose whether your story will be an article for a newspaper or TV Broadcast News.
 Discuss questions that have no right or wrong answers:
o Why did the King pretend to see clothes when there were no clothes there?
o Why did the Ministers pretend to see the clothes?
o What are some things in the story that make you know it is a fairy tale? What are
some modern day things?
o When do you dress up? Do you feel or act differently when you put on dress
clothes? In what ways do people treat you differently? Do you like the difference
or not? Why?
 Write a letter to your mother or father describing a piece of clothing that you really want
them to get for you. Persuade them to buy it for you.
 Write about a time when you pretended to know or understand something that you really
did not understand. Describe how you felt at the time and tell how you felt when you did
realize the truth, if you ever did. (Examples: a joke you pretended to understand, an
arithmetic problem you pretended to understand, or a word that you pretended to know ).
 Provide students with the text of the original Hans Christian Andersen story. (Available
at http://www.andersen.sdu.dk/vaerk/hersholt/TheEmperorsNewClothes_e.html) As a
class, or in small groups, have students write a short version of the story that changes the
setting, while keeping the plot and main characters intact.
RESEARCH
 From the following website:• http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/ A program of the
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, ARTSEDGE offers free, standardsbased teaching materials for use in and out of the classroom, as well as professional
development resources, student materials, and guidelines for arts-based instruction and
assessment.
 Divide the class into groups. Tell students that they will be creating a
pantomime based on a Grimm Brothers’ fairy tale. Distribute an index card
with the name of one of the following tales to each group:
o Red Riding Hood, Rumpelstiltskin, Cinderella, Snow White,
Hansel and Gretel, Rapunzel, The Emperor’s New Clothes



Discuss the Class System [i.e. royalty, servants, peasants]. List the characters of the play
and place them in the proper class. Discuss the class system in the United States.
Have students research the elements that make a fairy tale. A good outline for this lesson
can be found at http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/content/2212/
Create a Fairy Tales Chart with the following headings:
 Name of Fairy Tale, Magic, Good Characters, Problem, Bad Characters,
Solution
LISTENING
 Read aloud the classic version found in a standard fairy tale book. After seeing the play,
make a chart of the similarities and the differences between the two versions.
 Listen for answers to these questions during the play:
1. What does the King like most about himself?
a. his hair b. his dancing c. his fashionable clothes d. his money
2. Who finally tells the emperor that he has no clothes on?
a. the queen b. the Prince c. the Ministers
3. What does the king like best about the final outfit the Farabutto Brothers made for
him?
4. Who are the tricksters in the play?
a. Luigi and Guido Farabutto b. the Prince and Princess c. the Ministers
5. The King believes that “_______________ make the man.”
a. friends b. money c. deeds d. clothes e. talent
ART
 Create a picture of the final costume that the Farabutto Brothers made for the King.
 Have each student draw a character from the play and tape it to a tongue depressor or
ruler. Have students reenact the play or make up their own version.
MATH and SCIENCE
 Ask the group to vote for their favorite character. Show results in bar graph
 Older students can figure the percentage of students preferring each character.
 Give students word problems about patterns and cloth. Have them figure out how much
money it would cost to make a certain garment. Example: Alice wanted to make a blouse
and pants. The blouse takes 1 ½ yards of cotton. The pants take 2 yards of wool. The
cotton is $4.99 a yard. The wool is $10.00 a yard. How much will Alice have to spend on
fabric?
SPECIAL EDUCATION
 Students attend the performance to use it as a source of learning and meeting IEP
goals.
 Listening experience: Able to retell all or part of the story with prompt or own
memory
 Recall of details: Student can recall sounds, costume colors, music, etc.
 Sequence: Student is able to tell which scene in play came first when given a choice
of two or more scenes.
 Self Expression: Student is able to tell what part of the play he/she liked best and
which part he/she did not like.
After The Show Activities:
Discussion About The Theatre
Hold a class discussion when you return from the performance and ask students the following
questions about their experience.
1. What did you notice first on the stage?
2. What about the set? Draw or tell about things you remember. Was there any space other than
the stage where the action took place?
3. How did the lights set the mood of the play? How did they change throughout? What do you
think “house lights” are? How do they differ from stage lights? Did you notice different areas
of lighting?
4. What did you think about the costumes? Do you think they fit the story?
5. Was there music in the play? How did it add to the performance?
6. What about the actors? Do you think they were able to bring the characters to life? Did you feel
caught up in the story? What things do you think the actors had to work on in order to make
you believe they were the characters?
7. If you were an actor, which of the characters would you like to play and why?
8. Which job would you like to try: Acting, Directing, Lighting designer, Sound designer, Stage
Manager, Set designer, or Stage crew? What skills might you need to complete your job?
9. How was the play different from the way you thought it would be?
10. How is watching a play different from being at the movies?
Discussion About The Play
1. Does this story fit into the description of a folk tale or a fairy tale (see Part 1 of study guide for
descriptions)? Why or why not?
2. What do you think the main idea of the play is?
3. Who is the hero of The Emperor’s New Clothes? Why do you think so?
4. What are the three most important characteristics you think a heroine or hero should display?
Why did you choose these particular characteristics?
5. Who is your favorite character and how would you describe him/her?
6. What skills do you have that would make you a good Emperor?
7. Think about the set, lighting, costumes and music used in the play. If you were asked to design
a production of The Emperor’s New Clothes, what would you do differently?
OTHER STUDY GUIDES AND LESSON PLANS
Hans Christian Andersen Lesson plans and teaching resources
http://www.webenglishteacher.com/andersen.html
National Endowment for the Humanities: Hans Christian Andersen Lesson Plan
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=417
More Andersen Lesson Plans
http://www.storygames.com/TeachManPF/lessonp.html
Classroom activities and further links on Hans Christian Andersen
http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/calendar-activities/hans-christianandersen-born-20476.html#classroom-activity
OTHER FUN LINKS
Read the Story online
http://www.schoolexpress.com/storytime/emperor.html
Printable mini-book of the Emperor's New Clothes
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/stories/fairytale/emperorsnewclothes/
Printable coloring page/story of the Emperor's New Clothes
http://www.schoolexpress.com/fws/cat.php?id=2527
Free download of the audiobook The Emperor's New Clothes
http://literalsystems.org/abooks/index.php/Audio-Book/TheEmperorsNewClothes
Images of Hans Christian Andersen’s papercuts
http://www.museum.odense.dk/andersen/klip/billedliste.asp?sprog=engelsk
Make your own snowflake paper cuttings
http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/dstredulinsky/kids_patterns.html
Fractured Fairy Tales: interactive activity where students write their own alternative
versions of several well-known fairy tales.
http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/fairytales/
Dress Up the Emperor-Online interactive game
http://www.emperorsnewsuit.com/game/11-dress-up-the-emperor
Andersen Fairy Tales craft activities
http://www.dundeecity.gov.uk/library/hans_craft
Hans Christian Andersen Quiz
http://www.funtrivia.com/playquiz/quiz105832c1fdc8.html
Hans Christian Andersen’s Fairy Tales activities
http://ed2.neh.gov/printable_lesson_plan.asp?id=417
Read and listen to The Emperor’s New Clothes
http://content.loudlit.org/audio/clothes/pages/01_01_clothes.htm
Hans Christian Andersen Biography
http://www.teachersparadise.com/ency/en/wikipedia/h/ha/hans_christian_andersen.html
The Travels of Hans Christian Andersen
http://museum.odense.dk/andersen/rejser/index.aspx?lang=uk
Odense City Museums Site- the Hans Christian Andersen Museum
http://www.museum.odense.dk/en.aspx
Project Gutenberg’s Andersen’s Fairy Tales
http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/5/9/1597/1597.txt
Hans Christian Andersen’s life and work
http://hca.gilead.org.il/
Hans Christian Andersen’s stories online and timeline
http://andersen.classicauthors.net/index.html
The Hans Christian Andersen Center
http://www.andersen.sdu.dk/index_e.html
YOUTUBE VIDEO LINKS
Animated 1977 CBS version (8:53 runtime)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGDr69VOv6g
1985 Fairy Tale Theater Version
Part 1/7 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPd21R_2BA8&feature=related
Part 2/7 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPd21R_2BA8&feature=related
Part 3/7 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_RFO71HXrw&feature=related
Part 4/7 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZqcuyg5p2A&feature=related
Part 5/7 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCGae8KCI9s&feature=related
Part 6/7 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKEH9mEC3Fs&feature=related
Part 7/7 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPd21R_2BA8&feature=related
Clip of Hans Christian Andersen (Danny Kaye) Telling the Story from the musical “Hans
Christian Andersen” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZYzbkk5X4M&feature=related