The Emperor's New Clothes

Social-emotional learning: Responsible decision-making (analyzing situations, solving problems); relationship skills (communication); selfawareness (accurate selfperception)

Theme, key details, character traits, plot, compare and contrast, making inferences, text features, drawing conclusions, interpreting text, explanatory writing

Set a Purpose for Reading (10 minutes)

• Turn to pages 24-25. Explain that an emperor is a ruler or king and that a fairy tale is a make-believe story that has been told for many years.
  
• This play is adapted from a fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen, a writer who lived in Denmark in the 1800s. Point to Denmark on a classroom map. Andersen’s other fairy tales include “The Little Mermaid,” “The Ugly Duckling,” and “The Snow Queen.” Ask students if they’re familiar with “The Emperor’s New Clothes” and invite them to name other fairy tales they know.
• Call on volunteers to read aloud the Think and Read box on page 24 and the Think and Write box on page 29. Ask your students to keep these prompts in mind as they read the play.

Introduce Vocabulary (15 minutes)

• While the play does not include definitions of vocabulary words with the text, a Vocabulary Skill Builder online previews eight challenging words.  You may also play our Vocabulary Slideshow.
• Vocabulary words: nobles, blares, vain, tailors, weave, sensible, lightweight, gorgeous

Bridging Decoding and Comprehension

• Storyworks Jr. plays provide a perfect opportunity for students to build fluency.
• Remind students that the stage directions in parentheses tell a reader or actor how to say a line or perform an action in the play. Direct students to page 24. Point to the words clapping and whispering in column 1 and to himself in column 2. Read the dialogue aloud with appropriate expressions or actions. Ask students to repeat after you. 
  

• Before reading: Point out the Characters box on page 24. Explain that “Subjects” refers to the people who live in the kingdom ruled by the Emperor.
• First Read: Continue reading the play as a class.
• Second Read:  Project or distribute the Close-Reading Questions. Discuss them as a class, rereading lines or scenes as necessary.
• Separate students into groups to discuss the Critical-Thinking Question. Then ask groups to share their answers with the class.

Close-Reading Questions (30 minutes)

• Read Scene 1. What does the Emperor do as soon as he enters the room? (key details) He asks how he looks and admires himself in a mirror. What do his actions show about his character? (character traits) He cares a lot about his appearance.
• Read Scene 2. What is the tailors’ plan? (plot) They want to get rich by pretending to sell the Emperor cloth that is invisible to fools. Why do the tailors think their plan will work? They think the Emperor is so vain that he will be foolish enough to fall for their trick.
• Read Scene 3. What does the Royal Aide think about the tailors’ invisible cloth? What does the Emperor think?  (compare and contrast) The Royal Aide thinks the invisible cloth is nonsense. However, the Emperor wants to meet the tailors. He needs a new outfit and thinks the cloth sounds great.
• Read Scene 4.  How do the tailors feel about their plan at the end of this scene? (making inferences) They give each other a sneaky smile because they are pleased that their plan is working.
• Read Scene 5. How does the picture on page 27 help you imagine what the tailors and the Emperor do in this scene? (text features) The picture shows the tailors carrying imaginary clothes to give to the Emperor. He has a scared look, which is described by Narrator 1.
• Why does the Emperor say to himself “I see nothing. But I cannot say that!”? (theme) He’s afraid that if he’s honest and admits he can’t see the imaginary cloth, people might think he’s a fool. He’s afraid to speak up and tell the truth.
• Read Scene 6. Why do the people in the crowd clap and cheer for the Emperor? (plot) They are pretending that they can see the Emperor wearing beautiful clothes.
• Why does everyone in the crowd start laughing after the child says “The Emperor has no clothes!”? (drawing conclusions) Before that  moment, they were afraid to speak up. They were afraid of being thought of as fools. Now they feel it’s OK to admit what they really see—that the Emperor is wearing only his crown and underpants.
• What does the Royal Aide mean when he says “I’d rather be hated for being honest than loved for lying.”? (interpreting text) It’s important to him to speak honestly, even if people (like the Emperor) don’t like him for telling the truth.
• Why does the Emperor ask the Royal Aide to become his chief adviser? (making inferences) The Emperor realizes that he wants an adviser who is an honest person, instead of someone who just flatters him. The Royal Aide has always been truthful, even when it made the Emperor mad.

Critical-Thinking Question (10 minutes)

• In this play, almost everyone is afraid to speak up. When might it be important to speak up, even if no one else does? Why might this be difficult? (theme) Answers will vary. Students might say it’s important to speak up if someone is in danger or being treated unfairly. It might be difficult because others might not like what you say, or you might not feel confident about what you think.

Exploring the Big Idea (30 minutes)

• Have students complete the Theme Skill Builder.
• They should also write a paragraph to answer the question in the Think and Write box. Students can read their paragraphs aloud in small groups.