© storytimemagazine.com 2017

The Emperor’s New Clothes is a fairy tale written by Hans Christian Andersen about an emperor who is so afraid to look foolish, he pretends he is wearing clothes that don’t exist.

In BrIef

LIteracy Lesson Ideas Have a look at our Emperor’s New Clothes Word Wise Sheet for the meanings of some of the less familiar words in the story and for some fun exercises to try in class.

This is a great story to discuss, either as a whole class or in smaller groups. Here are some questions for discussion:

1. Why do you think the king liked showing off his clothes so much?

2. How were the weavers able to trick everyone?

3. Why did the emperor’s ministers lie to him?

4. What would you have said if you saw the emperor’s parade?

5. Why didn’t the emperor run away when he heard what the crowd said?

What words would you use to describe the emperor? Does he change as the story unfolds? Do you think the emperor learns his lesson in the end? Have at go at our Emperor Adjectives Sheet.

Put the story in the correct order on our Story Sequencing Sheet.

Tell the story in your own way using our Emperor’s New Clothes Simple Storyboard.

Use our Tell a Tale Sheet to write a short story about what happened to the weavers after the emperor returned from his parade.

Find out more about Hans Christian Andersen in our free Fairy Tale Teaching Resource Pack: http://www.storytimeforschools.com/teaching-resources

1

HIstory Lesson Ideas2

What is an emperor and how does he differ from a king? Learn about a famous emperor.

Favourite Fairy Tale: The Emperor’s New Clothes StorytimeTM

Teaching Resources

© storytimemagazine.com 2017

In The Emperor’s New Clothes, only a child is brave enough to be honest when everybody else is lying. Use this story as an opportunity to discuss the importance of honesty and the idea of lying to be kind to someone. Is that a good or a bad thing?

PsHe Lesson Ideas3

Imagine you’re in charge of music for the Emperor’s parade. Which music style works best? Make up your own music for the parade!

MUsIc Lesson Ideas4

Explore different fabrics and decide which ones are best for the emperor. Use fabrics like wool, cotton, velvet, leather, Lycra and denim for a good variety. Stick fabric swatches to our Fun with Fabrics Sheet, then rate them based on:

Colour (too bright, too patterned, too plain and boring?) Feel (is it soft, warm, comfortable, scratchy, hard, thick, thin?)

Give each fabric a mark out of five. Fashion designers also have to consider who they are designing for and what fabrics they will use.

Extend your learning in this area with our Fabric Word Search.

desIgn and tecHnoLogy Lesson Ideas5

Hone fine motor skills by cutting out a paper doll of the emperor and his wardrobe, then dress him up and turn him into a puppet. See our Dress Up Sheet.

Introduce your pupils to zentangling and ask them to doodle a pattern on the emperor’s new coat on our Colouring Sheet. Alternatively, use scraps of fabric to make the emperor an outfit using collage.

Tell everyone that they have been appointed ‘chief fashion designer’ by royal decree. Ask each of them to design an outfit for the emperor using our Picture Frame

MUsIc Lesson Ideas6

© storytimemagazine.com 2017

Find out what the trickier words mean in Storytime Issue 30’s The Emperor’s New Clothes.

Think of five ways to describe the invisible cloth using exciting adjectives.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

neWs rePort!Pretend you are a newspaper reporter at

the parade. Write your headline here!

coMPreHensIon cHeck

WrIte It!

Write an alternative ending to the story. What happens to the weavers? Maybe the emperor gets embarrassed or angry or even says sorry to his people – you decide!

1. What did the emperor spend his money on?

2. What rumour did the tricksters spread?

3. Why did the king want the weavers’ cloth?

4. Why did everybody pretend they could see the cloth?

Parade – show off something or a procession of people

Flaunting – showing off Trickster – cheats, liars Extraordinary – amazing Summoned – summoned Loom – big frame to weave fabric on

Swindling – lying, cheating Intricate – detailed Downhearted – sad Craftsmanship – skill, talent Procession – parade, march Applauded – clapped

The Emperor’s New Clothes: Word Wise Sheet StorytimeTM

Teaching Resources

WordWatcH

© storytimemagazine.com 2017

Below are lots of adjectives. Which ones do you think describe the emperor at the beginning, in the middle and at the end of the story? Choose at least two words to write in each column. Add your own adjectives if you like.

VAIN

naMe cLass

Beginning Middle end

eMPeror adjectIves

sHeet

unhappyselfishproud

stubborn

shy

confused confident

unsure happy

puzzled

embarrassedafraid

big-headed

Favourite Fairy Tale: The Emperor’s New Clothes StorytimeTM

Teaching Resources

© storytimemagazine.com 2017

The emperor leads the parade, wearing his invisible clothes.

The ministers and the queen pretend they can see the fabric and say it looks wonderful.

A child says the emperor is wearing nothing and everyone starts laughing.

The emperor’s minister checks on the weavers, but he can’t see any fabric.

The crowd cheers for the emperor and his new clothes.

The emperor visits the weavers, but he also can’t see the fabric.

A minister suggests that the emperor wears his new outfit in a big parade.

The emperor doesn’t want to admit he has been tricked, so he waves and smiles.

The weavers complete the outfit for the emperor.

The emperor asks the weavers to make him a new outfit.

The emperor tries on his invisible clothes and says they are an excellent fit.

The emperor only leaves his palace to show off his new clothes.

The minister is too embarrassed to admit he can’t see the fabric.

Weavers arrive who say they can spin a special fabric, which is invisible to fools.

The emperor doesn’t want to look silly, so he says the fabric looks wonderful too.

Number these sentences from 1 to 15 to put them in the right order.

naMe cLass

famous fairy tales: The Emperor’s New Clothes StorytimeTM

Teaching Resources

story seqUencIng

sHeet

© storytimemagazine.com 2017

The Emperor’s New Clothes: Simple Storyboards StorytimeTM

Teaching Resources

Using the pictures, write The Emperor’s New Clothes in your own words.

naMe cLass

© s

tory

time

ma

ga

zine

.co

m 2

017

The Emperor’s New Clothes: Tell a Tale StorytimeTM

Teaching Resources

© storytimemagazine.com 2017

naMe

cLa

ss

fabr

icna

me

colo

urfe

elra

ting

Wh

ich

fa

bri

c is

fit

for

a

n e

mp

ero

r. W

hy?

W

rite

it h

ere

…

The E

mpero

r’s New

Cloth

es: Fu

n With

Fabri

csSt

oryt

imeTM

Teach

ing Re

source

s

There are 15 fabric words hiding in this grid. They can go up, down, backwards, forwards and diagonally. Can you find them all?

canvas

casHMere

cotton

denIM

feLt

fLeece

LeatHer

LInen

Lycra

satIn

sILk

sUede

tartan

veLvet

WooL

© s

tory

time

ma

ga

zine

.co

m 2

017

Word searcH

favourite fairy tales: The Emperor’s New Clothes StorytimeTM

Teaching Resources

naMe cLass

T E V L E V L E C C T MH Y D K U E C C A T S GF U L R A L S E S Q U IS I P T I A V E H Y E LS Y H N V B L L M Z D ZF E E N K D Q F E D E CR N A B S B E S R I Q NA C O D U L O H E D X IU R H T T S I K T E N TI T C Y T A R T A N S AA R H Y S O I I J I J SL W O O L I C M I M O W

TEVLEVLECKECAS

LALSESUITIAEHE

SHNVLMDEENFEE

RNAERNACOLEDI

RTTETCTARTANA

YOISWOOLCM

Answers

© sto

rytime

ma

ga

zine.co

m 2

017

tIP!Use your dressed-up emperor as a

puppet to tell the story.

favourite fairy tales: The Emperor’s New Clothes StorytimeTM

Teaching Resources

Cut out the clothes, choose an outfit for the emperor and dress him up!dress UP!

© storytimemagazine.com 2017

coLoUrIng sHeet

Doodle a pattern on the Emperor’s outfit!

naMe cLass favourite fairy tales: The Emperor’s New Clothes StorytimeTM

Teaching Resources

© storytimemagazine.com 2017

naMe cLass

The Emperor’s New Clothes: Picture Frame StorytimeTM

Teaching Resources