Standards Correlations

R.1, R.2, R.3, R.4, R.7, W.1, SL.1, SL.2, L.4, L.6

Learning objective

This play shows how easily people sometimes accept what they’re told in order to avoid looking foolish—and how foolish that can be.

Key Skills

inference, text features, vocabulary, character, compare and contrast, character’s motivation, theme, argument writing

Complexity Factors

Levels of Meaning: This play shows how easily people sometimes accept what they’re told in order to avoid looking foolish—and how foolish that can be.

Structure: The play is chronological and has six scenes. 

Language: The play contains some challenging vocabulary, such as adviser and relieved.

Knowledge Demands: No special knowledge is required.

Levels

Guided Reading Level: T 

DRA Level: 50

Lesson Plan: The Emperor’s New Clothes

Essential Questions

  • Why might someone go along with a lie?
  • What qualities make a good leader?

Literature Connection

  • Novel: Grounded: The Adventures of Rapunzel by Megan Morrison

1. Preparing to Read 

Preview Text Features (15 minutes)

Guide students to locate the play. Then help them preview the text features using the following prompts:

  • Read the play’s title and the text beneath it. Are you familiar with the story “The Emperor’s New Clothes” by Hans Christian Andersen? If not, can you guess what the play will be about? Answers to the first question will vary. Students who aren’t familiar with the story might guess that the play will be about an emperor whose clothes fall off or become invisible. 
  • Find the image of the tailors near Scene 4. Based on their facial expressions, what do you think they’re thinking? Answers will vary. Students might say that the tailors appear to be thinking, “We’re pretty smart” or “We have a secret.” 

Preview Vocabulary (10 minutes)

  • Point out the vocabulary box. Read the words (vain, sensible, relieved, adviser) aloud and discuss their definitions.
  • Play the Vocabulary Slideshow.

Make a Plan for Reading

Before students start to read, walk them through a reading plan:

  • Set the purpose for reading by telling students they’ll make inferences while reading “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” Explain that making an inference means using clues from the text to figure out something that isn’t stated.
  • Point out the activity at the end of the play. Tell students they will complete it after reading.

2. Reading and Unpacking the Text

  • Assign roles to students, and read the play aloud as a class. Stop after each scene and ask students to summarize what happened.  
  • After reading, discuss the following close-reading and critical-thinking questions.

Close-Reading Questions (15 minutes)

  • What do you learn about the Emperor in the first scene? (character) You learn that his appearance is very important to him. He is a vain person.
  • In Scene 3, what does the Royal Aide think about the tailors’ claim that their cloth is invisible to fools? What does the Emperor think? (compare and contrast) The Royal Aide thinks that the tailors’ claim cannot be real and that the idea is nonsense. The Emperor thinks their claim is real and is interested in the cloth.
  • At the end of Scene 4, why does the Emperor say “Get out!” to the Royal Aide? (character’s motivation) The Royal Aide suggests that the Emperor is being tricked by the tailors. He suggests that if the Emperor buys the clothes, he “will be remembered as a fool.” The Emperor is insulted and wants the Royal Aide gone.
  • Why does the Emperor nearly faint in Scene 5 after the tailors present the clothes to him? (inference) The Emperor cannot see the clothes, which makes him think he must be a fool. He has been told that only a fool cannot see the clothes. The shock of realizing that he might be a fool causes him to feel faint.
  • After the child points out that the Emperor has no clothes, why does everyone start laughing? (inference) The child’s observation makes everyone realize that no one else can see the clothes either. They become more confident when they realize they are not alone and that the Emperor has been tricked into parading in his underwear. They laugh because they’re both amused and relieved.

Critical-Thinking Questions (10 minutes)

1. Split students into three groups, and have each group answer one of the questions next to the illustrations. (characters’ motivations)

  • The Emperor: Everyone is worried that if they admit they can’t see the clothes, people will think they’re fools. Nobody wants to risk being the one person to speak up.
  • The Tailors: The tailors get away with their trick because they know that the Emperor is vain. He will be willing to spend a lot of money on the expensive clothes and will be too embarrassed to admit that he is a fool when he can’t see them. No one else will speak up either. 
  • The Child: The child speaks up because very young children haven’t yet learned to worry about being seen as foolish. They’re often more straightforward and honest than adults. 

2. 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 speaking up 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 you face the possibility that others will take offense or think less of you.

3. Skill Building and Writing

  • Have students work in pairs to complete the Spotlight Skill Workout: Inference activity.
  • Assign students to work independently on our Character's Motivation Skill Builder. (Click here to see all your Skill Builders for this feature.)
  • Writing prompt: Who do you think is most responsible for the Emperor being tricked and walking around in his underwear: the tailors, the Royal Dresser, the nobles, or the Emperor himself? Answer this question in a well-organized paragraph. Support your opinion with  details from the play.

Learn Anywhere Activity

An enrichment activity to extend the learning journey at home or in the classroom

Author Study

Hans Christian Andersen, the author of the classic story “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” wrote many stories. A few of his best-known stories are “The Ugly Duckling,” “The Little Mermaid,” and “The Princess and the Pea.” 

Read one of Andersen’s stories. Then answer these questions:

  • Which story did you read?
  • Does it have any themes (such as vanity or trickery) in common with “The Emperor’s New Clothes”?
  • Is there a lesson that readers can learn from the story?
  • Did you enjoy the story? Why or why not?

When you’re done, make a short video (on Flipgrid or another platform approved by your teacher) to share your answers with your classmates.

ELL Springboard

Practice using stage directions to boost fluency.

Before reading the play, have students practice saying the three lines below. Encourage them to consider the stage directions in parentheses. (If necessary, discuss how a person might sound when speaking to himself.)

  • NOBLE 1 (whispering): The Emperor sure loves his fancy clothes. 
  • ROYAL AIDE (to himself): I worry that could get him into trouble . . .
  • EMPEROR (annoyed): Why don’t you trust them? 

Looking for more ELL support? Download our full lesson plan and scroll to p. 5 to find questions that will help your ELLs respond to the text at the level that’s right for them.

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