RED SHOES the Red Shoes OBJECTIVES Know Best, from Classical Ballet to Hip-Hop

THE RED SHOES The Red Shoes OBJECTIVES know best, from classical ballet to hip-hop. By Hans Christian Andersen, adapted by ¥ Children will watch and listen to a modern story Maxine Fisher based on a classic tale. Connect the story to music and history by having Themes: Feelings, Friendship, Growth and ¥ Children will identify and appreciate qualities students research and report on the history of Change, Music that enable people to overcome misfortunes, classical ballet. Encourage students visit the web Grade Level: 2Ð6 including ingenuity, patience, hope, sites of ballet companies for inside looks at the Running Time: 27 minutes imagination, and perseverance. world of ballet today. ¥ Children will appreciate the use of humor in SUMMARY both words and pictures. Connect the story to writing by focusing on the This story is a retelling of a tale by Hans Christian feelings. Discuss how dance and other forms of Anderson. The narrator is Alphonse, a BEFORE VIEWING ACTIVITIES art can help people express their feelings and neighborhood shoemaker. The story begins on a Introduce the title of the story and inform students overcome adversity. Suggest that students write block of apartment buildings in a rundown that magical red shoes are important to the plot. imaginary letters or e-mail messages between Lisa neighborhood. Two girls, Lisa and Jenny, are best Ask them for ideas on what putting on a pair of and Jenny. Encourage students to keep journals friends who dream of being ballet dancers. Lisa magic shoes might do. If students know the that record their own feelings about traumatic especially needs her dreams. Her older brother is Anderson tale, ask students to tell the others how events in their lives. very sick, and her family life is not happy. Finally the shoes affected a person who put them on. Alert Lisa's brother dies. It is a dark time, but after a students to watch for the red shoes and notice how Other videos in the Critics’ Choice Collection few months the family gets a surprise: they have the shoes change the attitudes and feelings of the available from Weston Woods include: won the lottery, and are now millionaires! Even as characters. Jazztime she is saying goodbye, Lisa's behavior starts to The Story of the Dancing Frog by Quentin Blake change. Before long she has cut off her old AFTER VIEWING ACTIVITIES Five Lionni Classics by Leo Lionni friends. At Christmas time Alphonse takes Jenny In recalling and discussing the story, focus on the Nightingale by Hans Christian Andersen to a performance of The Nutcracker, which Lisa character of Lisa. What are Lisa's good points and The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Andersen and her mother also attend. Afterwards, the girls bad points? Ask students to describe their own Abel’s Island by William Steig see each other's reflections when they both look at impressions and to recall the exact details that The Marzipan Pig by Russell Hoban an exhibit of famous dancers' shoes. Lisa snubs gave that impression. Discuss how Lisa changes Whitewash by Michael Sporn Jenny. To cheer Jenny up, Alphonse makes her a throughout the story. Then ask students what made The Talking Eggs pair of red ballet shoes. Meanwhile, Lisa is insist- the red shoes magic. Help students make the Ralph S. Mouse by Beverly Cleary ing on a pair of red shoes, and her mother remem- connection between Lisa's emotions over the loss Runaway Ralph by Beverly Cleary bers Alphonse's skills. In Alphonse's shop, Lisa of her brother and the big changes in her life and The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary sees the red shoes. Alphonse won't sell the shoes, her feelings upon putting on the shoes. Uncle Elephant by Arnold Lobel so Lisa steals them. She puts the shoes on—and Stanley and the Dinosaurs then can't stop dancing. The shoes carry her back Connect the story to music and dance by having based on the book STANLEY by Syd Hoff to memories of dancing with her friend and with students prepare and perform a musical and ballet her brother, and teach her to value love and of the story. Have students read the original friendship over material things. Anderson tale and see movie versions. Encourage students to use the forms of music and dance they CALL 1-800-243-5020 TO ORDER THESE AND OTHER WESTON WOODS VIDEOS! This guide may be photocopied for free distribution without restriction