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Hans Christian Andersen Curriculum Guide Sample Content Synopsis & Lesson Plan Hans Christian Andersen by Timothy Allen McDonald Music and Lyrics by Frank Loesser Icons show which curricular topics are addressed in the Grades 2-8 following activities. Theatre The full guide will explore: • Hans Christian Andersen - biography Visual Art • “Where words fail, music speaks.” - The music of Frank Loesser English Lang Arts • The art of storytelling • Then versus now Social Studies SEL Themes: inclusion, finding your voice, belonging, family, friendship, respecting differences Synopsis Hans Christian Andersen tells of the real and imagined events that inspired fairytales like The Ugly Duckling, The Little Mermaid, and Thumbelina, and how the famous fairytale author found his voice. The retelling begins in Odense, Denmark where 11-year-old Hans Christian Andersen (Christian) and his parents celebrate his acceptance into the Royal Academy. His parents own a tailoring shop, but become known primarily for the captivating stories they tell in the park. Christian worries about fitting in with the royals. Like his parents, he cannot read or write; however, the storytelling tra- dition of his parents stays with him. They write stories together even when they are away. Christian finds his classmates at the Royal Academy unwelcoming. The only classmate who offers him a seat is Princess Caroline, who sits in a wheelchair. Christian cannot keep up with the arithmetic facts, and the strict Headmistress Thagar requires him to stay in from re- cess to recite them. Christian learns that Princess Caroline, the “invisible princess,” is shielded from the public eye due to having acute muscular weakness, which family worries will reflect badly on the royal bloodline. After school, Christian visits the food stalls and hears all sorts of rumors about the invisible princess from people who say she has a hump like Quasimodo or scales like a sturgeon. Christian begins to tell a story in the park, like his parents did in Odense. A small crowd gathers around as he tells the story of Thumbelina, a tiny fairy with a heart full of love. Princess Caroline notices Christian’s story, and they become friends. Christian writes to his parents and continues their latest storytelling game, which becomes the story of The Ugly Duckling. Inspired by Princess Caroline, Christian thinks up a story about a mermaid princess who longs for legs to walk and a place in the world above the sea. The story gives Princess Caroline a way to feel seen and understood by her new friend. Christian returns to the food stalls to tell more stories, this time describing a king with mysterious new clothes. The Royal Guard takes offense at the story, believing it was intended to mock the king. Headmistress Thagar saves Christian from jail, saying he is one of her most prized students at the Royal Academy for his storytelling skills. She gives Christian the role as director for the Royal Academy’s upcoming performance of Hamlet. At school, Christian admits to Princess Caroline that he prefers to go by Christian because feels unfit to live up to his father’s name. Princess Caroline often feels inadequate for her family name too, and the shared experience of feeling invis- ible draws them closer together. They agree to work as partners in directing Hamlet. Headmistress Thagar receives news that Christian’s father was involved in a serious accident, and sends Christian home immediately. When Christian sees his father, he is very sick, but his father still requests that they continue playing the storytelling game. Christian concludes the story with the ugly duckling realizing he is a swan. In their last conversation together, Christian admits to his father that he does not think he will ever live up to his name. In response, his father tells him he has always been the family’s swan – though fearful of what others might think, a fine and noble swan. After his father’s death, Christian determines he will stay and take care of his mother. She sends him back to school where he will continue to flourish with the other swans. Back at the Royal Academy, Princess Caroline has taken over directing Hamlet. She reminds her classmates that everybody sings and has a story to tell, even if they feel inadequate. Christian returns to the Royal Academy just in time to see the performance. Princess Caroline opens the show by intro- ducing herself, not just as Caroline, but Princess Caroline, asserting that there was never any reason for her to hide. At the conclusion of the performance, Christian presents the king with his finished manuscript,The Little Mermaid. The manuscript displays his full name, Hans Christian Andersen, and his stories bear the memory and heart of his father for years to come. Hans Christian Andersen Amazing Storyteller and Artist Hans Christian Andersen was a famous writer in Denmark back in the 1800s. His stories are the foundation for some of the biggest movie and live performance successes in history, including, but not limited to, The Little Mermaid, The Ugly Duckling, Thumbelina, and The Emperor’s New Clothes. What many people don’t know is that Hans was also a talented visual artist, specifically with paper. He would cut paper as he would tell his stories, and the final cutouts were “unfolded” at the end of the story. Many were symmetrical, like the ones pictured in this lesson. In this activity, students will have the opportunity to practice their storytelling skills AND their paper-cutting abilities - just like Hans Christian Andersen! Lead discussions and the activities outlined below. PHASE I: Who Was Hans? Introduce Hans Christian Andersen to the students. Share with your students the short biography provided by Scholastic (https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/authors/hans-christian-andersen/) or ask them to research the author and present their findings. Make sure to cover: • Places of importance: Using a map, have the students locate Odense, Denmark (Hans’ birthplace) and Copenhagen, Denmark (where he attended university, where he died, etc.). • Time period: Hans lived 1805-1875. Ask your students to briefly contrast then and now. Discuss how this era affected his life and work. How might his work have been different if he lived today? • Stories: Highlight some of Hans’ most popular works, including his many fairy tales. An index of all of his literary works can be found at The Hans Christian Andersen Centre’s website:http://andersen.sdu.dk/vaerk/register/index_e. html • Personal Traits: Ask students to list what positive qualities Hans Christian Andersen learned and possessed that helped him be a successful author. What does it take to be a great storyteller? Encourage students to share their favorite authors and what makes them great at their jobs. Examples include creativity, dedication, empathy, etc. PHASE II: Creating the Story Tell students that they will have the opportunity to test their storytelling skills. Ask your students to share what makes a good story. Make sure to discuss conflict and story structure. Use one of the following games below as a springboard for your students to create their own short stories. • Mystery bag: Place a number of unrelated objects into a bag - one for each student. Everyone picks one object out of the bag and must write a story inspired by that object. • Fractured fairy tale: Define “fractured fairy tale” for the students. Ask them to write a fractured fairy tale. If you would like, put a bunch of fairy tales in a bag, 2 for each student, and have everyone pick two fairy tale titles. They must write a fractured fairy tale that combines characters from both stories. • Three words:Ask students to write three random words on a piece of paper and exchange it with another student. Then challenge the students to write a story that incorporates those three words somewhere in the dialogue of the story that makes sense. PHASE III: Finding the Story in the Paper Next, explain to students that just like Hans Christian Andersen, they will be creating paper cuts inspired by their stories. Provide students a piece of letter-sized blank paper. Have them fold the paper in half. Instruct them using one of the fol- lowing methods: • Impromptu: Think of your story as you cut without a final product in mind. Maybe read the story aloud or to yourself as you cut, taking breaks in between significant words and sentences. • Pre-planned: Plan your design in advance based on the story. Either display their paper cuttings with a typed or handwritten version of their story or have the students display their work as they read their stories aloud. PHASE IV: Bringing the Story to Life This phase is optional. If you would like to take it a step further, bring your stories to life! Split students into small groups and have them present their stories as a series of tableaux (frozen pictures) or as short plays or skits. Paper cuttings by Hans Christian Andersen TN Academic Standards ELA: SL.CC.1, SL.PKI.6, W.TTP.3, W.RW.10 Theatre: 3-4.T.P1.A, 2-4&6-7.T.P3.A, 2-4.T.Cr1.C, 5-8.T.Cr2.B, 3-5.T.Cr3.A, 6-7.T.P1.B, 6-8.T.Cr3.C Visual Art: VA.Cr2.A Social Studies: SSP.05, SSP.06.
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