Accelerate student reading and writing growth by rolling out our CommonLit 360 curriculum with School Essentials PRO Plus! Get a quote for your school.
  • Text
  • Paired Texts
  • Related Media
  • Teacher Guide
  • Parent Guide
Library     The Emperor's New Clothes     Paired Texts

Paired Texts > The Emperor's New Clothes

by Hans Christian Andersen 1837

We've identified these texts as great options for text pairings based on similar themes, literary devices, topic, or writing style. Supplement your lesson with one or more of these options and challenge students to compare and contrast the texts. To assign a paired text, click on the text to go to its page and click the "Assign Text" button there.

The Blind Men and the Elephant
The Blind Men and the Elephant
John Godfrey Saxe

In this famous retelling of an Indian parable dealing with perception and the subjective nature of truth, six blind men approach an elephant and come away with very different perspectives.

Pair “The Emperor’s New Clothes” with “The Blind Men and the Elephant” as examples of parables, so students may better understand the conventions of this genre. What do each of these stories teach us?

7th Grade Poem
Casey at the Bat
Casey at the Bat
Ernest Lawrence Thayer

Ernest Lawrence Thayer (1863-1940) was an American writer and poet, best known for this poem. It is considered a classic in sports-related literature and perhaps the most famous baseball poem ever written. In it, an arrogant player steps up to the plate with the weight of the game on his shoulders.

Pair “The Emperor’s New Clothes” with “Casey at the Bat” and ask students to discuss how arrogance factors into corruption. Do the main characters in these pieces share any personality traits? Do they like to put on a show?

7th Grade Poem
The House Falls Apart
The House Falls Apart
BirdBrain History

"The House Fall Apart" is an informational text compares the fall of the Roman Empire to the destruction of a house with neglectful owners.

Pair “The House Falls Apart” with “The Emperor’s New Clothes” and ask students to compare the power and demise of the Roman empire to the fall of the emperor.

6th Grade Informational Text 910L
The Princess and the Pea
The Princess and the Pea
Hans Christian Andersen

In the popular fairytale "The Princess and the Pea," a royal family uses an odd test to determine if a young woman who claims to be a princess really is one.

Pair “The Princess and the Pea” with “The Emperor’s New Clothes” and ask students to compare the themes and messages of the two pieces by the same author. How do discuss social status and vanity affecting people’s lives? Which fairytale do you think is more effective at getting its message across? Why?

5th Grade Folktale 720L
Thumbelina
Thumbelina
Hans Christian Andersen

Born in the center of a tulip and stuck forever at a small size, Thumbelina faces many challenges because she is so different from others around her.

Pair these two texts by the same author together, and have students compare the characterization in the two stories. How are the character traits of Thumbelina and the Emperor developed in similar or different ways? What lesson does Andersen try to convey in each of the two stories?

6th Grade Fable 1050L
What My Father Said
What My Father Said
Alan King

In Alan King's poem "What My Father Said," a boy wants to play with his friends but his father puts him to work.

Pair “The Emperor’s New Clothes” with “What My Father Said” and ask students to compare the themes of the two texts. How is the Emperor negatively affected when he blindly goes along with the weavers’ claims? What might have happened if the speaker in “What My Father Said” had done something similar, and went along with his friends in the poem?

8th Grade Poem
The Tyrant Who Became a Just Ruler
The Tyrant Who Became a Just Ruler
Maude Barrows Dutton

In Maude Barrows Dutton's retelling of the folktale "The Tyrant Who Became a Just Ruler," a cruel leader decides to rule over his people fairly.

Pair “The Emperor’s New Clothes” with “The Tyrant Who Became a Just Ruler” and ask students to compare the two leaders. How is the Emperor punished for having too much pride in himself in “The Emperor’s New Clothes”? How might the King in “The Tyrant Who Became a Just Ruler” have suffered if he continued to be an unjust leader?

5th Grade Folktale 1060L
Hodja and the Hungry Coat: A Turkish Tale
Hodja and the Hungry Coat: A Turkish Tale
Gale Sypher Jacob

In "Hodja and the Hungry Coat: A Turkish Tale," a laborer teaches rich partygoers a lesson about judging others.

Pair “The Emperor’s New Clothes” with “Hodja and the Hungry Coat: A Turkish Tale” and guide students through a discussion about how clothes play a role in each story. How do clothes affect the story in “The Emperor’s New Clothes”? How do clothes play a role in “Hodja and the Hungry Coat: A Turkish Tale”? How do the clothes in each story help teach the readers a lesson?

4th Grade Folktale 650L
CommonLit Logo

CommonLit is a nonprofit that has everything teachers and schools need for top-notch literacy instruction: a full-year ELA curriculum, benchmark assessments, and formative data.

Browse Content

Who We Are

  • About
  • Impact
  • Partners
  • Press

Schools & Districts

  • Plans & Pricing
  • Assessment Series
  • CommonLit 360
  • Rostering and LMS integrations

Resources

  • Blog
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Webinar Sign-Up
  • Security

Get Involved

  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Donate
© 2014-2023 CommonLit. ™ | CommonLit is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use