Pre-viewing Discussion
• Share famous fairy tales by Hans Christian Anderson or the Brothers Grimm
and discuss what makes them fairy tales.
• Invite students to write and share their own definitions of fairy tales and
then generate a list of characteristics of some of their favorite fairy tales.
Students can even submit drawings for a class collage about fairy tales.
Follow-Up Discussion
Denmark:
The Shepherdess
and the Chimney
Sweep
Background
Denmark: The Shepherdess and the Chimney Sweep is a classic retelling of a
tale published in 1845 by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. While
Andersen was an author of plays, novels, poems, travel books and several
autobiographies, he is remembered by many around the world as a master of
the fairy tale. In fact, tales such as “The Little Mermaid,” “Thumbelina,” and
“The Ugly Duckling” have become a part of the world’s oral tradition in addition to serving as the inspiration for a number of children’s books and
movies. Folk literature terms relevant to this tale are provided below:
folk literature/folklore — Traditional tales, knowledge and beliefs
handed down from generation to generation by word of mouth.
folktale — A type of folk literature that has grown from the lives and
imaginations of people. Folktales often tell of the adventures of human or
animal characters and sometimes attempt to explain the physical or spiritual world. Folktales can be organized into several different categories.
fairy tale — Tales that contain mystical and magical characters, such as
fairies, trolls, elves and dragons. Enchantment and magic helps to advance
the plot. The endings are happy in that good characters are rewarded and
evil characters are punished.
Program Summary
Welcome to the parlor, where figures and paintings come alive when people
leave the room. On a pretty little table in this parlor sit two precious porcelain figurines — a dainty shepherdess and ladder-laden chimney sweep.
Watching over them is the Grandpapa of the shepherdess. The shepherdess
and the chimney sweep love each other very much and want to marry but
Grandpapa dismisses the idea because he wants her to marry the Goat-kneed
Commander who adorns a cabinet in the room instead. Rather than marry
the Goat-kneed Commander, the shepherdess decides to escape from the
parlor with the chimney sweep so that they can always be together. Despite
Grandpapa’s attempts to stop them, the chimney sweep helps the shepherdess into the chimney and up they go to the outside world. Overwhelmed
at the vast expanse of the outdoors, the shepherdess decides that she would
rather return to the parlor. Back at the parlor, they find that Grandpapa fell to
the floor and broke into several pieces when he was trying to chase after
them. They try to mend him but are unsuccessful. When the household’s
maid discovers the broken pieces, she sweeps it up and returns later with a
freshly-glued and reassembled Grandpapa. When the Goat-kneed Commander
asks Grandpapa for permission to marry the shepherdess, the Commander
gets no response. In fact, a newly-placed bolt prevents Grandpapa from
nodding his bobbling head. As a result, the shepherdess is able to live happily
ever after with her beloved chimney sweep.
Page 1 of 2
• “True love conquers all” is a well-known phrase. Discuss the meaning of this
phrase and its relevance to this tale from Denmark. Ask students to list
other known tales that share this theme.
• The shepherdess was overcome by the large and busy outside world. Why
do you think she felt that way? What risks would she have taken if they ventured further into the outside world? What would the benefits of those risks
be?
Follow-up Activities
• Danish author Hans Christian Andersen is the author of this tale as well as
many other oft-told tales, such as “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” “The
Princess and the Pea” and “The Ugly Duckling.” In fact, many of his tales
have become the basis of plays, movies and other productions. Select an
Andersen tale and compare its original version to a theatrical version. In
what ways did the theatrical version stay true to the original? In what ways
were they different? Students can organize these similarities and differences in a Venn diagram.
• Hans Christian Andersen is best known for his work as an author, but he
was also an accomplished paper cutter. Some of his paper cuttings were
simple figures, while others were much more elaborate. To share with students some of Andersen’s paper cuttings, visit www.museum.odense.dk/
andersen/klip/billedstart.asp?sprog=engelsk or display images from
Beth Wagner Brust’s The Amazing Paper Cuttings of Hans Christian
Andersen (Houghton Mifflin, 2003). Students can select a favorite Andersen
paper cutting and write a fairy tale around it. As an extension, encourage
students to practice the art of paper cutting themselves.
• What exactly does a chimney sweep do? With a decline in the reliance
upon the fireplace and chimney as the primary heat source for a home, the
occupation of chimney sweep is much less widespread. Engage students in
an investigation of what a chimney sweep does, the hazards of the job and
how the job has changed over time. Share excerpts of other stories in
which a chimney sweep is a character. P.L. Travers’ Mary Poppins is probably the most popular. Then, have students use what they have learned to
write a job description for a chimney sweep.
• The Goat-kneed Commander is a loud and outspoken character in this tale,
but we know little about him. Encourage students to get creative and write
a short biography about this character. Consider the exploits he may have
encountered to become a Goat-kneed Major Minor General Staff
Commander Sergeant. Students can also write bio poems about this character. For a bio poem template and example, visit hrsbstaff.ednet.ns.ca/
phillie/webquest/ibiopoem.htm.
• Act it out! Recreate this tale in your classroom. This can be done as a
puppet show, a mime skit, a student play, etc. In preparation for the production, examine and critically think about the story’s elements of characters,
setting and plot. Students can further explore fairy tales by examining
some of Andersen’s other classic tales. (Many are available online at
www.andersen.sdu.dk/vaerk/register/eventyr_e.html.) Students can
select a favorite tale to perform live.
• Before folktales were written or turned into films, they were passed down
orally, from one generation to the next. Introduce students to the art of storytelling. Discuss different ways in which the storyteller can engage listeners (e.g., using sound and gestures, giving vivid sensory details). Practice
storytelling techniques by having each student retell a portion of this tale.
Teacher’s Guide © 2007 by Schlessinger Media, a division of Library Video Company
P.O. Box 580, Wynnewood, PA 19096 • 800-843-3620
Suggested Internet Resources
• media.denmark.dk/kids/index.html
With a cartoon kid as your tour guide, explore Denmark and find out more
about what it is like to live there. This site is by the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs of Denmark.
• www.museum.odense.dk/andersen/manuskript/
billedstart.asp?sprog=engelsk
This site, by the Odense City Museums, allows people from all over the
world to view some of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale manuscripts.
See his handwriting, what he crosses out and what he adds in. It’s the
writing process in action!
• www.darsie.net/talesofwonder/
This archive of folk and fairy tales from around the world presents a
sampling of the many stories that make up our world’s oral tradition.
Suggested Print Resources
To learn more about the land and people of Denmark:
• Murphy, Patrick J. Denmark. Capstone Press, Mankato, MN; 2002.
• Pateman, Robert. Denmark. Benchmark Books, Tarrytown, NY; 2006.
If you are interested in tales from Scandinavia, you might also enjoy:
• Andersen, Hans Christian. Hans Christian Andersen’s Tales (Ed. Anthea
Bell). Penguin Young Readers Group, New York, NY; 2006.
• MacDonald, Margaret. Fat Cat: A Danish Folktale. August House, Atlanta,
GA; 2001.
• Shepard, Aaron. Master Maid: A Tale of Norway. Dial, New York, NY;
1997.
Teacher’s Guide written by Megan Carnate, M.Ed., Curriculum Specialist,
Schlessinger Media
Teacher’s Guides for titles in this series are available at www.LibraryVideo.com
• Alaska: Raven Steals the Daylight
• Arabia: The Crown and the Sceptre
• Armenia: The Shoemaker’s Son
• Australia: Bad Baby Amy
• Burkina Faso: The Tyrant and the Child
• Canada: Timoon and the Narwhal
• Caribbean: The Chief and the
Carpenter
• Catalonia: The Manairons
• China: The Magic Gourd
• China: The Magic Paintbrush
Page 2 of 2
• Denmark: The Shepherdess and the
Chimney Sweep
• England: Cap O’ Rushes
• Finland: The Raspberry Worm
• France: Ewenn Congar
• Germany: Frau Holle
• Germany: The Enchanted Lion
• Greece: The Myth of Persephone
• Holland: The Tree with the Golden
Apples
• India: The Multi-Coloured Jackal
• Ireland: Fionn
• Ireland: The Boy Who Had No Story
• Israel: King Solomon and the Bee
• Japan: Crossing the Snow
• Mongolia: Shepherd Boy Tumur
• Namibia: Omuninyan
• Norway: The Three Sisters Who Fell
Into the Mountain
• Pakistan: Podna & Podni
• Poland: The Flower of Fern
• Poland: The Story of Flax
• Russia: The Two Brothers
Teacher’s Guide Copyright 2007 by Schlessinger Media, a division of Library Video Company
P.O. Box 580,Wynnewood, PA 19096 • 800-843-3620
Program © 2005 S4C International All Rights Reserved
• Scotland: The Green Man of
Knowledge
• Scotland: The Loch Ness Kelpie
• Singapore: Redhill
• South Africa: How Tortoise Won
Respect
• South Africa: Ummemo
• Taiwan: Aunt Tiger
• U.S.A.: John Henry: Steel-Driving Man
• Wales: King March
• Wales: Merlin and the Dragons