The Frog Prince Study Guide

Objectives
This study guide can be used before and/or after
seeing the The Frog Prince puppet show at the
Great Arizona Puppet Theater. Students will practice
their compare and contrast skills as well as their
critiquing skills. Students will also make their own
puppets! This guide is good for parents and
teachers alike. Please take or leave any parts of this
study guide that will be good for your students or
child.
The puppet show and this study guide are good for
students aged 4 and up: feel free to tailor the
activities to your specific class or child's needs and grade level.

Arizona State College & Career Ready Standards

Reading Literature, Writing, and Speaking and Listening Standards:
K.SL.2. Confirm understanding of a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media
by asking and answering questions about key details and requesting clarification if something is not
understood. (Post show discussion)
1.SL.2. Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information presented orally or
through other media. (Post show discussion)
2.SL.2. Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read aloud or information presented orally or
through other media. (Post show discussion)
K.RL.3. With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story (Story
review, Post show discussion)
1.RL.3. Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details (Story review, Post
show discussion)
2.RL.3. Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges. (Post show
discussion)

Arts Standards for Kindergarten through Grade 1:

TH:Re8.1.K.a With prompting and support, identify preferences in . . . age-appropriate theatre
performance. (Post show discussion)
TH:Re8.1.1.a Explain preferences and emotions in . . . age-appropriate theatre performance. (Post show
discussion)
TH:Cn10.1.K.a With prompting and support, identify similarities between characters and oneself in
dramatic play or a guided drama experience. (Post show discussion)
The Story
The Great Arizona Puppet Theater’s version of The Frog Prince is based on the original story by
The Brothers Grimm. We suggest reviewing the original story with your students before seeing
the puppet show. This will make for good discussion after seeing the puppet show and will allow
your students to improve their compare and contrast skills.

Here is a summary of the Brothers Grimm version of The Frog Prince:

The main characters of The Frog Prince (sometimes titled

Iron Henry) are a prince who has been turned into a frog, a
princess, her father (the King), and the Prince’s servant, Iron
Henry. The main conflict in the story comes from the Princess
refusing to keep a promise that she makes to the Frog. The
story explores themes of selfishness, friendship, and loyalty.

The Frog Prince begins with the Princess playing with her
golden ball near a well. She loses her ball in the well and the
Frog comes up and offers to help the Princess get it back in
return for her friendship. The Princess agrees and promises
to be the Frog’s friend, but once she gets her golden ball back
she runs away back to the castle leaving the Frog behind.

Later, the Frog comes to the castle and expects to sit and have dinner with the Princess. The
Princess doesn’t like this but her father, the King, says she must keep her promise to the Frog.
After they eat, the Frog asks to sleep next to the Princess in her bed. The Princess is even more
unhappy with this idea but the King makes her live up to her word and show the Frog kindness.
However, when they are up in the Princess’ room, she is so disgusted with the idea of having
the Frog sleep in her bed that she violently throws the frog against her bedroom wall. With that,
the Frog turns into a prince and reveals that he has been under a witch’s spell.

In the end, the Prince and the Princess marry and ride in a carriage to the Prince’s Kingdom.
The carriage is driven by the Prince’s servant, Iron Henry, who had put bars around his breaking
heart when his master was put under the witch’s spell. The bars break apart because Henry is
so happy to have his master return.

Henry’s loyalty to the Prince is quite different than the Princess’ original feelings towards the
Frog. However, the King teaches her the importance of keeping her word even when she
doesn’t really want to.

The Puppets
The puppets in The Frog Prince are called rod puppets and were made by the founders of The
Great Arizona Puppet Theater (pictured on page one).
The puppet’s head, arms, torso, legs, and feet are each carved out separately from Styrofoam.
The bodies are then covered with paper mache (thick paper and watered down glue). About
three layers of paper mache are put on each piece and are sanded between coats to make the
end result nice and smooth. After a final sanding, pieces are covered with gesso and then
painted. Once all the parts are dry, they are joined together with wooden dowels and put onto a
main support rod.

The main rod goes up through the middle of the puppet and supports
the body and the head, this will be what the puppeteer holds on to
below the stage to control the puppet. Levers can be installed using
strings to open the puppet’s mouth or tilt its head. The puppet’s
clothing and hair are then custom made for each puppet to give
clues of their character.

This show also incorporates shadow puppets using an overhead

projector (pictured right). The puppets are made out of cardstock and
placed on the surface of the projector which lights up from
underneath. The light is then reflected onto a projection screen for
the audience to see.

Discussion Topics for Before the Show

Objectives: By discussing audience behavior and things to expect when seeing a live puppet
show, students will benefit more from the experience of the show and know how they are
expected to behave in advance. Also, students will better understand the story and the nuances
of the show by discussing unfamiliar vocabulary and the original story of The Frog Prince by the
Grimm Brothers.

• Review vocabulary that might be unfamiliar. Some vocabulary has been gathered at the end
of this guide and it corresponds to puppet shows in general as well as our version of The Frog
Prince.
• Discuss theater audience behavior. How should our behavior be different seeing a live show
rather than a movie or watching TV at home? Remind students that they can laugh and react
out loud to the puppets when they are prompted to, but that it is also important to be quiet and
respectful throughout the show.
• Use the above information about the puppets to talk about how the puppets work and how
they were made. You don’t have to go into complete detail, rather make it a conversation
about different kinds of puppets and puppet shows. For example, ask students: What shows
or movies with puppets have you seen before? How did the puppets move in those shows?
How do you think puppeteers are able to bring puppets to life?

Discussion Topics for After the Show

Objectives: Students will answer questions about the puppet show and compare it to other
versions of The Frog Prince that they may have heard before. If you did not review the Brothers
Grimm summary above consider doing that before having the following discussion. Students will
also assess and discuss various elements of the puppet production and get a good introduction
to analyzing live performance.

The Play:
• Who were the main characters? Guide your students through a review of the play’s plot.
• Had you heard this story before? How was the puppet show similar to the way you have heard
this story before? How was it different?
• If you reviewed the Brothers Grimm version before seeing the show, how was the ending
different? How was it similar?
• What does it mean to keep your promises? What does it mean to be a friend? What does it
mean to be selfish?
• Have you ever broken a promise like the Princess did or had someone else break a promise
they made to you? What happened?
• Consider having students act out a moment where they experienced a broken promise in their
own life and asking students how both sides might have felt.
• What other stories does the tale of The Frog Prince remind you of? Are there other stories
where people changed on the outside when they also changed on the inside?

The Production/Performance:
• What did you like about the show? Are there moments you did not like or think could have
been better?
• How is a puppet show different from a play performed with human actors? What are puppets
able to do that humans can’t?
• For our productions as a whole, some important elements to consider are:
• Puppet Design - What types of puppets were used? Did their design fit their character? Did
the design of the puppets seem to match each other in style? Use the information on
puppets found above to teach your class about the various types of puppets in the show and
how they’re made if you haven’t done so already.
• Costumes - What were the puppets wearing? Did their costumes fit their character? Was it
appropriate for the time and place? What did the characters’ costume make you think about
each character?
• Set Design - What did the set look like? Did it try to create a sense of “realism” - meaning
was is true to reality or did it look made up? Did the set tell you the time or place well?
• Lighting - Were the puppets lit well so you can see them? Did you notice any lights changing
during the show? When? How were the difference colors of lights used? How does this
affect the show?
• Manipulation - manipulation is the way that the puppet is moved, and can be used to assess
the performance of a puppeteer.
• Did the puppets move in ways that are impossible for real people or animals? If so, was
this appropriate for the play?
Vocabulary
puppetry puppeteer

audience Princess

rod puppet King

shadow puppet Prince

scenery dedication

promise friendship

selfish homework

frog gold

well castle

story adaptation

Make Your Own Frog Puppet

Objectives: Students will create their own frog puppet
using simple craft materials. Students will enjoy creating a
frog character like they saw in The Frog Prince puppet
show!

Materials:
One printed pattern (located on the last page, pattern
makes two puppets)
Crayons or markers
Scissors
One wooden clothespin per puppet
Hot glue or white glue
Directions:
1. Print the frog pattern located at the end of the
study guide. One pattern will make two frog
puppets.
2. Have students color the frog using crayons or
markers.
3. Cut the frog out and then cut it in half using the
line that goes through the middle of the frog as a
guide.
4. Using hot glue or white glue, glue the top half
of the frog to the one side of the clothespin. Then
glue the bottom half of the frog to the lower part of the clothespin. Position the frog on the part
of the clothespin that is closed together, leaving the wide part clear (see photo above).
5. Enjoy your puppet! Open and close the clothespin to make your frog croak. You can also add
a tongue and a fly to your puppet as a surprise for when you open its mouth.

Resources
Arizona State Standards:
http://www.azed.gov/standards-practices/
http://www.nationalartsstandards.org/

Frog Puppet Pattern adapted from:

http://therapyfunzone.net/blog/frog-clothespin-animal-for-finger-strength/

Frog Prince story and further information on The Brothers Grimm:

http://mrshatzi.com/files/grimms-frogprince-summary
http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/grimm001.html

Great Arizona Puppet Theater:

http://www.azpuppets.org

Please send any thoughts or appreciation letters to the Great Arizona Puppet Theater at:
302 W Latham St
Phoenix, AZ 85003
info@azpuppets.org

We love hearing from you and your students!