By: Chris Van Allsburg
A magical train ride on Christmas
Eve takes a boy to the North Pole to receive a special gift from Santa.
Announce to the students the name of the book and its author. Then read the book aloud to your students, showing the illustrations as you read.
2. Staple the right side of the pocket closed.
3. Punch two or three holes in the left side of the pocket.
4. Glue the Literature Pocket Label onto the pocket.
2. Have students color and cut out the illustration and glue it onto a 12" square piece of construction paper to make the cover.
3. Punch two or three holes in the left side of the cover.
4. Fasten the cover and pockets together by using string, ribbon, twine, raffia or metal rings.
Click here to download The Polar Express Literature Pocket Label (ppt file)
Remember...
the best way to download any of the files on this page is to right click on
the link, then choose "Save Target As." Now decide where on your computer
you want to save the file, and then click "Save." AFTER you have saved it to
your computer then double click to open the file.
Click here to
find out about author/illustrator Chris Van Allsburg.
Chris Van Allsburg biography.
Chris Van Allsburg biography.
The Polar Express Glyph by Marilyn Vaughn
Students will complete and cut out their train. Make a train mural in your
classroom. The students will count the responses for each question and
create a graph of the responses using Microsoft Excel or Graph
Club.
Sample Graph created using Microsoft Excel. Students can count the
responses and create their chart if computers are not available.
The Polar Express Photo Frame
Students will bring in a school photo of
themselves or the teacher will take and print digital photos of students to
use to complete the photo frame.
Make a Polar
Express Train Ticket.
Sample 1
Sample 2
Ticket Template #1
(MS Word)
Ticket Template #2 (MS Word)
Print the ticket on cardstock or heavy construction paper. Students can create their own ticket using the
one of the blank ticket templates, or the
teacher can print out one of the sample tickets. Students will place their
ticket in their literature pocket to use in a later activity.
Have the students write a
short paragraph, If you had been chosen by Santa to receive the first gift
of Christmas, what would you have chosen? Tell why?
Click here to download the Microsoft Word
template for the writing exercise.
Simile Stars
Introduce students to similes (a
figure of speech likening one thing to another by the use of "like" or
"as"). Tell the students to pay attention as you
read aloud some excerpts from the book where Van Allsburg is comparing one
thing to another. Read them excerpts from the cook that include similes such
as "hot coca as thick and rich as melted chocolate bars" and "rolling over
peaks and through valleys like a car on a roller coaster." Cut out the
simile stars and give one to each student. Ask them to create their own
simile. Once they have completed their simile allow them to illustrate the simile using KidPix, Storybook Weaver
or another paint program. Click here
for the Simile Stars activity page. This
activity is from The Polar Express in the Classroom by
Teacher
Created Resources, Inc.
Class Holly Wreath
Encourage students to think about the
"true spirit" of Christmas. After a class discussion, let each student
complete a holly leaf. Attach leaves to a piece of colored tagboard to form
a wreath. Add a large red bow and display. Click here for the
Holly Wreath activity sheet. This
activity is from The Polar Express in the Classroom by
Teacher
Created Resources, Inc.
For the culminating activity,
students will view the film version of The Polar Express. Students will
present their train tickets, which they made at the beginning of the unit, when they enter the classroom. The teacher will
use a single hole punch to punch each child's ticket. Hot chocolate and
cookies will be served.
The Polar Express Links
Warner Brothers
Warner Brothers