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Here is the official Polar
Express Website
The Polar Express-
Houghton Mifflin's site. Tons of activities to help you create your own
Polar Express Adventure!
This is on site YOU
DO NOT want to pass up!! Hear Lou Philip Diamond read the story
online at
Storyline Book Pals- a
Screen Actors Guild Production!
Author
Study
Language Arts/Reading Connections
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 Create a list of
wintery words from the story.
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Alphabetize the words
*Use these words in your daily writing.
*Increase dictionary skills by having students work with a partner
to look up the meaning of each word. |
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Read the book and
identify different parts of speech.
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*Look for the nouns, adjective, and verbs.
*Have children create word books with illustrations for each word.
This makes a great class book project. Small groups can be assigned
different parts of speech to work on. |
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Creative Writing
Ideas
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*Imagine you are going on your own magical midnight train ride.
Write about the experience.
*Create a travel log- similar to a ship's log detailing the events
of the story or the events in your version.
*Imagine you are the conductor of the train, write a story from your
viewpoint as the conductor.
*Change the outcome of the story. Pick a place in the book and
change the choices the characters make.
*Pass out paper bells and
have the children write their special Christmas memory, wish, or
part of the story, etc... Decorate the bell with glitter to give it
sparkle.
*Have students bring in one
very special gift they have received. Next, have them write
about their gift. Have them share their stories and gift with the
class. |
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Writing-lined
silver bell |
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Letters to Santa
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*Have your children write letters to Santa.
*Persuasive Writing-this was passed along to me by a colleague- have
your children write a letter to Santa trying to convince Santa to
give them that one present they just can't live without.
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Poetry |
*Have your children write poems about the story, Santa Claus,
reindeer, silver bells, etc... |
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Polar
Express Crossword Puzzle |
Polar
Express Word Search |
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Story Retells
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*Write the story out on sentence strips and ask the children to
place the sentences in order as they happened in the story.
*Provide students with
appropriate props to act out the story as they retell it. |
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Cause and Effect
Charts |
*Have your students identify the causes and effects in the story.
Record your findings on a large chart. |
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Pattern Book To Make |
*Visit
teachingheart.com to download a Brown, Brown Bear type book
about trains. |
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Book Comparisons |
*Create a list of other stories that contain trains- The Little
Engine That Could, Dumbo, Barney's Color Train... Compare the
stories.
Train Resources |
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Story Sequencing
Strips |
*Marcia's
Lessons provides sentences to use in a variety of sequencing
activities. |
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Social
Studies Connections
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Map Skills
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*Locate the North Pole on a map. Use the internet to research this
area. Find out all you can and write an informative paper on your
findings. |
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Timelines |
*Create a time line of the events in the story. Ask students to
create small illustrations to accompany each event on the timeline.
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Polar Region Study |
*Plan a trip to the polar region- include your mode of
transportation, supplies you would need, appropriate clothing to
take, food, and anything else you may need. |
Science Connections
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Northern Lights |
*The Northern
Lights are part of this magical story. Why not do research on them?
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Reindeer |
*These are
amazing creatures. Use the internet to locate pictures and
facts about Santa's team.
Reindeer Fun (resources) |
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Sound |
*Collect
different sized bells. Ring and compare the sound each makes. Are
there similarities- size, shape, etc... |
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Weather |
*Study the
weather that takes place in the story. Compare it to the
weather where you live. |
Math
Connections
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Distance
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*Put your math
and map skills together to figure out the distance from your house
to the North Pole.
*What would be the fastest mode of transportation to get there? |
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Graphing |
*Graph such
topics as: Who has seen the movie and who hasn't; who likes
marshmallows in their cocoa and who doesn't; favorite holiday gifts;
like the book or movie better... |
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Story Problems |
*Have your
children write story problems using characters and objects from the
story or visit
mathstories.com to print a worksheet. |
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Cost Comparisons
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*Research how
you would travel to the North Pole. Create a detailed lists of the
costs of each mode of transportation and come up with a final cost.
Compare the costs of different modes of transportations. |
Art
Connections
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Snowy Window Scenes
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*Have students
use whatever medium you are comfortable with to create snowy scenes.
Inspire them to think about what they would see if they were a
passenger looking out of the window of The Polar Express. When
finished, cover project with clear plastic wrap and add a window
pane to give the illusion of looking through a window. |
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Snow Scenes
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*There are many
ways to create a snowy scene- here are a few examples: Torn white
tissues pieces glued to dark blue or black paper, salt sprinkled
over white paint, use Q-tips dipped in paint to create a snowy
scene... |
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Reindeer Crafts
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*There are many
cute reindeer projects that you could make to accompany this story.
A few of my favorites are- Footprint and Handprint Reindeer (photo
coming soon), Heart and Hands Reindeer (photo coming soon),
Popsicle Reindeer, Puzzle Piece Reindeers... |
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Train Craft
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*Provide
students with a variety of craft materials- small boxes, toilet
paper tubes, construction paper, paints, round pieces of plastic or
wood, spools, lids, etc... and ask them to each create a train car.
Assemble all the trains together to create your very own Polar
Express train! |
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Snow Globes
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*Using a
small baby food jar, plastic trains and other waterproof objects
create a winter scene on the inside of the lid.
Using a
silicone sealant
is a good idea as it is waterproof. Make sure you leave enough space
around the edge for the jar to screw down in. Add water and glitter
- one teaspoon for every inch of water. Add a few drops of
glycerin or mineral oil to help the glitter float. Glue the
lid on with the silicone sealant. Add ribbon around the lid to
conceal it. Shake and enjoy! |
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Train Font |
*Download this
free
fun font to add that special touch to any of your projects. |
Music,
Movement and Dramatic Play
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Simulation
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*Set your room
up to resemble a train. Pass out tickets as the children arrive at
school that day. Serve hot cocoa and read the story. Make sure to
dim your lights to give the feel of night time. Invite kids to where
pj's too to really set the mood for a midnight magical ride.
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Dance
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*Children love
to move- so get them moving by inviting them to create dance
movements to go along with their favorite song from the movie
soundtrack. |
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Listening Game |
*Play a new
version of Simon Says- "Conductor Says" |
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Bells
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*Give each child
a silver bell and ask them to create their own musical pieces.
*Allow children to shake their
bells as they listen the music form the soundtrack.
*Invite children to ring
their bells at the appropriate times as you read the story. |
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Song Writing |
*Have children
create their own songs that relate to the book and its events. |
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Dramatic Play |
*Transform your
room into a train car and provide costumes and other props for the
children to act out the story! |
Just
For Fun
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Pajama Party
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*Invite your
students to wear their pajamas to school. Read the story as they sip
on hot cocoa. Here are some great ideas to get the party going
Polar Express PJ Party- invites, tickets, activities and more! |
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Homemade Hot
Chocolate Bar Cocoa!
*This recipe was given to
me. I am unsure of its original source; however after making it I am
sure you will love it as much as we do!
You will need: 2 egg yolks beaten in a small bowl (set aside)
, one bar of chocolate, 1 cup of milk, whipped cream, and a candy
cane (optional)
Break chocolate bar into small pieces and place in a
small sauce pan. Add milk and heat over medium heat. Stir
constantly. Let cool slightly and fold in beaten eggs. You want to
stir constantly to avoid the eggs from curdling. Continue to
heat until cocoa is just the right temperature. Add whipped cream.
Add a candy cane to make it more festive. Grab the book or pop in
the movie and enjoy! |
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Train Whistles-pass
out a train whistle as a special treat! |
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Polar
Express Party Ideas
*Throw a party and enjoy the
magic! |
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Polar
Express Games and Activities |
Technology Connections
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Digital Camera Ideas
*Transform your room into
a train car and provide costumes and other props for the children to
act out the story! Take pictures and create a class book-
children can write the story out to accompany each picture.
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Drawing Programs
Use a program such as KID
PIX to create illustrations to retell the story, accompany stories
authored by your students, show characters and settings...
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Internet
Use the Internet to
conduct research on trains, the North Pole, the Northern Lights,
reindeer, recipes... |
Online
Games at Buzztone
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WebQuests
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Word Processing
*Remember, anything you
can write with a pencil and paper, you can do in a word processing
program. Let your children publish their work with a professional
touch. |
 Jump
to~
Art and Music /
Language Arts /
Literature /
Math /
Poetry Place /
Reading /
Sites For Young Children
/ Science /
Social Studies
Virtual
Fieldtrips / WebQuests
/
Special Themes /
The Teacher's Lounge /
The Computer Lab
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