The Polar Express Web Links & More!

 
 

 

Teaching Ideas:

  • ART -  Have students design bells or collect bells since a bell is in the story.

  • SOCIAL STUDIES Social studies classes could study the geography of going to the North Pole as well as study the discovery of the North Pole and people who live in the Northern regions;  research on the Internet.

  • ENGLISH classes could write a journal about the trip...and type it up.

  • MATH classes could calculate the miles, how much toys cost, etc (integrate technology by using a spread sheet.)

  • SCIENCE classes could study the weather, plant and animal life, and possibly make a PowerPoint, brochure, or poster.

  • MUSIC and ART could study the culture of the regions - maybe try putting the story to dance.

  • DRAMA - Have your students produce storyboards for one or more scenes from the book or the film.

 

 

Web Resources:

The "Official" Chris Van Allsburg Site!
Education World ® Lesson Planning Take the Polar Express to Learning
K - 'The Polar Express'
LEARN NC Lesson Plan The Polar Express (by Vicky Alston)
NEA NEA's Read Across America - Home
Polar Express Links
Robert Kapilow - Chris Van Allsburg's Polar Express
The Polar Express - home
The Polar Express - lessons and ideas to match this book
The Polar Express - Polar Fun and Games
The Polar Express - Teachers! Librarians!

 

 

Related Art/Literature Books & Resources:

The Polar Express / written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg.
Houghton Mifflin, c1985.

A Guide for Using The Polar Express in the Classroom / by Kilpatrick, Susan. Teacher Created Materials, c1995.
A guide for using The polar express in the classroom / based on the book written by Chris Van Allsburg ; this guide written by Susan Kilpatrick ; illustrated by Barbara Lorseyedi ; edited by Candyce Norvell ; cover art by Wendy Chang.

The Polar Express : teacher guide / based on the book by Chris Van Allsburg ; written by Gloria Levine. Novel Units, c2000. 
"Teacher guide, grades 1-2"--Cover.;"New ways to teach reading, writing, and the love of literature"--Cover.;"NU1963"--Cover p. 4. Presents resources for teaching Chris Van Allsburg's "Polar Express" to first and second grade students, including a summary, author profile, pre-reading and culminating activities, vocabulary exercises, and discussion questions

 

 

page created by

C. Nelson
Media Specialist
Northside Elementary School
Rock Hill School District 3 / Rock Hill, SC