The Polar Express – A Mini Unit

Here is a mini unit to go along with the popular holiday book The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg.

Book Summary:

On Christmas Eve a boy is taken on a mysterious train to the North Pole. The trip to the pole is a glorious experience through dark forests and high mountains. When he arrives, Santa chooses him to be the child that receives the first gift of Christmas. He asks for an receives one bell from the harness of the reindeer. It is with great sadness that he discovers he has lost the bell on the way home. At home he finds the bell again, and learns a special secret about it.

Other subjects to cover in conjunction with the story: trains, winter weather, and the North Pole.

Activities:

1. Using empty boxes, blocks, chairs, etc. make an imaginary train.

2. Plan a field trip to a local train station or watch a video on a train trip.

3. Using the spatter paint technique, make pictures that look like it is snowing.

4. Ring different size bells to see how size and shape can change sound.

5. Look for some easy experiments on the web. One good search engine to use is www.google.com

6. Find pictures of different kinds of trains and compare them to the illustrations in the book. Which one is most like the Polar Express? Which one is least like the Polar Express?

7. Using a map, trace a train journey from where you live to the North Pole. What countries would you have to cross? Could a train go all that way? Would you need other means of transportation? How long do you think the trip would take?

8. Make an imaginary train ticket for the Polar Express.


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