The Polar Express is a great mentor text to read during the month of December. This book is rich with imagery and figurative language which makes it perfect for teaching reading comprehension skills like visualizing. We love the illustrations in this book and how the story brings out the magic of Christmas. - Jodi and the Starts With a Story Team
SUMMARY
The Polar Express is a magical story about a late night train ride to the North Pole. On Christmas Eve the main character lays quietly in his bed hoping to hear Santa, however he hears the train instead. The boy runs outside and learns it is headed to the North Pole. On board, he and other children enjoy cocoa in their pajamas as the train moves through the night.
When they arrive at the North Pole, the children learn one person will be chosen to receive the first gift of Christmas. The main character is chosen and he asks Santa for a bell from his sleigh. When the children are back on the train and heading home, everyone wants to see the bell. When the boy reaches into his pocket for it, he realizes there was a hole in his pocket! The bell is gone!
The next morning, the boy opens Christmas presents with his family. His younger sisters hands him the last gift and the boy is surprised to see the bell. There was a note from Santa explaining he found it on the sleigh. As the boy shakes the bell, he and his sister can hear the beautiful sound but his parents cannot. Years pass and soon his sister and friends can no longer hear the bell either. Only those that truly believe will be able to hear the beautiful bell.
USE THIS BOOK TO TEACH:
While we love that this book is a great read aloud during the holiday season, it can also be used to teach a variety of literacy concepts. Reads alouds are a great way to practice reading comprehension strategies, writing, and grammar skills. Take a look at some ideas for using this book in your classroom.
- Read the book aloud to students without showing the illustrations. Encourage students to listen to the words and visualize what is happening.
- Practice identifying the author’s purpose for writing the book.
- Have students practice descriptive writing by describing different parts of the story.
- Ask students to get creative and write their own version of the story.
- Teach a lesson on prepositions and adverbs.
- Introduce students to articles using examples from the book.
- Use this book to discuss different feelings.
NO-PREP PRINTABLE ACTIVITIES:
If you are looking for “ready to go” activities for the first day of school, be sure to check out the book companion. With it you’ll receive all of the following resources to align with this specific book:
- comprehension questions
- 30 writing prompts with themed paper
- vocabulary activities
- word study print & go activities
- ideas for grammar lessons with focus sentence printables
- social emotional learning discussion topics
- graphic organizers to target specific comprehension skills and strategies
This book is a must have for your school or classroom library. Your students are going to love completing these activities for the book and you will be impressed with how much they learn. You will want to read this book to your class every year.
GET THE PRINTABLE ACTIVITIES
ADDITIONAL BOOK SUGGESTIONS
You and your students will also love these similar books:
- Dasher by Matt Tavares
- Red and Lulu by Matt Tavares
- The Night Tree by Eve Bunting
- Cobweb Christmas by Shirley Climo
TRY OUT A SAMPLE COMPANION
It's hard to explain how amazing the Starts with a Story book companions are because there is just so much goodness included in each one. It's best if you experience using one for yourself. Sign up below & we'll send you an entire book companion to try out for FREE!
