The Polar Express Activities | Writing & Math Mini Projects for A Fun Theme Day

5 activities designed to accompany your read aloud of Chris Van Allsburg’s The Polar Express. These activities are perfect for a standards-aligned Polar Express theme day, or can be used to add a little festive fun to your afternoons leading up to winter break.

Writing Activities

• Simile Trees Craft – Students explore similes as they learn the definition of a simile and collect all the similes used in The Polar Express. They use that knowledge to write their own winter themed-similes which they display on a holiday tree paper craft.

• Through the Window of The Polar Express – Students use their descriptive writing skills to describe something they might see through the train window if they took a ride on the Polar Express.

Math Activities

• Polar Express Math Stories – Students collect information about the story elements of The Polar Express and incorporate them in math story problems that require addition, subtraction, multiplication, division and elapsed time calculations.

• Elapsed Time Express – Students apply their knowledge of elapsed time, addition, subtraction and chart reading to solve math problems about the trip the Polar Express takes to the North Pole. Students then create their own schedule for a round trip with a duration of 2.5 hours and design a map that highlights a few of the main events that take place during their imaginary trip.

• Where Are Those Elves? – Students apply their knowledge of place value and rounding to solve problems about the elves at the North Pole. Students create a math model to show their reasoning for each solution.

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Check out my other winter holiday resources:

Snowmen At Night: Cause and Effect Art and Descriptive Writing

The Polar Express Project Pack

Christmas In Portugal Activity Pack FREEBIE

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