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The Polar Express Resource Set
Lesson Plans • Resources • Activities
Summary
The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
It’s Christmas Eve when a young boy, who is waiting up for Santa’s sleigh, peeks out the window to find The Polar Express. He’s invited aboard the mysterious steam engine headed to the North Pole, where he’s surprised with a gift from Santa himself. The clear order of events in this story make it an extraordinary resource for helping readers practice retelling and summarizing, as well as visualizing, making predictions, identifying the author’s purpose and synthesizing.
Teach with The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
Get everything you need to deliver meaningful reading instruction using The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
- Comprehension Strategy Lesson Plans
- Page by Page Guided Think Sheets
- Text Based Reader’s Notebook Prompts
- Word Work Lesson Plan and Activities for Inflectional Endings
- Interactive Vocabulary Games and Activities
- Running Record Assessment
- Common Core Aligned Comprehension Assessment
- Extension Activities for Early Finishers
- Answer Keys
- Complete Common Core Alignment
- and More!

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The Polar Express Resource Set
Identifying the Author’s Purpose with The Polar Express
Common Core Alignment:
L.3.6 RF.3.3 RF.3.4 RL.3.10 RL.3.2 RL.3.6 SL.3.1d SL.3.2 SL.3.3 W.3.8
TEKS Alignment:
3.10A 3.10B 3.10C 3.10D 3.10F 3.13C 3.13E 3.13H 3.1A 3.1C 3.1D 3.1E 3.6A 3.6B 3.6I 3.7A 3.7B 3.7C 3.7D 3.7E 3.7F 3.7G 3.8C
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Making Predictions with The Polar Express
Common Core Alignment:
L.3.6 RF.3.3 RF.3.4 RL.3.1 RL.3.10 RL.3.2 RL.3.3 SL.3.1d SL.3.2 SL.3.3 W.3.8
TEKS Alignment:
3.13C 3.13E 3.13H 3.1A 3.1C 3.1D 3.1E 3.6A 3.6B 3.6C 3.6I 3.7A 3.7B 3.7C 3.7D 3.7E 3.7F 3.7G 3.8C
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Retelling and Summarizing with The Polar Express
Common Core Alignment:
L.3.6 RF.3.3 RF.3.4 RL.3.1 RL.3.10 RL.3.4 RL.3.7 SL.3.1d SL.3.2 SL.3.3 W.3.8
TEKS Alignment:
3.13C 3.13E 3.13H 3.1A 3.1C 3.1D 3.1E 3.6A 3.6G 3.6I 3.7B 3.7C 3.7D 3.7E 3.7F 3.7G 3.8B 3.8C 3.8D
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Synthesizing with The Polar Express
Common Core Alignment:
L.3.6 RF.3.3 RF.3.4 RL.3.1 RL.3.10 RL.3.2 RL.3.3 RL.3.4 RL.3.5 RL.3.6 RL.3.7 SL.3.1c SL.3.1d SL.3.2 SL.3.3 W.3.8
TEKS Alignment:
3.13C 3.13E 3.13H 3.1A 3.1C 3.1D 3.1E 3.6A 3.6G 3.6H 3.6I 3.7B 3.7C 3.7D 3.7E 3.7F 3.7G 3.8C 3.8D
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Visualizing with The Polar Express
Common Core Alignment:
L.3.6 RF.3.3 RF.3.4 RL.3.10 RL.3.7 SL.3.1d SL.3.2 SL.3.3 W.3.8
TEKS Alignment:
3.10C 3.13C 3.13E 3.13H 3.1A 3.1C 3.1D 3.1E 3.6A 3.6D 3.6E 3.6I 3.7A 3.7B 3.7C 3.7E 3.7F
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The Polar Express Extension Activity
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The Polar Express Running Record
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The Polar Express Common Core Aligned Comprehension Assessment
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Student Resources in Spanish
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The Polar Express Word Work - Inflectional Endings
Common Core Alignment:
RF.3.3 RF.3.4
TEKS Alignment:
3.2A(vi) 3.2B(vii) 3.3C
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The Polar Express Vocabulary Connections
Common Core Alignment:
L.3.4a L.3.5b L.3.6
TEKS Alignment:
3.3A 3.3B 3.7E 3.7F
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TEKS Alignment
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