The Polar Express

The Polar Express

Written and Illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg

Published in 1985

Grade Level: 4th-5th grade

Synopsis: Honored with the Caldecott Award for children's literature in 1986, The Polar Express is considered by many to be a classic Christmas story.  The book begins on Christmas Eve night.  A young boy is laying awake in bed, waiting to hear the sound of Santa Claus' sleigh bells.  Rather than hear the bells, the boy hears a loud rumbling outside on the street as a magical train called The Polar Express pulls up in front of his house.  The boy goes downstairs and outside into the snow where he is invited by the train's conductor to journey to the North Pole.  The train is filled with children; all dressed in their pajamas and drinking hot chocolate.  The train eventually reaches the North Pole and the children see elves standing in a large group waiting to say farewell to Santa Claus.  The boy is handpicked by Santa to receive the first gift of Christmas.  Realizing that he could choose anything in the world, the boy asks for one beautiful-sounding silver bell from Santa's sleigh.  The boy places the bell in the pocket of his robe and all the children watch as Santa takes off into the night for his annual deliveries.  On the train ride home, the boy realizes that he has lost the bell through a hole in his pocket.  When the train arrives at his house, the boy goes to bed.  On Christmas morning, his sister finds a small package for the boy under the tree, behind all of the other gifts.  The boy opens the box and discovers that it is the bell, delivered by Santa who found it on the seat of his sleigh. When the boy rings the bell, both he and his sister marvel at the beautiful sound.  His parents, however, are unable to hear the bell and remark that it must be broken. The book ends with a quote; "At one time, most of my friends could hear the bell, but as years passed, it fell silent for all of them.  Even Sarah (the boy's sister) found one Christmas that she could no longer hear its sweet sound.  Though I've grown old, the bell still rings for me, as it does for all who truly believe."

Theme/Skill: The theme of Van Allsburg's  story is simply the innocent and true beliefs of children.  The boy in the story continues to believe in the spirit of Santa Claus into adulthood.  The skill that could be focused on during a unit based on The Polar Express is identifying similes and metaphors; how they add to the detail of the story.  A unit based on this book could focus on factual information such as information about the North Pole, trains, and the meaning of Christmas/spirit of Christmas.  This unit could also incorporate creativity and imagination through crafts and recreation of story elements such as tickets onto the train.

Pre-reading activity: When students have background knowledge about a topic it increases their understanding.  Create a WebQuest in which students are required to discover information about the North Pole, trains, Saint Nicholas, and the tradition of gift-giving.  After students have completed the WebQuest with a partner the teacher should hold a class discussion and review session to review and reinforce the information that students have found.  Connect the information to The Polar Express.  Read the story to students and allow them to share their thoughts and opinions about the book. 

Post-reading activity: After reading the book one time to students, the teacher can show the students a T-chart.  One side of the chart will say, "Plain Language" and the other will say, "Comparisons."  Talk to the students about the chart; what it means and what it's asking for.  Tell students that when you read the story a second time that they should be listening for comparisons.  When they hear a comparison (simile or metaphor) they should silently raise their hand.  At that point the teacher should pause to write down the comparison.  At the end of the story, once all the comparisons have been identified, the students will put each comparison into plain language.  The teacher will guide the students at first and then allow them to finish the rest on their own. 

Assessment: Students will be given a grade for their answers pertaining to the WebQuest.  The WebQuest was not meant to trick the students.  Answers were, for the most part, stated directly in the text, while others were personal responses that technically do not have a right answer.  They will also be informally assessed on how capable they are at identifying comparisons as well as how capable they are at taking meaning from those comparisons; it is one thing to identify a simile or metaphor, but to understand the meaning is more difficult. 

Reflection: Chris Van Allsburg's The Polar Express is a great children's story that can be shared at Christmastime or anytime of year.  The illustrations in the book are so well done that they make the reader feel as though they are there on the train and with the children and elves at the North Pole.  All children want to believe in Santa Claus.  As they get older, it gets harder and harder to believe because they see with less clear eyes.  This story will show young readers that the belief in the generosity and spirit of Santa Claus will always live on in their hearts and memories. 

-Watch the preview to the film The Polar Express, directed by Robert Zemeckis.  The film was nominated for three Oscars (Best Original Song, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Sound Editing) at the Academy Awards in 2005.  It also won the Grammy and Golden Globe for original song written for a motion picture.