Polar Express Day!

We wore our PJ's to school and the principal read the book to us in the library. Then we enjoyed hot chocolate back in the room. We used pictures and illustrations to create a flow map to re-tell the story. We also discussed the characters, setting, problem and solution. Then the students wrote and illustrated what they would choose for the first gift of Christmas. The day before, we constructed a paper train and painted snow on it. Then the students wrote about what they could see if they were on the train going to the North Pole. I forgot to take a picture of this , but I will and add it after the break. We also read I love Trains and Curious George Takes a Train Ride and made a train glyph based on questions about trains, the Polar Express, and which train book was our favorite.

Freight Train Ordinal Numbers

We read Freight Train and discussed positional words. I gave the students colored trains and they ordered themselves by my instructions using ordinal numbers and positional words. Then I gave each student their own paper trains and they glued them in any order they wanted. I made a recording sheet for the students to fill in to tell where they glued their trains using ordinal numbers and positional words. They did a great job identifying which train was first, last and fourth and before and after.