About Our Lessons
How we write, align and share the free Rally Takes the Train lessons, so you can decide if they belong in your classroom.
What every lesson includes
- A learning objective and an "I can" statement
- Vocabulary taught directly, with kid-friendly definitions
- Numbered steps in a Read, Wonder, Discover, Create arc
- Support, multilingual learner and extension ideas
- A 3-level check for understanding
- Printables in color, ink-saver and A4
- A family note in English and Spanish
Standards
Kindergarten lessons cite Common Core State Standards, the Next Generation Science Standards, the C3 Framework for social studies and CASEL SEL competencies. Preschool lessons cite domains of the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework (ELOF). Each code is checked against the official published text, and the full text appears on the lesson. If your state uses its own standards, the Common Core codes usually map closely.
How we teach reading
Lessons follow what research supports for young readers: repeated readings of one book with a new purpose each time, explicit phonological awareness, vocabulary taught directly, and background knowledge built from real sources. We never ask children to guess unknown words from pictures.
Real history from real museums
After reading the book, children can explore about 650 train and railway museums through our free guides. Each guide is drawn from the museum's own materials and published sources, listed at the bottom of the page. More than 70 museums have gone further and verified their guide: the museum itself has read and approved it. Only verified museums are named in our lesson steps and in the field trip planner, and any museum can correct its guide at any time.
Review and classroom testing
We are inviting credentialed classroom teachers to review every lesson. Reviewers hold a current state teaching credential or license, or for early childhood a CDA credential, a state early childhood teaching permit, or a degree in early childhood education, and have at least two years of classroom teaching in Preschool through 2nd grade. Each reviewer teaches the lesson with their class and reports on timing, standards fit, what worked and what to change. When a lesson has been reviewed, the reviewer's name, credential and the review date appear on that lesson (with their permission).
Reviewers receive a free classroom copy of the book. If you qualify, apply to review a lesson.
Free to use
Lessons, printables and family notes are free for classroom and homeschool use. Please share the link with colleagues. Please do not sell, repost or redistribute the printables; the watercolor art is by Leslie Dunn from Rally Takes the Train by Kelsey Lizee Cecil.
Corrections and ideas
Found a mistake or have an idea? Email kelsey@rallytakesthetrain.com.
Teach it with the real book
4.9 stars on Amazon
Rally Takes the Train is a rhyming, hand-painted picture book about a corgi's first train ride, from the big station stairs to a dark tunnel to the people waiting at the end of the line. Children ask for it again and again, and every lesson here is built on its pages.
Questions teachers ask
What is included in each Rally Takes the Train lesson plan?
Every lesson includes a learning objective and an "I can" statement, vocabulary taught directly with kid-friendly definitions, numbered steps, support, multilingual learner and extension ideas, a 3-level check for understanding, printables in color, ink-saver and A4, and a family note in English and Spanish. Each lesson also lists its time, prep, grouping and book pages.
How are the Rally Takes the Train lessons written?
Each lesson is written so a teacher can teach it the next day, in a plain teacher voice with short numbered steps. Teacher talk appears as short quotes inside the steps. Every lesson has a different objective, activity and check, and prompts are written to include every child, such as "someone you love" or "a trip you took or want to take."
What is the Read, Wonder, Discover, Create lesson arc?
It is the four-part structure every lesson follows. In Read, the teacher reads aloud with 2 to 4 planned stops. In Wonder, children ask and answer questions about the focus. In Discover, the class reads or views a real-world source, usually a verified train museum guide. In Create, children apply the skill with a printable, a build, play or drawing.
What standards do the Rally Takes the Train lessons align to?
Kindergarten lessons cite Common Core State Standards, the Next Generation Science Standards, the C3 Framework for social studies and CASEL SEL competencies. Preschool lessons cite domains of the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework (ELOF). Each lesson shows the full text of every standard it lists, with a link to the official source, so you can copy it into your plans.
How are the standards in the lessons checked?
Each standard code is checked against the official published text, and the full text appears on the lesson exactly as published. Only standards the lesson actually teaches are listed. For example, the counting lesson lists K.CC.B.5 and K.CC.C.6, and the push and pull lesson lists NGSS K-PS2-1 and K-PS2-2, each with its full wording.
Do the lessons work if my state does not use Common Core?
Usually, yes. If your state uses its own standards, the Common Core codes usually map closely, so you can find the matching state standard by its topic, such as retelling stories, rhyming or counting to 20. Each lesson shows the full text of every standard it lists, which makes it easier to match to your state's wording.
Do the lessons follow the science of reading?
The lessons follow what research supports for young readers: repeated readings of one book with a new purpose each time, explicit phonological awareness, vocabulary taught directly, and background knowledge built from real sources such as train museum guides. Rhyme and syllable work is done orally, so the skill is hearing sounds, not reading print.
Why don't the lessons ask children to guess words from the pictures?
Guessing words from pictures teaches children to skip the print, so the lessons never ask for it. Instead, new words are taught directly with a kid-friendly definition, a picture or gesture, and repeated use across the lesson. Pictures are still used to talk about the story, describe characters' feelings and connect illustrations to what the words say.
Where do the train museum facts in the lessons come from?
The site has about 650 free train museum guides, each drawn from the museum's own materials and published sources, with those sources listed at the bottom of the guide. More than 70 museums have also reviewed and approved their own guide and carry a Museum verified badge (see rallytakesthetrain.com/museums/museum-verified). Lessons name only verified museums. The guides are written for adults, so read one yourself first and choose what to read aloud.
Have the Rally Takes the Train lessons been reviewed by teachers?
Not yet. Classroom teachers are being invited to pilot the lessons this school year. When a lesson has been taught and reviewed by a credentialed teacher, the reviewer's name and the review date will appear on that lesson. Until then, the site asks teachers to share what worked and what did not, because that feedback shapes every revision.
How does the credentialed teacher review program work?
Credentialed Pre-K to 2nd grade teachers in the US can get a free paperback classroom copy by reviewing one lesson plan. They apply at rallytakesthetrain.com/free-book-for-teachers. The book ships to the school address after verification. The teacher then teaches the lesson and sends a short review within 30 days. The book is also in paperback on Amazon.
Who can apply to review a lesson for a free classroom copy?
Teachers need a current state teaching credential or license, or for early childhood a CDA credential, a state early childhood teaching permit, or an ECE degree. They also need at least 2 years of classroom teaching and must currently teach Preschool to 2nd grade at a US school, Head Start or licensed program. Applications are at rallytakesthetrain.com/free-book-for-teachers.
Are the Rally Takes the Train lessons free to use?
Yes. Every lesson, printable and family note is free for classroom and homeschool use. You do not need an account or a purchase; just enter your email to download the printables to open, print or teach a lesson. Homeschool families can use the same lessons, printables and family notes as classroom teachers, and can adapt group activities for one child or siblings.
Can I share the Rally Takes the Train lessons with other teachers?
Yes, please share the link with colleagues. Please do not sell, repost or redistribute the printables, because the watercolor art is by Leslie Dunn from Rally Takes the Train by Kelsey Lizee Cecil. Sharing the page link lets other teachers get the current version of each lesson, including any corrections made since you printed it.
How do the lessons make learning accessible for every child?
Every lesson has a support idea, a multilingual learner idea and an extension, so one plan can reach different learners. Support ideas include fewer choices, real objects and accepting pointing as an answer. Preschool printables need no reading or writing from children, and rhyme cards are read aloud by the teacher so children who are not yet reading can join in.
How do the lessons support multilingual learners?
Each lesson teaches key words with pictures, gestures or objects before children use them, and gives sentence frames in English and the home language. Lessons suggest pairing a child with a peer who shares the home language when possible and invite children to share words in their own languages. Each lesson names a WIDA key language use: Narrate, Inform or Explain.
What printable formats come with the lessons?
Every printable comes in three versions: full color, ink-saver for classrooms with limited printer ink, and A4 for teachers outside the US. Printables use watercolor art from the book plus simple shapes and write-in lines. They are free PDFs with no account needed, and each lesson lists exactly which printables it uses in its materials.
Do the lessons include family notes in Spanish?
Yes. Every lesson includes a family note in English and in Spanish. Each note tells families what their child learned and suggests one 5-minute activity to do at home, written so that every family can join in. The notes also share the free coloring pages at rallytakesthetrain.com/coloring-pages and never ask families to buy anything.
How do I report a mistake or suggest an idea for a lesson?
Email kelsey@rallytakesthetrain.com with the lesson name and what you noticed. Corrections, classroom ideas and notes on what worked or did not work are all welcome, and teacher feedback shapes every revision. If you find an error in a train museum guide, tell the site as well, since museums can also correct their guides at any time.
Who made the art in the Rally Takes the Train printables?
The watercolor art in the printables is by Leslie Dunn, from the picture book Rally Takes the Train by Kelsey Lizee Cecil. Printables use crops of the book's hand-painted pages, such as Rally's red train car or the dark tunnel, so children see the same pictures they met in the read-aloud. Please do not resell or repost the art.