Maybelle the Cable Car Unit Study & Lapbook

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Thanks to Melissa Crabtree and Michelle Snyder for preparing this Maybelle the Cable Car unit study and lapbook.

Maybelle the Cable Car Unit Study Lessons

This unit study includes lessons and printables based on the book Maybelle the Cable Car by Virginia Lee Burton.

Here are some sample lessons from the Maybelle the Cable Car Unit Study.

Language Arts: Personification
Personification is when an author ascribes attributes typical of a person to an inanimate object. This is a great way of bringing a story to life. Maybelle and Big Bill clearly have been given a heart and feelings, not to mention the fact that they speak! The sun and moon have happy faces on them in the illustrations, and if you look carefully at the front of the buses and Maybelle, they definitely have a “face” look on them.

Math: Tally Marks
When the town fathers are counting the votes, they do so using tally marks on a blackboard. Tally marks are a way to note something being counted. One writes four vertical lines and the fifth line is a diagonal mark across all four lines, making a group of five. Then one can count by fives as opposed to counting each individual line by ones. Find some opportunities for your child to make tally marks this week… number of birds you see, number of people in your house, number of spoons in your drawer, number of days until vacation, etc.

Science: Friction
A cable car’s main brake system is basically a piece of wood pushed down hard on the track, creating friction. Friction is the rubbing of one object or surface against another. To illustrate friction, go to a place that has a slide. Send your child down the slide with his knees bent and his feet flat on the surface of the slide. Have him go down three times: once with his rubber soled shoes on, once with his socks on, and once barefoot. What happened? Which way did he go fastest? Which way did he go the slowest?

You can grab a copy of the entire Maybelle the Cable Car Unit Study and Lapbook in an easy-to-print file at the end of this post.

Maybelle the Cable Car Lapbook Printables

In addition to the unit study lessons, the file also includes these printables for your student to create a simple Maybelle the Cable Car Lapbook:

Fantastic Friction Envelope Fold
Cable Cars Layer Book
Where Is San Francisco? File Folder
New Words Flap Book
Let’s Vote Tab Book
Tally Marks Mini-book

How to Get Started with Your Maybelle the Cable Car Unit Study & Lapbook

Follow these simple instructions to get started with the Maybelle the Cable Car Unit Study:

Buy a copy of the book, Maybelle the Cable Car, or borrow one from your local library.
Print the Maybelle the Cable Car unit study.
Choose the lessons you want to use with your student (a highlighter works great for this).
Choose and prepare the lapbook printables you want to use with your student.
Enjoy a week of learning with Maybelle the Cable Car.