Looking for a Science of Reading – aligned winter activity that goes beyond worksheets? This Ten on a Sled 🛷 by Kim Norman resource helps preschool and kindergarten students build phonics-based vocabulary, retelling skills, and science understanding through meaningful, hands-on learning.

Students practice decoding and understanding key alliteration verbs from the story while retelling how the animals fall off the sled one by one. Visual photo vocabulary cards (color and BW) support oral language development and are especially helpful for ESL and special education learners.

Learning extends into STEM and NGSS kindergarten science as students explore forces and motion by building ramps and investigating pushes and pulls. A second science activity invites students to compare animals using Venn diagrams with lines, reinforcing life science concepts in a developmentally appropriate way.

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Learning Objectives Students will:

• Retell Ten on a Sled by Kim Norman using sequence and key vocabulary
• Apply Science of Reading strategies to decode and understand alliterative verbs
• Build oral language and comprehension through photo-supported vocabulary
• Explore forces and motion by investigating pushes and pulls using ramps
• Compare animals using Venn diagrams to identify similarities and differences

What Is Included

⭐ Retell Fill-in-the-Blank Worksheet
⭐ 12 Photo Vocabulary Cards (Character and alliteration verb plus sled and midnight sun)

⭐10 Copier-Ready BW Vocabulary Cards (Character and alliteration verb)
⭐ 10 Black & White Vocabulary Cards

⭐ 3 Venn Diagram with Lines Worksheets (Color or BW)
  • Seal vs. Walrus
  • Fox vs. Wolf
  • Moose vs. Caribou
⭐ Substitute-Friendly Teacher Guide with Science of Reading wording

Why Teachers Love This Resource

This winter-themed literacy and science resource was created for teachers who want intentional instruction without extra prep. Every activity is grounded in how young children learn best—through repetition, visuals, movement, and hands-on exploration.

The vocabulary cards use real animal photographs to strengthen word–meaning connections, making this ideal for preschool, kindergarten, ESL, and SPED classrooms. Teachers can choose between color or black-and-white formats, making printing flexible and budget-friendly.

Perfect For:

• Winter literacy centers
• Small group reading instruction
• Science of Reading classrooms
• NGSS kindergarten science
• Integrated ELA + STEM units

This resource helps you teach with confidence, knowing your instruction is intentional, standards-aligned, and engaging for young learners ❄️📘

Common Core Focus

• RL.K.2 With prompting and support, retell familiar stories, including key details.
• RL.K.3 With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story.
• RF.K.2 Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes).
• RL.K.7 With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the story in which they appear.
• L.K.4 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and  multiple-meaning words and phrases based on kindergarten reading and content.
• L.K.5 With guidance and support from adults, explore word relationships and nuances in word meanings.
• K.CC.B.4 Understand the relationship between numbers and quantities; connect counting to cardinality.
• K-LS1-1 Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive.
• K-PS2-1 Plan and conduct an investigation to compare the effects of different strengths or different directions of pushes and pulls on the motion of an object.
• K-PS2-2 Analyze data to determine if a design solution works as intended to change the speed or direction of an object with a push or a pull.

Preschool DDRP:

• ATL-REG 1: Attention Maintenance
• ATL-REG 4: Curiosity and Initiative in Learning
• ATL-REG 6: Engagement and Persistence
• SED 4: Relationship and Social Interactions with Peers
• SED 5: Symbolic and Sociodramatic Play
• LLD 5: Interest in Literacy
• LLD 6: Comprehension of Age-Appropriate Text
• ELD 3: Understanding and Response to English Literacy Activities
• COG 2: Classification
• COG 3: Number Sense of Quantity
• COG 9: Inquiry through Observations and Investigation
• COG 11: Knowledge of the Natural World
• PD-HLTH 4: Fine Motor Manipulative Skills
• HSS 6: Responsible Conduct as a Group Member

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