Warm-Up Activities in Reading and English for 6th Grade Students

Warm-up activities help students review skills learned in previous classes and prepare for the skills they are about to learn. There are a variety of warm-up activities that you can incorporate into your 6th grade reading or English classes. Read on for some ideas.

Find available tutors

What Should I Look for in a Warm-Up Activity for 6th Grade Reading or English?

A good warm-up activity for reading or English is one that grabs the students' attention and acts as a transition between the previously taught skill and the one to follow. Typically, warm-up activities are used at the beginning of a class period before the lesson introduction. Most warm-up activities require very little explanation and take less than ten minutes for students to complete on their own. The activity should be used to gauge how effectively the previous lesson was taught, so you are able to pinpoint a starting point for the next lesson.

What Warm-Up Activities Can I Try?

Defining Idioms

Students hear idioms, such as 'cat got your tongue,' all the time, but do they actually know what they mean? In this activity, you will assign an idiom to each of your students. Encourage them to use print and online resources to find the idioms' meanings and origins. If you have extra time later on, invite students to share their findings with the rest of the class.

Labeling Parts of Speech

To help students study parts of speech, hand out worksheets that have several sentences on them. Each sentence will feature an underlined word such as an adverb, verb, adjective, noun or preposition. Challenge students to label the part of speech for each underlined word.

Writing a Journal Response to a Prompt

To get students warmed up for writing activities, write a prompt on the board and have them respond in their journals. You can ask them to write about such topics as favorite TV shows or movies, current events, school, home life or friends. Encourage your students to change topics if they're having difficulty writing about the prompt.

Editing Paragraphs

Prepare a paragraph in advance that incorporates spelling, grammar and punctuation errors you've been discussing in class. Give each student a copy of the paragraph to correct. After ten minutes, put the corrected version on the overhead projector and ask students to check their work.

Exploring a Topic

Pass out a short passage that's related to the book your students are currently reading for class. Include some questions that test their comprehension, or ask them to write a brief response about the passage.

Did you find this useful? If so, please let others know!

Other Articles You May Be Interested In

We Found 7 Tutors You Might Be Interested In

Huntington Learning

  • What Huntington Learning offers:
  • Online and in-center tutoring
  • One on one tutoring
  • Every Huntington tutor is certified and trained extensively on the most effective teaching methods
In-Center and Online

K12

  • What K12 offers:
  • Online tutoring
  • Has a strong and effective partnership with public and private schools
  • AdvancED-accredited corporation meeting the highest standards of educational management
Online Only

Kaplan Kids

  • What Kaplan Kids offers:
  • Online tutoring
  • Customized learning plans
  • Real-Time Progress Reports track your child's progress
Online Only

Kumon

  • What Kumon offers:
  • In-center tutoring
  • Individualized programs for your child
  • Helps your child develop the skills and study habits needed to improve their academic performance
In-Center and Online

Sylvan Learning

  • What Sylvan Learning offers:
  • Online and in-center tutoring
  • Sylvan tutors are certified teachers who provide personalized instruction
  • Regular assessment and progress reports
In-Home, In-Center and Online

Tutor Doctor

  • What Tutor Doctor offers:
  • In-Home tutoring
  • One on one attention by the tutor
  • Develops personlized programs by working with your child's existing homework
In-Home Only

TutorVista

  • What TutorVista offers:
  • Online tutoring
  • Student works one-on-one with a professional tutor
  • Using the virtual whiteboard workspace to share problems, solutions and explanations
Online Only

Our Commitment to You

  • Free Help from Teachers

  • Free Learning Materials

  • Helping Disadvantaged Youth