Five warm-ups for grades 6–8. Each takes three to five minutes. Answers and teacher notes are in the collapsed box under each prompt.
ELA
Fix the two mistakes in this sentence:
Their going to the library after school, but they left there backpacks in the classroom.
Answer and teacher notes
Corrected: They’re going to the library after school, but they left their backpacks in the classroom.
They’re = they are. Their = belongs to them. There = a place. Quick test: if “they are” fits, use they’re.
Math
- A class has 28 students. Three-fourths of them turned in their homework. How many students did NOT turn it in?
- A $40 hoodie is on sale for 25% off. What is the sale price?
Answer and teacher notes
1. 28 ÷ 4 = 7, so one-fourth is 7 students. Three-fourths (21) turned it in, which leaves 7 students who did not.
2. 25% of $40 is $10. $40 − $10 = $30. Shortcut: 25% off means you pay 75%, and 0.75 × 40 = 30.
Science
Every October, Earth passes through dust left behind by Halley’s Comet, and we see the Orionid meteor shower. Why does the same meteor shower show up around the same dates every year?
Answer and teacher notes
The comet’s dust is spread along its orbit. Earth’s orbit crosses that dusty path at the same point each year, so we run into it around the same time every October. The Orionids are active from early October to early November, peaking around October 21–22.
Source: NASA: Orionids Meteor Shower
Social Studies
Columbus’s three ships left Spain in August 1492, and nobody on board knew how long the trip would take. If you were a sailor, what three things would you make sure to bring? Explain why for each one.
Answer and teacher notes
Answers will vary. Strong answers connect each item to a real problem: fresh water and food that won’t spoil (salted meat, hard biscuits), tools to repair the ship, warm clothing, or navigation tools. The ships were the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa María, and they reached an island in the Bahamas on October 12, 1492.
Source: Britannica: Christopher Columbus
On This Day
On October 12, 1492, Columbus’s crew landed on an island that was already home to the Taíno people. Write one question you would ask a sailor on the ship and one question you would ask a Taíno person watching the ships arrive.
Answer and teacher notes
Answers will vary. Push students toward questions that show each side saw the moment differently, such as “What did you expect to find?” for a sailor and “What did you think these strangers wanted?” for a Taíno person. Good follow-up: why do the two people have such different information?
Source: Britannica: Christopher Columbus