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Side A
Name _____________________________________________ Date _________________________
WORD
of the Day
slslslslsl
slslslsls
lslslslslslslslslslslsl
Use the word below in a short paragraph about something
that you believe will be remembered.
posterity: (n.) all of a person’s descendants; all future generations
slslslslslslslslslslsl
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
Sentence Mender
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rewrite the sentence to make it correct.
Buying a good Dictionary may be the wiser investing a righter can make.
______________________________________________________________________________________
Cursive Quote
l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l
Copy the quotation in cursive writing.
No¢ £m¡a¡t¡te™r¡ w¢˙¡a¡t¡ a¡c¡c¡o¢m¡pl¡ish£me£n¡ts¡ £yª¡o¢u¡ £m¡ake¡, s¡o¢meb¢o∞d£y¶ hel¡pe¡d¡ £yª¡o¢u¡.
Morning Jumpstarts: Reading, Grade 6 © 2013 Scholastic Teaching Resources
—Althea Gibson
What example supports or disputes this view? Write your answer in cursive on another
sheet of paper.
Analogy of the Day
uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu
Complete the analogy.
Tall is to towering as __________________________ is to fascinating.
 A. awesome
 B. short
 C. interesting
 D. boring
Explain how the analogy works: _______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
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34
Side B
Y Ready, Set, READ!
Read the passage. Then answer the questions.
Televised dance contests are very popular today. Millions tune in to watch
celebrities and pros show their moves. They root for their favorites. It’s all for fun
and profit. But the dance marathons during the Great Depression were a horse
of a different color. They were both wildly popular and highly controversial.
The dance marathons of the 1920s and ’30s were endurance contests couples
entered in hopes of earning much-needed cash. Amateurs competed alongside
professionals. Contestants danced nonstop for hundreds of hours to win prize
money. Bedraggled dance pairs walked, swayed, shuffled, and lugged one another
across the floor. Often, one or both partners would collapse from exhaustion.
The rules stated that contestants had to remain in motion for 45 minutes
of every hour. Staying in motion meant picking up one foot and then the other.
Judges would walk the floor. They swatted contestants with rulers to keep them moving.
If a dancer’s knee touched the ground, it meant instant disqualification.
In their heyday, dance marathons were among America’s most widely attended
forms of live entertainment. Twenty-five cents allowed audiences to watch the contests
for as long as they wished. What they saw was a grim spectacle indeed.
1. What do you think a horse of a different color means? _____________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
2. Why do you think the dance marathons were popular during the Great Depression?
_______________________________________________________________________________
3. Why were the dance marathons grim spectacles? __________________________________
3
3 BrainTeaser
Climb the word ladder to change candy
to heart. Change only one letter at a
time. Write the new word on each step.
heart
____ ____ ____ ____ ____
____ ____ ____ ____ ____
____ ____ ____ ____ ____
____ ____ ____ ____ ____
____ ____ ____ ____ ____
____ ____ ____ ____ ____
____ ____ ____ ____ ____
candy
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Morning Jumpstarts: Reading, Grade 6 © 2013 Scholastic Teaching Resources
_______________________________________________________________________________
Jumpstart 34
Word of the Day: Check students’ paragraphs for accurate usage of the term.
Sentence Mender: Buying a good dictionary may be the wisest investment a writer can make.
Cursive Quote: Check students’ handwriting for accuracy and legibility. Responses will vary.
Analogy of the Day: C; (degree of meaning analogy) Check that students’ answers are
reasonable.
Ready, Set, Read! 1. A horse of a different color means something that might seem similar at
first, but is actually quite different. 2. Answers will vary; sample answer: In hard times,
audiences were looking for cheap entertainment while contestants sought the chance to win
prize money. 3. It was sad to watch desperate, exhausted dancers hoping to outlast other
pairs.
Brainteaser: Answers may vary; sample answer: sandy, sands, sends, bends, beads, heads,
hears
Connections to the Common Core State Standards
As shown in the chart below, this activity will help you meet your specific state reading
and language arts standards as well as those outlined in the CCSS. These materials
address the following standards for students in grade 6. For details on these standards,
visit the CCSS Web site: www.corestandards.org/the-standards/.
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6.L.6
6.L.5
6.L.4
6.L.3
6.L.2
6.L.1
6.RI.10
Language
6.RI.8
6.RI.7
6.RI.6
6.RI.5
6.RI.4
6.RI.3
6.RI.2
6.RI.1
6.RL.10
Reading:
Informational Text
6.RL.6
6.RL.5
6.RL.4
6.RL.3
6.RL.2
JS
6.RL.1
Morning Jumpstarts: Reading, Grade 6 © 2013 Scholastic Teaching Resources
Reading:
Literature
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