Word Wall Daily Warm-Up

Five three-minute routines — one per day of the week

Word Wall Daily Warm-Up
A word wall does nothing on its own. These routines give it a workout.
Monday
Cognate Hunt
3 minutes
Find one word on the wall that sounds like a word you know in another language. Share with a partner. ESOL teacher records cognates students surface.
"___ in English looks like ___ in ___, which means ___."
Tuesday
Sort & Defend
4 minutes
In pairs, sort five wall words into your own categories. Be ready to defend the categories. No "right" sort.
"We grouped these because they all ___."
Wednesday
Ten-Word Challenge
5 minutes
Write one paragraph on yesterday's lesson using at least four words from the wall. Underline them.
Quick-write — same prompt all week so growth is visible.
Thursday
Riddle It
3 minutes
One student gives a clue ("It is a kind of government where…"). Partner guesses the wall word. Switch.
"It is a ___ that ___. It is the opposite of ___."
Friday
Retire & Promote
5 minutes
As a class: which words can come down (everyone owns them)? Which need to be added from this week's reading? The wall is alive. Curate it weekly so it doesn't become wallpaper.
"I think we can retire ___ because ___. We should add ___ because ___."