Daily Reading Practice Grade 6 - Nonfiction: Animals - Warm-Up 1 Octopus and Warm-Up 2 Toucan

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Aurelia

Daily Warm-Ups: Reading for Grade 6 presents nonfiction passages on animals, starting with “The Octopus,” which explains its name, eight arms, feeding and hunting methods, defense using ink, habitat, and key traits such as eyesight, lack of hearing, and blue blood. Story questions follow each warm-up. A second passage, “Toucan,” covers where toucans live, their body features, diet, nesting in tree holes, reproduction, and parental care, with comprehension questions assessing main ideas and vocabulary meaning.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages28

Reading Time1 h 11 min

AccessFree to download

Warm-Up 1

The Octopus - Story Questions

Warm-Up 2

Toucan - Story Questions

Grade 6 [www.teachercreated.com](www.teachercreated.com) Nonfiction: Animals Warm-Up 1 Name Date The Octopus The word octopus means eight feet. That is how the octopus got its name. The octopus is an animal that has eight arms that extend from the center. It eats small crabs and scallops along with fish, turtles, and crustaceans. It is even known to eat other octopuses. The octopus is able to catch its prey with its long arms. It then bites the prey and poisons it with a nerve poison. This poison softens the flesh and the octopus is then able to suck the flesh of the animal out of its shell or outer covering. The octopus can mostly be found hunting during nighttime. Some people fear the octopus, but there is only one octopus that has been known to have a poison that is strong enough to kill a person. This is the Australian blue-ringed octopus. Along with its eight arms, the octopus has a head with two eyes on either side. It has very good eyesight. The octopus does not have hearing. Each arm has suction cups in two rows. These suction cups help the octopus hold things. It is true that if the octopus loses an arm it will grow back. The octopus also has blue blood. The octopus lives in dens and crevices of the ocean floor. This protects the octopus from its main predator, the moray eel. It also provides a place for the octopus to lay its eggs. The octopus can squirt black ink as a defense against its enemies. Story Questions 1. What is one feature that the octopus does not have? a. good eyesight b. excellent hearing c. blue blood d. the ability to squirt ink 2. This passage is mostly about a. the description of and eating practices of the octopus. b. how an octopus eats. c. anatomy of the octopus. d. how the octopus defends itself. 3. What is the meaning of the word extend as used in the passage? a. ingest b. spread c. ignore d. arrange ©Teacher Created Resources, Inc. 9 \#3492 Daily Warm-Ups: Reading Nonfiction: Animals Warm-Up 2 Name Date Toucan What do you know about the colorful bird called the toucan? Did you know that this bird comes from South America? It is found living in small flocks in the rain forest. This bird does not fly very well. It manages to get around by hopping from tree to tree. The toucan lives in holes in the tree. It makes a croaking sound. The toucan has brightly colored feathers that are very light. The toucan has four toes on its feet. Two of the toes face frontward, and two of the toes face backwards. This helps the toucan grasp the branch of the tree easily and hold on. A large bill protrudes from the front of the toucan. The bill is larger than the toucan’s head and is a third of the size of the toucan. The average toucan reaches 20 inches in length. The male toucan is a little bit larger than the female, but unlike many other birds, they have very similar coloration. Living in the rain forest, the toucan eats mostly fruit but it also eats insects, bird eggs, and tree frogs. The fruit is eaten whole and then the toucan will regurgitate the seeds back up. This allows the seeds to continue growing in the rain forest. The female toucan lays up to four eggs at a time. These eggs are laid in the holes of the trees where the toucans live. The male and female work together to incubate the eggs and care for the chicks. Story Questions 1. A good title for this reading passage would be a. “Toucan Paradise.” b. “The Rain Forest’s Bird.” c. “All You Want to Know About the Toucan.” d. “Illegal Killing of the Toucan.” 2. The author wrote this passage to a. justify keeping the toucan in captivity. b. inform the reader of how toucans are mistreated. c. share general information about the toucan. d. raise awareness of the shrinking numbers of toucans in the rain forest. 3. What can you infer about toucans from this passage? a. that toucans have many predators b. that toucans spend a lot of time in trees

FAQs

Why is a toucan’s bill important according to the passage?

The passage explains that a large bill protrudes from the front of the toucan and describes its size relative to the bird’s head, linking the bill to how the toucan eats and handles food.

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Aurelia