Amos and Boris is full of beautifully written, rich language that your students will love to discover. Many of the words are tier II or tier III words or phrases, so discovering the meaning of the word may be difficult for some students.
In this particular activity, students are able to demonstrate their understanding of vocabulary words using sentences and corresponding images. Students may be given the vocabulary words or can use words that they have discovered through reading of the text. They can also depict the meaning of the words without pictures or use the words in another context. Here is an example of a visual vocabulary board with words from the story.
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Student Instructions
Demonstrate your understanding of the vocabulary words in Amos and Boris by creating visualizations.
Interactive games make vocabulary learning fun and memorable for students. Incorporating play helps reinforce new words and encourages collaboration and friendly competition.
Pick 5–10 challenging or important words from Amos and Boris. Choose words students might find difficult or that are central to the story's meaning.
Decide between options like Bingo, Memory Match, or Vocabulary Jeopardy. Select a format that matches your students’ age and engagement style.
Create cards or slides with each vocabulary word and its definition or a sentence. Include visuals if possible to support comprehension.
Guide students as they play. Prompt discussion about word meanings and invite students to share their own sentences or images for each word. Celebrate correct answers and creative thinking!
A visual vocabulary board is an activity where students select vocabulary words from the book Amos and Boris, define them, use each in a sentence, and illustrate their meanings with pictures or scenes. This helps deepen understanding by connecting words to images.
To teach Amos and Boris vocabulary to 2nd or 3rd graders, have students pick three new words from the story, look up their definitions, use them in sentences, and create drawings or find photos to show each word's meaning. This multi-step process supports both comprehension and creativity.
Some challenging vocabulary words in Amos and Boris include immense, navigation, phosphorescent, luminous, ambitions, and evaded. These words help expand students' academic language.
Using visualizations helps students connect new vocabulary to real-life meaning. By drawing or finding images for words in Amos and Boris, students better remember definitions and can apply the words in different contexts.
Students should: 1) Choose three vocabulary words from Amos and Boris; 2) Find each word's definition; 3) Write a sentence for each; 4) Illustrate or find a photo representing each word’s meaning. This process builds vocabulary skills and deeper understanding.