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Amos & Boris
Reading Guide
Guide
created by Sue Ornstein, June 2000
Animal
Exploration
Begin a discussion about the characteristics of mammals (e.g., mammals
nurse their young, mammals are warm-blooded, mammals have hair). Ask
students to compare and contrast the characteristics of Amos and Boris,
and to determine if they are mammals. Then have students choose a mammal
or an ocean animal to research. If students have access to the Internet,
Web sites such as the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s E-Quarium (www.mbayaq.org)
and the Birmingham Zoo (www.birminghamzoo.com)
will offer them information on a wide range of animal species.
Students should produce a written report about their animal and share
their research with the class to teach them about a variety of animals.
Faraway
Friends
Amos and Boris missed each other while they were apart. Discuss
methods of staying in touch with a special person who is far away (e.g.,
phone calls, e-mail, letter-writing). Review the format of a friendly
letter, and ask students to compose a letter and send it to a special
person. Students may enjoy sharing the response to their letters with the
class.
Packing
Up
Review what Amos brings with him on his ocean journey. Then
discuss the specific items necessary for a variety of excursions. What do
you need if you are going hiking? What if you are going fishing? What if
you are going on safari in Africa? In small groups, have students choose a
destination and create a list of appropriate items for their journey. Each
group’s list should be presented to, and critiqued by, the rest of the
class.
Mighty
Mouse
Read to the class a version of Aesop’s “The Lion and the
Mouse.” Ask them to compare and contrast this book and the fable. To
demonstrate graphically how the two stories overlap, record their
similarities and differences on a Venn diagram.
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