Pecos Bill by Steven Kellogg
Target Words / Story Context / Student-Friendly Explanationyank/ed (verb) / But when the Texas trout nibble, Bill was yanked overboard. / If you yank something you are pulling with a strong jerk.
downstream (adverb) / He was towed far downstream, and he would’ve drowned for sure if an old coyote hadn’t grabbed him. / If you are heading downstream you are moving in the direction that the river flows.
outgrown (verb) / By the time Bill had outgrown his breeches, he felt like a member of the pack. / If you have outgrown something you have grown too big for something.
snooze/ing (verb) / He asked Bill what he meant by snoozing in the brush without his trousers. / If you are snoozing you are sleeping lightly.
ambush/ed (verb) / But Bill’s plans were interrupted when he was ambushed by a giant rattlesnake. / If you are ambushed you have had someone or something surprise attack you!
declared (verb) / When it ended, the Gang declared they would be cowboys forever, and they promised to help Bill round up every steer in Texas. / If you declare something you are saying something in a serious and official tone.
Word Associations
Which word or words go with an announcement? (declared)
Which word or words go with taking a nap? (snoozing)
Which word or words can go with being surprised? (ambushed, yanked)
Which word or words go with large or big? (outgrown)
Which word or words go with movement? (downstream, yanked)
Which Would…?
Which are you more likely to outgrow… your jeans? or your bed?
Which would you prefer… going downstream towards a rapid? or a lake?
Which are you more likely to yank on… weeds in the garden? or your jammed locker?
Who would you rather be ambushed by…guests at a surprise party? or by your sibling?
Which is more fun to declare… that it's your birthday? or your mom’s birthday?
Where would you rather be snoozing… in your bed? or like Pecos Bill in the bushes?
Examples or NonExamples
Tell me if the follow sentences are an example or a non-example…
I had to yank my flip flops on before I went to the beach.
I was snoozing while I went shopping at Target for school supplies.
My friends jumped out of the bushes and ambushed me as I walked into my house.
“There will be no homework this weekend,” declared my 3rd grade teacher.
As I walked down the street I was heading downstream.
My shoes were too big, so my mom told me I had outgrown them.
Name ______#______
Pecos Bill by Steven Kellogg
1. Circle the best sentence for the word outgrown.
The new shoes I bought were too big so I ended up returning them.
“Mom said I’ve shot up 4 inches in the past three months!”
2. Describe a time when you have yanked on something.
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Answer true (T) if the vocabulary makes sense or false (f) if it doesn’t make sense in the sentence:
3. The stream was carrying my boat downstream very quickly. ______
4. My dad caught me snoozing after a afternoon of playing outside. ______
For any answers that were false for 3 or 4, explain why they are false.
______
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5. Draw a sketch for the word ambushed. Explain what your sketch is showing.
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6. Use the word declare correctly in a sentence.
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