Reading Nook with Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed

One of my latest finds is the novel Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed. It is a wonderfully told story of a girl growing up in Pakistan and ends up becoming a modern day, indentured servant.

I read this book this year with my students and they really enjoyed it. They found the situation that Amal finds herself in highly intriguing. My students were fascinated with the cultural differences, and find the main character relatable. We had many discussions about this novel that I created a product to use with my class.

The Amal Unbound – A Visual Support for Vocabulary is about 180 slides of cultural and advanced vocabulary. They are organized by chapters. Before I would read the chapters for the day, I would show the relating slides to my students explaining the vocabulary. Then as I read the chapter the students were ready with the understanding of those vocabulary words.

With a lot of my novel studies, I create an I Have…Who Has? game. So I created one for Amal Unbound too. My students love to play these and try to do it faster and faster. It is also a great way to study for a test or as a culminating activity. The I Have…Who Has? game covers comprehension and vocabulary.