Here are some selected words from David Gramb's Endangered Words that might appeal to your students. ( the sentencing used here is mine.)

literose: (LIT-er-ose) pretentiously or self conscionsly literary.
After each Shakespeare ten generations of literose copiers hesitatingly write.

segnity: (SEG-ni-tee) laziness or sluggishness.
Look around...segnity lives on even after the extinction of the Pliocene giant ground sloth.

nod crafty: (NOD-craf-tee) nodding so as to appear wise.
an unnecessary nod crafty huddle of football coaches at halftime with their team behind 67-2.

linguipotence: (ling-GWI-po-tense) mastery of language.
his linguipotence began when he put down the pen and began to speak.

stupor mundi: (STOO-per MUN-dee) a marvelous or wondrous object.
Beleive it or not her stupor mundi was a barbie doll.

agapet: (a-ga-PET) a ladies man.
Don Juan, agapet supreme, wasn't much happy. Why?

mattoid: (MAT-toyd) a semi-sane person.
Many of the people we meet are mattoids, the problem is figuring out which.

relume: (re-LOOM) to relight or rekindle.
when faced with the harsh reality of an abrupt awaking in the dim light of a cold grey morning, a relume of campfire brings new hope to the hearts of all men.

lasslorn: (LAS-lorn) jilted by one's girlfriend.
Knowing the nature of the lasslorn, as time ticks he will be less lorn.

flob: (flob) to move in a clumsy and aimless way.
this is my last flob, hereafter you kids are seity enought to flob on your own.