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ISBN 978-1-5907
Curriculum Guide
SPACE BOY
and the
Space Pirate
BY
Dian Curtis Regan
ILLUSTRATED BY
Robert Neubecker
W
HEN NIKO’S COUSIN Sasha is kidnapped by a space pirate (otherwise known as Niko’s annoying
sister, Posh), he knows it’s up to him to save her. Along with his robot copilot, Radar, and his trusty
dog, Tag, he blasts off in his homemade spaceship and zips through the stars to Planet Zorg. But when he
charges in for the rescue, the space pirate and her captive take over Niko’s ship and his story! Will Niko be able
to end the story his way and make it back to Planet Home in time for supper?
Dian Curtis Regan’s charming intergalactic adventure is a celebration of the power of pretend play
and the art of storytelling.
“Regan perfectly captures the joys of imaginative play and woes (of ) sibling
rivalry while telling an excellent adventure story. Great for storytime or individual
sharing. Kids will want multiple readings of this story.” —School Library Journal
The first book in the
Space Boy trilogy:
“Five brief chapters break the action into separate, exciting set pieces worth of
Tom Swift, and the characters’ bickering over who should end the story echoes
the previous book’s metafictive commentary. Intergalactic derring-do, and home
just in time for supper.” —Kirkus Reviews
diancurtisregan.com spaceboybooks.com boydsmillspress.com
Common Core State Standards addressed by the materials in this guide are noted
throughout. For more information on the Common Core, visit corestandards.org.
Discussion Questions
Compare the setting shown on the book’s front cover illustration and the illustration of the setting
on the first page of the story where Niko is reading a book. How are the settings different? How are
they the similar?
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.3; CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.7; CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.7
The first chapter of the story is titled, “BEWARE!” What clues in the illustration give the reader an
idea of why the word “beware” appears on the first page?
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.3; CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.7; CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.7
In the beginning of the story, what is Niko searching for on his spaceship?
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.1; CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.1
Niko almost has a playmate when he sees his cousin Sasha nearby. What happens to Sasha?
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.1; CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.1
How does the setting and the spaceship change after Sasha is whisked away from Niko’s backyard?
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.3; CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.7; CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.7
Describe what Planet Zorg looks like and what kind of creatures live there.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.3; CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.7; CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.7
Niko spots Sasha with what Niko describes as a “space pirate.” What does Radar think when he sees
the two? CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.1; CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.1
Why does Tag have a bad memory about dolls? Use clues from the illustration of Tag’s memory to
help you form an answer.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.3; CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.7; CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.7
What is Niko’s plan to free Sasha from the space pirate?
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.1; CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.1
Who is the space pirate and how does she react to Niko’s attempt to rescue Sasha?
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.1; CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.1
Why do you think Niko sees Posh as an enemy?
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.1; CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.1
What does it mean to “throw a twist” into a story?
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.4; CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.4
What is the twist that Niko experiences in his own story?
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.1; CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.1
What problem occurs after the twist in the story?
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.1; CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.1
Why do you think that the author did not include words on
the pages showing Niko space walking?
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.7; CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.7
What did Niko discover in his spaceship once he reached Planet Home?
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.1; CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.1
Space Boy and the Space Pirate Curriculum Guide Illustrations copyright © 2016 by Robert Neubecker. All rights reserved. This page may be photocopied for free distribution.
Activities
Work with a partner to create stick puppets of the main characters in Space Boy and the Space
Pirate. Draw each character on a 3 x 5 card, cut them out, and tape each character to a craft stick.
Use the stick puppets to practice retelling the story of Niko, his sister, his cousin, Tag, and Radar.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.1; CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.1
Niko’s plan to conduct a surprise attack to rescue Sasha fails. Design a Plan B scenario that Niko
could have used to successfully recapture his cousin.
Design a wanted poster for the evil space pirate. Include an illustration of the space pirate as well
as a description of why the space pirate is wanted by Niko.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.1; CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.1
Write a dialogue between Niko and Mission Control (his mom) when he returns to the Mother Ship
(home). What would he tell his mom about his adventure and how his sister treated him during
their time playing outside? How would Niko’s mom respond?
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.K.3; CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.1.3
Niko almost forgets to end his story. He quickly comes back to say “THE END!” Write an alternate
ending to Niko’s tale of the spaceship and the space pirate.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.K.3; CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.1.3
The discussion questions and activities in this guide were created by Leigh Courtney, Ph.D. She teaches in the Global Education program
at a public elementary school in San Diego, California. She holds both masters’ and doctoral degrees in education, with an emphasis on
curriculum and instruction.
Space Boy and the Space Pirate Curriculum Guide Illustrations copyright © 2016 by Robert Neubecker. All rights reserved. This page may be photocopied for free distribution.
Name: __________________________
Using Context Clues
Author Dian Curtis Regan uses some great words to describe her tale in Space Boy and the Space
Pirate. Look at the underlined word in each passage from the story. Use the other words in the
sentences as clues to help you write a definition for the underlined word. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.4;
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.4
Passage from the story
What the underlined word means
Pirates SNEAK aboard
spaceships when the captain
isn’t looking.
Niko opens the hatch to
check outside. He SPIES
his cousin, Sasha. Niko
waves at her.
Before Sasha can answer,
someone YANKS her away.
“Crew! Wake up!” calls
Niko. “A space pirate has
kidnapped Sasha!”
“Go away,” orders Posh.
“We do not want to be in
your silly story. . . . Come
on, Sasha,” the enemy says.
“Let’s DELETE ourselves
from this story. THE END!”
Space Boy and the Space Pirate Curriculum Guide Illustrations copyright © 2016 by Robert Neubecker. All rights reserved. This page may be photocopied for free distribution.
If They Could Talk . . .
Name: __________________________
At the end of the story, Radar and one of the dolls are still onboard Niko’s spaceship. Imagine what the two characters would say to
one another if they could talk. Draw a three-panel comic strip that includes colorful illustrations and speech bubbles for the words
that Radar and the doll speak to one another. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.9; CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.9
Space Boy and the Space Pirate Curriculum Guide Illustrations copyright © 2016 by Robert Neubecker. All rights reserved. This page may be photocopied for free distribution.
Name: __________________________
Ship Shape
Niko has designed a terrific spaceship. Study the illustration of his craft
and use the information from the illustration to create a diagram of Niko’s
ship in the box below. Count how many of each shape you can find on Niko’s spaceship. Record
your information in a bar graph. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.7; CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.7; CCSS.MATH.
CONTENT.K.MD.B.3; CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.MD.C.4
Draw a diagram of Niko’s spaceship
How many of each shape can you find on Niko’s spaceship?
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
cylinder square trianglerectangleRectangular
prism
cube
Space Boy and the Space Pirate Curriculum Guide Illustrations copyright © 2016 by Robert Neubecker. All rights reserved. This page may be photocopied for free distribution.