Skip, the Spacey Surfer
~Florida~
Activity Packet
Florida K-W-L Chart
K
W
L
What I Know
What I Want to Know
What I Learned
Where’s Florida?
Color the state of Florida a color of your choice.
Find the state of Florida
and color it in.
Since Florida is mostly surrounded by water,
what animals do you think live there?
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*After reading the book, color the circle next to
each animal Skip meets on his adventure.*
Dear Readers,
We hope you enjoy this book as much
as we enjoyed writing it. As you read
through the book, look for hidden
starfish on the pages.
Enjoy!
Linda Francis and Judy Kvaale
Where’s the Starfish?
Cover
The starfish is ________________________________
Page: 3
The starfish is ________________________________
Page: 4
The starfish is ________________________________
Page: 5
The starfish is ________________________________
Page: 6
The starfish is ________________________________
Page: 7
The starfish is ________________________________
Page: 8
The starfish is _______________________________
Page: 9
The starfish is ________________________________
Page: 10
The starfish is ________________________________
Page: 11
The starfish is ________________________________
Page: 12
The starfish is ________________________________
Page: 13
The starfish is ________________________________
Page: 14
The starfish is ________________________________
Page: 15
The starfish is ________________________________
Page: 16
The starfish is ________________________________
Page: 17
The starfish is ________________________________
Page: 18
The starfish is ________________________________
Page: 19
The starfish is ________________________________
Page: 20
The starfish is ________________________________
Page: 21
The starfish is ________________________________
Page: 22
The starfish is ________________________________
Page: 23
The starfish is ________________________________
Page: 24
The starfish is ________________________________
Page: 25
The starfish is ________________________________
Page: 26
The starfish is ________________________________
Page: 27
The starfish is ________________________________
Page: 28
The starfish is ________________________________
Page: 29
The starfish is ________________________________
Page: 30
The starfish is ________________________________
Page: 31
The starfish is ________________________________
Page: 32
The starfish is ________________________________
Page: 33
The starfish is ________________________________
Page: 34
The starfish is ________________________________
Page: 35
The starfish is ________________________________
Starfish answer key
Cover – on surfboard
Page 3 – on leg of chair
Page 4 – on ramp of shack
Page 5 – by the bottom of box
Page 6 – on right side of beach
Page 7 – by surfboard
Page 8 – in ocean
Page 9 – on surfboard
Page 10 – under the word ”a”
Page 11 – on flipper
Page 12 – on surfboard
Page 13 – on gray bird
Page 14 – on right foot of gingerbread man
Page 15 – in seaweed
Page 16 – on the top sea turtle
Page 17 – on neck of largest sea turtle
Page 18 – on surfboard
Page 19 – on buoy
Page 20 – on tail of the shark
Page 21 – on tail of the shark
Page 22 – on surfboard
Page 23 – on right side in the ocean
Page 24 – in the sand
Starfish answer key (cont.)
Page 25 _ right side of the beach
Page 26 – on the tip of alligator’s tail
Page 27 – in the mouth of the alligator
Page 28 – above the word “brave”
Page 29 – right side of beach
Page 30 – lower part of space helmet shield
Page 31 – on right shoulder of astronaut and by page no.
Page 32 – right side of page in the sand
Page 33 – on shoulder of astronaut and by page no.
Page 34 – on right leg of astronaut
Page 35 – on top right of letter
Cover Work
What is Skip the Spacey Surfer
doing on the cover of this book?
Why is he on a surfboard?
Write 2 things you see on the cover besides Skip.
1. ______________________________________________
2. _____________________________________________
 Who do you think the main character is?
 Where do you think he is?
 Where do you think he’s going?
 Have you ever tried to surf?
 What is a surfer?
 What does spacey mean?
 Why do you think Skip is spacey?
 I see a starfish on the cover. Can you find it?
o ANSWER: The starfish is on the surfboard.
 What else do you notice about the cover?
 What is a surfboard made of?
 How does a surfboard move?
 What do you think this book will be about?
Pages 3, 4, 5
In what month does the story take place?
The story takes place in ____________________.
Where does the story take place?
The story takes place in ____________________.
Do you think Brody is selling cookies during
the day or night?
Brody is selling cookies during the ____________.
How can you tell?
I can tell Brody is selling cookies during the
____________ because ___________________
______________________________________.
Page 3
 Who is writing the letter?
 Why is he writing the letter?
 What does “cowabunga” mean?
 Who is receiving the letter?
 What is the date on the letter?
 Why is there a date on the letter?
 Have you written a letter? If so, to whom?
Page 4
 What month does this story take place?
 What does Brody like to do on hot days?
 What do you like to do on hot days?
Page 5
 What is Brody doing in this picture?
 Why do you think Brody opened the box?
 How many cookies are in the box?
 What do you think Skip is going to do next?
 What numbers and letters do you see on the
surfboards?
(Fun Fact: The illustrator put the initials G and M on the surfboards
because they are the first name initials of her 2 children.)
Pages 6 - 7
 What did Brody yell?
 Who does this surfboard belong to?
 Do you think Skip knows how to surf? Why or why
not?
Pages 8 - 9
 Were you right about your prediction?
 Why does Skip look happy?
 What does rapid mean? What is another word for
rapid?
 What do you think Skip saw?
Pages 10 – 11
 Were you right about your prediction?
 What does massive mean?
 What do you see on this page that is massive?
 Why do you think the manatee had a wondering look
in its eyes?
 Do manatees swim in deep or shallow water?
 Another name for a manatee is “sea cow”. Is that a
good name for it? Why or why not?
Pages 14 - 15
 What do you think cluster means?
 What do you think the mysterious noise is?
 What do you think Skip saw?
Pages 16 - 17
 Were you right about your prediction?
 What is another word for dangerous?
 How are sea turtles different/same as land turtles?
Pages 18 - 19
 What do you notice that is different about Skip on
the surfboard?
 Why is the text in a white box?
 What is a buoy? What is it used for?
 What else do you see on this page? What animal do
you think Skip will see next?
Pages 20 - 21
 Were you right about your prediction?
 What does surging mean?
 Why is the shark furious?
Pages 24 - 25
 What does “hang ten” mean?
 What is a swamp?
 What animals live in a swamp?
 How many animals has Skip met so far? Can you
name them in order?
Pages 26 - 27
 What does annoyed mean?
 What does ambling mean?
 Why does the alligator have a hungry look in its
eyes?
 What is the alligator’s skin like?
Pages 28 – 29
 Why is Skip jogging?
 What do you think Skip might see as he gets closer
to the Kennedy Space Center?
Pages 30 - 31
 Was your prediction correct?
 What is an astronaut?
 What does anxious mean? Why do you think the
astronaut is anxious?
 Why is she relieved when she sees Skip?
Pages 32 - 33
 Why did the astronaut give Skip a space helmet?
 Why do you think astronauts wear helmets?
 What other types of clothing do you see the
astronaut wearing?
Pages 34 - 35
 Where are Skip and the astronaut going?
 What do you see in the background?
 Why do you think Skip wants to go back into
space?
 What training will he need to get ready for another
space mission?
Kennedy Space Center Facts
 It is located on Merritt Island.
 The space center is named after John F. Kennedy, the
35th president of the United States.
 Kennedy Space Center is the only working space shuttle
site in the U.S.
 It houses a Space Camp for children.
 The center has a visitor’s complex for tourists.
o You can even visit with veteran astronauts.
o They get about 1.5 million visitors a year.
 For Kennedy Space Center Fun Facts and Activities, go
to: http://enterfiringroom.ksc.nasa.gov/funFacts.htm
Teacher note: The students can pretend they are the
Gingerbread Man writing back to Skip, or they can pretend
they are members of the Kennedy Space Center inviting
Skip to participate in the next space mission.
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Alliteration
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All About Skip
Write words in the boxes that describe Skip.
Skip
COMPARE & CONTRAST
Skip
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Me
alike
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__________________________ ______________ _________________________
__________________________ ________________ __________________________
__________________________ ________________ __________________________
__________________________ ____________ __________________________
__________________________ ____ __________________________
different
different
ALLITERATION
Alliteration
is the repeating of the same
sound at the beginning of words.
example: silly Skip surfing
Complete the following examples
of alliteration from the book.
____________ manatee _______________
__________ sea turtle _____________
____________ shark _______________
____________ alligator ________________
_____________________ astronaut
Our
Alliteration
Book
Written by:
Teaching Note:
 Assign each student a letter from the alphabet, or they could
use the first letter of their first name.
 Students will write their assigned letter on the Brainstorming
Box sheet.
 Students will write words on the line that begin with their
assigned letter. For students having trouble thinking of words,
they can use a dictionary.
 Students then can create their alliteration sentence and
illustrate it.
 Put the pages together to make a class booklet.
Alliteration Brainstorming Box
Letter ________
_______
____________________ ____________________
____________________ ____________________
____________________ ____________________
____________________ ____________________
____________________ ____________________
____________________ ____________________
_________
_____
___________________
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SAMPLE PAGE
_Alyssa_
_M_
The mischievous monkey made
a mess on Monday.
Who Did Skip Meet?
Skip met several characters during his adventure.
Number the characters in the order they appeared in the story.
_____ alligator
_____ shark
_____ manatee
_____ astronaut
_____ sea turtles
_____ Brody
Who Did Skip Meet?
answer key
Skip met several characters during his adventure.
Number the characters in the order they appeared in the story.
__ 5 __ alligator
__ 4 __ shark
__ 2 __ manatee
__ 6 __ astronaut
__ 3 __ sea turtles
__ 1 __ Brody
What does Skip need to be an astronaut?
CUT and PASTE Sequencing Activity
Cut out the pictures below.
Glue them in story order on the story strips.
1
5
2
6
3
7
4
8
answer key
adventures –
amble –
exciting experiences
to walk with an easy pace
annoyed – bothered or irritated
anxious – worried
buoy – floating object that warns of danger
cluster –
number of items grouped together
hang ten – when a surfer has 10 toes hanging over
the front of the surfboard
massive – very large, big
rapid –
move with speed
relieved –
free from worry
surging – to move very quickly and suddenly
swamp – land that is wet and often partly covered
with water
Number the vocabulary words in alphabetical order
_____rapid
_____adventures
_____massive
_____cluster
_____buoy
_____surging
_____hang ten
_____amble
_____swamp
_____annoyed
_____anxious
_____relieved
Number the vocabulary words in alphabetical order
__9__rapid
__1__adventures
__8__massive
__6__cluster
__5__buoy
_11__surging
__7__hang ten
__2__amble
_12__swamp
__3__annoyed
__4__anxious
_10__relieved
Number the vocabulary words in alphabetical order.
Then write the words on the lines in alphabetical order.
_____rapid
_____adventures
_____massive
_____cluster
_____buoy
_____surging
_____hang ten
_____amble
_____swamp
_____annoyed
_____anxious
_____relieved
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
Number the vocabulary words in alphabetical order.
Then write the words on the lines in alphabetical order.
__9__rapid
__1__adventures
__8__massive
__6__cluster
__5__buoy
_11__surging
__7__hang ten
__2__amble
_12__swamp
__3__annoyed
__4__anxious
_10__relieved
1. adventures
2. amble
3. annoyed
4. anxious
5. buoy
6. cluster
7. hang ten
8. massive
9. rapid
10. relieved
11. surging
12. swamp
Teaching note: Suggested uses for the
vocabulary pages:
 Cut out the words, definitions and pictures separately.
 You can make 1 set or 1 set per student.
 Put the words, definitions and pictures in a sandwich bag or
envelope.
 Students can play a matching or memory game with a partner
using words, definitions, and pictures, or words and definitions
or words and pictures.
 Give each student his/her own set to match the words,
definitions and pictures together.
 Students can put the words in alphabetical order.
adventures
amble
exciting
experiences
to walk with
an easy pace
annoyed
anxious
bothered or
feeling
irritated
worried
buoy
cluster
a floating object
that warns
of danger
grouped together
hang ten
massive
when a surfer has 10
toes hanging over the
front of the surfboard
very large,
number of items
big
rapid
relieved
move with
speed
free from
worry
surging
swamp
to move
very quickly
and suddenly
land that is wet and
often partly
covered with water
Fill in the missing letters for each vocabulary word.
a floating object warning of danger
___ ___ o ___
free from worry
___ ___ l ___ ___ v ___ ___
very large; big
___ a ___ s ___ ___ ___
exciting experiences
__ __ v __ __ t __ __ __ s
number of items groups together
c ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ r
wet, spongy land
s ___ ___ ___ p
to walk with an easy pace
___ ___ b ___ ___
move very quickly and suddenly
___ u ___ g ___ ___ ___
bothered or irritated
___ n n ___ ___ ___ ___
move with speed
___ ___ p ___ d
worried
___ ___ x ___ o ___ ___
when a surfer has 10 toes hanging over the front of the surfboard
___ ___ ___ g
___ e ___
answer key
Fill in the missing letters for each vocabulary word.
a floating object warning of danger
free from worry
very large; big
buoy
relieved
massive
exciting experiences
adventures
number of items groups together
wet, spongy land
cluster
swamp
to walk with an easy pace
amble
move very quickly and suddenly
bothered or irritated
surging
annoyed
rapid
anxious
move with speed
worried
when a surfer has 10 toes hanging over the front of the surfboard
hang ten
Cinquian Poem for Skip
(directions)
 Review the poem template with the students.
 Discuss adjectives and verbs that end with –ing.
 Discuss sentences that could be written for Skip.
 Brainstorm other words for Skip, such as Gingerbread Cousin,
surfer, astronaut, cookie.
 Students can complete the practice template, then rewrite the
poem on the blank template.
 Have students create their own border for their poem.
Skip
_________, ________
 2 adjectives to describe Skip
_______, _______, _______
 3 verbs ending in –ing that tells what Skip does
______________________.
 a sentence about Skip
__________
 another name for Skip
example
Skip
adventurous, brave
running, surfing, flying
Skip escapes from many
dangerous ocean animals.
Surfer
Skip
_________, ________
_______, _______, _______
______________________.
__________
Skip, the Spacey Surfer Glyph
 Draw a RED swimsuit on Skip if you have read
the original Gingerbread Man story. Make the
swimsuit GREEN if you have not.
 Draw BLUE sunglasses if you have made a
gingerbread house. Make the sunglasses
PURPLE if you have not.
 Make a RED mouth if you have decorated a
gingerbread man cookie. Make it PINK if you
have not.
 Draw YELLOW sandals if you have been to
Florida. Draw ORANGE sandals if you have not.
 Make BLACK stripes on the swimsuit if you have
seen an alligator. Don’t add any stripes if you
have not.
 Color the body DARK BROWN if you think Skip
will be a good astronaut. Color it LIGHT BROWN
if you do not.
Graphics from:
Gracie’s Graphics - http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Gracies-Graphics
Of Primary Importance - http://ofprimaryimportance.blogspot.com/
Open Clipart - http://openclipart.org
Teaching in the Tongass - http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Teaching-In-The-Tongass
Tracee Orman - http://www.traceeorman.com/
Fonts from:
Courtney Kleimer - http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Courtney-Keimer
Lovin Lit - http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Lovin-Lit
The Learning Tree - http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/The-Learning-Tree