Welcome to the Kerpoof Teacher's Page
Kerpoof is meant to be fun, but we're serious about its educational value. There are many ways that elementary and middle school teachers can use Kerpoof to enhance their classroom activities and meet educational standards as well.
Browse Kerpoof Scholastics by clicking on the books above!
If you are visiting Kerpoof for the first time, our 1-page Flyer for Educators gives a quick overview.
Missed a past issue of the e-newsletter? Find it in the Kerpoof Scholastics News Archives.
State Education Standards
The documents below describe how to use Kerpoof to meet state education standards. We will be posting new states each month.
Some Ideas for Using Kerpoof in the Classroom:
Social Studies
You can use our Mount Fuji scene to teach about traditional Japanese culture. You can create a scene with a traditional home, a temple or a palace. You can add in traditional art, sculptures, including statues of Buddha. You can insert various traditional or native Japanese plants, bonsai, cherry trees, etc. You'll also find a woman in traditional Japanese dress, along with some less authentic ninjas -- and Godzilla.
Biology
Your class can study the life cycle of a caterpillar using our Butterfly Pavilion scene (sponsored by the Butterfly Pavilion in Broomfield, Colorado). Create one scene with all of the stages of a caterpillar's life (from caterpillar to pupae to butterfly) and ask students to identify them in order. Or create one scene for each stage. Include bushes and trees where the butterflies might lay their eggs. You can tell your students that butterflies lay their eggs on the underside of the leaves so they won't actually be able to see the larva in the scene.
Are you teaching about the food chain? Our Northwest Territories scene (sponsored by Northwest Trek in Tacoma, Washington) can be the perfect place to create illustrations of several food chains. We've got plants to be eaten by deer and bears to eat the plants. We've got toads the get eaten by rattlesnakes and bald eagles to eat the snakes. There are insects, small rodents and reptiles, larger rodents, and several types of ruminants. Then we have all kinds of beasties from higher in the food chain, bears, wolves and birds of prey to name a few. And they're all real inhabitants of the Northwest Trek wildlife preserve.
Math
You can use any of our nature scenes to create intricate worlds that will test your students' powers of observation. Can they identify and describe a list of animal types you describe? Can they find fourteen yellow fish swimming in and around the sunken ship? Turn it into a math lesson by asking them to categorize and graph difference groups.
Writing Starter
You can use Kerpoof as a creativity starter for writing. How often do you hear your students complain that they either don't know what to write about or that the topic you've provided is "boooooooring"? You can use Kerpoof several ways to provide fresh, interesting writing prompts:
- Let them create and tell the stories of their own Kerpoof scenes.
- Let them create scenes that will be assigned to other writers in the class.
- Create one scene yourself for use by the whole class.
- Create a library of scenes that students can pick from or be assigned.
Genre Writing
It's also easy to assign different writing genre assignments based on Kerpoof scenes:
- Ask them to write a fictional story about the scene.
- Ask them to write a letter to a friend or family member as if they had been part of the scene.
- Ask them to write a scientific report on one of the nature scenes. Describe each type of animal, identify predators and prey, include detailed observations about what happens in this habitat during the day and at night (maybe you'll want to provide two scenes and discuss nocturnal vs. diurnal).
- Ask them to report on the scene as though they were a reporter for a newspaper.
Reading Comprehension
You can use Kerpoof for testing reading comprehension. If your students are reading a story or book that fits one of our scenes, have them show their comprehension through visualization by creating a scene that illustrates the story. Then you can have them translate their picture into a summary of the story to complete the progression of skills.
Kerpoof-based Lesson Plans
We're providing lesson plans you can download that use Kerpoof as a part of the lesson, either electronically or through printed scenes and coloring sheets. These lesson plans are based on national educational standards and are marked accordingly. We will add lesson plans from time to time, so check back!
Please take a look and let us know what you think.
- Introduction to the Kerpoof Art Studio (PDF)
- Introduction to the Kerpoof Publishing Studio (PDF)
- Introduction to the Kerpoof Animation Studio (PDF)
- Impressionist Art (PDF)
- M.C. Escher's Relativity
- Lesson Plan (MS Word) (PDF)
- Escher Introduction (Powerpoint)
- Pablo Picasso and Cubism Art
- Surrealist Art of Salvador Dali and Friends
- Lesson Plan (MS Word)
- The Life Cycle of Butterflies (PDF) (MS Word)
- Nocturnal vs. Diurnal Animals
- Celebrate the Seasons
- Movie Math Madness: Crazy Angles
- Becoming a Scientific Observer New!
- Lesson Plan and Worksheet (PDF)
- Life Cycle of a Penguin New!
- Lesson Plan (PDF)
- Metaphors in Fairy Tales
- Lesson Plan (MS Word)
- Metaphor Slides (Powerpoint)
- Rubric (MS Word)
- Assignment Example (PDF)
- Haiku for You (PDF)
- Writing a Persuasive Advertisement (PDF)
- Exploring the Polar Regions - Compare and Contrast
- Traditional Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Village Life
If you create a lesson plan using Kerpoof and want to share it with your colleagues, let us know! E-mail your lesson plan to Caryn.Jones@kerpoof.com, along with a note giving us your name, school district, e-mail address, and permission to share your lesson plan here on our Web site. Let us know whether you are willing to have us share your e-mail address as well. Otherwise we'll label your lesson plan with your name and school district.
Click on the "Ideas" book to see some more lesson plan ideas.
Kerpoof for coloring pages
Kerpoof can provide coloring sheets relating to a number of subjects, topics and themes. The best part is that you can create your own coloring sheets with the objects you want your students to be able to identify or to introduce topics you want to cover.
Don't have time to create your own scene? Simply looking for fun coloring sheets on a variety of topics and themes that you can use to fill time? We've got the answer. Visit our sister page, www.coloring.bz to find ready-made coloring sheets. Just print, copy and bring them to class. New coloring sheets will appear often, so bookmark the page and come back to it.
We're just getting started.
Kerpoof Scholastics is just getting underway, and we'd love to have your input and ideas.
We want to hear what you want Kerpoof Scholastics to look like. Please take a few minutes to respond to a short survey. We appreciate every bit of information you can give us.
Do I have to download software?
No -- Kerpoof works in a web browser. We recommend Internet Explorer version 7, or Mozilla Firefox. Internet Explorer version 6 and Apple Safari also work.
What does Kerpoof cost?
Nothing -- Kerpoof is entirely free to use.
How many kids can use Kerpoof at the same time?
A lot. Having your whole classroom use it at the same time won't slow our servers down. The bandwidth into your classroom may be limited and image transfers may slow down a bit. We have watched whole computer labs use it simultaneously, and it worked fine.
Is Kerpoof art copyrighted?
Yes, but it is all owned by Kerpoof and you are largely free to use it. For all the details, read our Terms and Conditions, but basically you can use the art as long as you aren't making money from it and you acknowledge Kerpoof by saying "Copyright 2008 Kerpoof, LLC; Used With Permission." You can use the notice to teach your class about copyrights.
Where can I learn more about Kerpoof?
Read the About Kerpoof page. If you still have questions, send them to us, and we'll answer them.
Contest Winners
Congratulations to Leanne Chauvette from Henniker Community School in Henniker, NH and MaryAnn Sansonetti from Richland School District One in Columbia, SC.
Leanne and MaryAnn each won a $50 gift card to Target for telling us how they use Kerpoof in their classrooms.
Leanne teaches first grade and uses Kerpoof to help students practice their mouse skills and develop fine motor skills. Her students have also made pictures and recorded their own stories about them on their iPod recorders. She looks forward to continuing to use Kerpoof in her classroom.
MaryAnn is actually training teachers in her district to incorporate Kerpoof in all content areas. Some examples she provided included using Kerpoof to explain math concepts, to explain the concept of pros and cons and to illustrate stories students have written.
Check back January 15th for announcements about more Kerpoof contests!
There are several easy ways to contact us:
1. Send an email to our Director of Education, Caryn.Jones@kerpoof.com
2. Type a comment into our online comment form and press "send."
3. Write to us at:
Kerpoof
1215 Spruce Street, Suite 301
Boulder, CO 80302
We will not sell or share your contact info or spam you with information unrelated to the Kerpoof Scholastics program.
There are several easy ways to submit an idea:
1. Send an email to our Director of Education, Caryn.Jones@kerpoof.com
2. Type your idea into our online comment form and press "send." Be sure to enter your email address so we can write you back.
3. Write to us at:
Kerpoof
1215 Spruce Street, Suite 301
Boulder, CO 80302
We will not sell or share your contact info or spam you with information unrelated to the Kerpoof Scholastics program.
Codling moth
The codling moth (Cydia pomonella) is a member of the Lepidopteran family Tortricidae. They are known as an agricultural pest, their larva being the common apple worm. It is native to Europe and was introduced to North America, where it has become one of the regular pests of apple orchards. It is found almost worldwide. It also attacks pears, walnuts, and other tree fruits.
This larva is the famous "worm in the apple" of cartoon and vernacular fame; not earthworms.
-- From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Read more . . .
I will not eat the teachers apple.
I will not eat the teachers apple.
I will not eat the teachers apple.
I will not eat the teachers apple.
I will not eat the teachers apple.
I will not eat the teachers apple.
I will not eat the teachers apple.
I will not eat the teach
Official Contest Rules
Kerpoof Lesson Plan Contest
No Purchase Necessary to Participate
Many May Enter, Only Three per Month Will Win
This contest is open to legal residents of the United States, or any other country where permitted by local law. Entrants must be employeed by a public or private educational institution for students younger than eighteen (18) years of age, or be documentable home school instructors during not less than four (4) months of calendar year 2007. Employees of Kerpoof, LLC, and any other individual or organization involved with this promotion, their agents, affiliates, subsidiaries and members of their immediate families or persons residing in the same household are not eligible to win any of the prizes.
To enter, send us your original lesson plan. Your submission must be your original creation (aside from use of any artwork materials supplied by Kerpoof). Your submission must be accompanied by your contact information that includes your name, your school and grade information, and either a valid e-mail address or a private, direct phone number with voice mail.
The contest will run monthly during June, July, and August 2007. Entries for a monthly contest must be postmarked no later than the 24th day of the contest month (if sent by mail) and received by the last day of the contest month (whether sent by mail or email). Late entries will be transfered to the following month's contest, if any. Entries become the property of Kerpoof, LLC and will not be returned. Kerpoof is not responsible for illegible, lost, late, misdirected, incomplete, or stolen entries or mail. Send entries to:
Caryn.Jones@kerpoof.com
-- OR --
Kerpoof -- Lesson Plan Contest
1215 Spruce Street, Suite 301
Boulder, CO 80302
On or about the first day of each month following a contest month, a qualified panel of judges will judge eligible entries equally on the basis of educational value, appeal, creativity, originality, and presentation. Decisions of judges are final and binding in all respects. Potential winner's will be notified by phone and/or e-mail on or about the same day that the winners are selected by the judges and prizes will be delivered approximately one week later.
Prizes (for each monthly contest): One (1) first place prize winner will receive a gift certificate to Target, Inc. in the amount of $100. One (1) second place prize winner will receive a gift certificate to Target, Inc. in the amount of $75. One (1) third place prize winner will receive a gift certificate to Target, Inc. in the amount of $50.
The cash prizes include, in part, a publication fee for your submissions, and in exchange for this payment your submission shall be owned exclusively by Kerpoof, and Kerpoof may transfer its right of ownership without further permission or compensation.
Prizes are non-transferable. Kerpoof reserves the right to substitute prizes of equal or greater value if prizes cannot be awarded as described. Kerpoof disclaims all and any liability for the actual provision, quality or nature of any third party goods provided to the winner. Prizes are awarded "as is" with no warranty or guarantee, express or implied. The awarding of any prize is contingent upon full compliance with these Official Rules; winner may be subject to other verification and eligibility requirements. Entrants agree to be bound by these Official Rules and agree that if potential winner fails to provide proof of identity, refuses to provide required affidavit, is found to have violated these Official Rules or otherwise does not meet eligibility criteria, prize will be forfeited and awarded to the entry with the next highest score. Entrants understand that Kerpoof is not liable for injuries, losses or damages of any kind arising from participation in this contest and acceptance, possession and use of prize.
Except where prohibited by law: (i) entry constitutes permission to use winner's entry, name, hometown, and any statements regarding this contest for editorial, public relations, promotional and advertising purposes on behalf of Kerpoof without compensation; (ii) potential winners will be required to complete and return an Affidavit of Eligibility/Ownership/Liability Release, Publicity Release and Copyright Assignment within 10 days of notification or the entry with the next highest score will become an alternate winner. By participating and winning a prize, winner releases Kerpoof, its parents, affiliates, subsidiaries and agencies and its directors, officers, employees and agents from any and all liability with respect to the prize won and participation in the contest. Subject to all U. S. federal, state and local laws and regulations. Void where prohibited. Taxes, if any, on prizes are sole responsibility of winner. For winners names, available after September 7, 2007, send a separate, self-addressed, stamped envelope to the above address. Vermont residents may omit return postage.
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