This week, we're hoping to help bring programmable robots to an Atlanta elementary school, and simple math tools to a special-needs preschool class in Missouri. We also have a fabulous picture show, of an event that resulted from a gardening project we helped with more than a year ago!
We hope that readers who support quality public school education will help these teachers and students by sharing or supporting our featured projects.
The Inoculation Project is an ongoing, volunteer effort to crowdfund science and math projects for red-state public schools in low-income neighborhoods. As always, our conduit is DonorsChoose.org, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation that facilitates tax-deductible donations to specific, vetted projects in public schools.
We met Ms. Johnson last year when we worked on her organic gardening project. (You can see more good news about that in the Our Dollars at Work section below!) Now, she is hoping to bring Ozobot coding robots to her class, to introduce them to technology their school cannot afford. She’s almost there, and there are 1.5x matching funds available from Verizon: Verizon is helping to give millions of kids a brighter future. We're putting technology, access, and innovative learning programs in the hands of students to put them on the path to success. Through proceeds from our education device trade-in program, we're proud to support technology projects on DonorsChoose.org.
MAIN PROJECT
Resources: Help me give my students an opportunity to advance in S.T.E.M. study through funding a grant for eight Ozobot-Robot Kits and three starter sets. These items will enhance students S.T.E.M. robotics and logic skills.
Economic need: Nearly all students from low‑income households
Location: Towns Elementary School, Atlanta, Georgia
Total: $524.82 (1.5x matching funds from Verizon)
Still Needed: $287.32 Completed, thank you! Please consider project below.
Teacher’s Comments from Ms. Johnson:
My Students: The Tiger School students are academically successful which is reflected in the end of the year state standardized test scores. These students excel in spite of the school district failure to meet their academic needs through not providing adequate technology materials which often impedes student’s academic learning. With a few technological tools, these sharp minded students will easily be able to compete with affluent students living on the opposite side of town. Poverty has never been a hindrance to our student’s ability and willingness to learn.
The “Tigers” are dedicated dire heart students who give greater than 100% to their education and learning.
In the face of poverty, single family households, and drugs infested neighborhoods the parents and students dream a better life. A harsh living situation is the reasoning why both parent and students push themselves daily to learn and grow out of their depth of poverty. The school family is interwoven around the students and parents and are supportive of our student’s abilities and interest in being great.
My Project: If funded, my students will have an opportunity to delve the world of ROBOTICS through use of the Ozobot-Bit robot and starter kits. Students learning will improve as they utilize new materials for advance learning in areas of STEM studies that they have never explored. Students learning will improve as they delve through robotics, programming and logistics in preparation for their future careers in S.TE.M. studies. Through using the Ozobot-kit students will become engaged learners who are able to solve science, mathematics, and engineering equations. Students using the Ozobot-Kit and starter packs will create collaborative learning spaces where they infuse S.TE.M. studies to the world around them.
Students learning will improve as they implement group activities that allows them to abstractly view and use higher-order thinking skills to solve science, math, and engineering equations.
Students will develop in their knowledge base as they create S.T.E.M. artifacts that correlate to all core subject areas. The “Tiger” students learning will improve as their coding, reasoning and visualization skills are honed. Students will become engaged learners as they work collaboratively, develop science, math and engineering technology (S.T.E.M.) artifacts and understand the connection between all subject-core areas of learning. Students’ lives will improve for the better as they view and solve problems through use of the robotics (Ozobot-Bit). Lastly, donations to this project will bridge the digital divide and meet the needs of students learning new digital concepts through S.T.EM. study.
Donations of ANY size can make a BIG difference!
Ms. Meyers teaches special needs pre-K students in Joplin, Missouri, and hopes to get some hands-on activities to help the children with basic math concepts like shapes and counting.
LONG-TERM PROJECT
Resources: Help me give my students hands on math supplies to build active engagement including magnetic manipulatives, counters and pattern blocks.
Economic need: More than half of students from low‑income households
Location: Joplin Early Childhood Center, Joplin, Missouri
Total: $235.84
Still Needed: $229.95 $114.07
Teacher’s Comments from Ms. Meyers:
My Students: The students have a variety of needs including, but not limited to, limited or no exposure to peers, academics, communication, social or motor concepts. Many of the children have limited or no language and are working on basic and appropriate communication. The children also have limited social-emotional or social-behavior skills that are developmental below their age range and they are being introduced to appropriate social interactions as well as social communicational skills for themselves, to engage with peers, and to engage with adults.
My students are special because they are children and children are a miracle and a blessing to teach, learn from, and watch them grow into excited and participating life-long learners.
My classroom has a variety of students, though most of the students are from a low-economic area.
My classroom consists of children with specialized needs (Autism, learning, physical, and motor disabilities [fine and gross], developmental delays, and communication disabilities). The classroom also contains children with typical developmental progress who help provide modeling for the students with delays. The combined format also provides each student the opportunity to connect, make friendships, and learn about the diversity around them and how to empathize with each other.
My Project: I am requesting support in developing my students math center activities. Some of the supplies I am requesting include pattern blocks and designs which will allow students to explore shapes and how shapes make up pictures and objects around them. Another item includes manipulatives that will allow for thematic engagement, magnetic exploration and learning about numbers and how numbers and math concepts are everywhere around them.
Hands-on manipulatives allow students to actively engage and explore.
By adding a variety of manipulatives to my classroom, I'm helping my students increase their curiosity, ability to seek out information and to help develop their problem solving skills.
My students enjoy the basic math supplies we have now, but I would like to expand the center to help build up a deeper understanding of math and allow for more students to be able to participate in the center without limiting the number of supplies the students effectively need to explore the concepts fully.
Donations of ANY size can make a BIG difference!
Both of our projects from last week were completed! Our main project, Season's Reading! Learning About The Four Seasons, brings a rural Virginia kindergarten books, puzzles, and other activities to help them learn about weather and seasons. Mrs. Smith writes: I am so very grateful for all of your donations towards this project! My students will be thrilled to see these new learning resources to learn about the four seasons! I am over the moon excited to have new donors for my classroom. I feel extremely blessed to have each and every one of you. My kindergarten students will have something fun to use when we return from Christmas break!
Our long-term project, Measuring Science With Real Tools!, will bring a South Carolina fourth grade both meteorology instruments and a telescope and other astronomy-related tools. Mrs. Parker writes: Thank you, thank you, thank you so much for taking part in funding this project for my students and students who are yet to come to 4th grade! When the students can actually hold and manipulate the tools, life long learning can take place. We really appreciate all of your help in making this wish become true!
Our Dollars STILL at Work!
Okay, this is a very cool story. Back in September 2017, we helped fund a project, Sustaining Pollination, for an Atlanta elementary school wanting to plant an organic vegetable and flower garden that would also serve to provide habitat and food to birds, bees, and butterflies. The teacher, Ms. Jocelyn Johnson, intended her students to learn about the importance of pollinators to our environment, as well as more general knowledge about gardening and the importance of fresh vegetables in our diet. Ms. Johnson posted some pictures when the equipment arrived later in the fall, but it wasn’t really garden-starting time by then.
Then, in June of this year, at the end of the term in which the garden was planted, Ms. Johnson was kind enough to write a lovely letter and share pictures of the students with their garden beds, bird feeder, bee house, and new butterflies. All these can be seen in the Our Dollars section of this Inoculation Project diary.
NOW, Ms. Johnson has again shared pictures with us, this time of an exciting garden-based event held at the school just a few weeks ago, in November. Students were hard at work in their garden this summer and fall too, so Ms. Johnson invited Chef Marlo, of Atlanta-area catering company Cravings Express, to visit the school and prepare fresh salads from the veggies raised by the students. I had a really hard time choosing only a (relative!) few of the many wonderful pictures to post here — they’re all at the link above. Thank you, Ms. Johnson, for inviting us to see this beautiful party!
Ms. Johnson writes:
I hope that my email finds you well! I am forever thankful for the funding of my pollination grant. Please note that the students and staff are continuing to enjoy planting and harvesting the garden. The summer/fall garden has yielded a wonderful spread of produce for the students.
I am writing to ask that you view photos from an event that was held on November 2, 2018 utilizing the fresh vegetables in the garden. I invited Chef Marlo to prepare fresh salad using the kale, cabbage, Bibb lettuce, and collard greens. This event was a success as many of our scholars now have an appreciation for eating fresh foods from the garden and vegetables.
The benefits of your support has not only shaped the lives of my my at-risk students, but my life as well. Thank you!
Founded in 2009, The Inoculation Project combats the anti-science push in conservative America by funding science and math projects in traditionally red-state classrooms and libraries. Our conduit is DonorsChoose.org, a crowdfunding charity founded in 2000 and highly rated by both Charity Navigator and the Better Business Bureau.
Every Sunday, we focus on helping to fund two science or math projects in red states, preferably in neighborhood public schools where the overwhelming majority of students come from low-income households. We welcome everyone who supports public school education — no money is required!
Finally, here’s our list of successfully funded projects — our series total is 710! The success-list diary also contains links and additional information about DonorsChoose.org.
DONORS CHOOSE WOULD LIKE YOU TO KNOW that if you need to squeeze in some tax-deductible donations before the year ends, but don’t have time to browse projects during the holidays, you can pre-purchase “account credits” now, at this link, and apply them to projects at any time in the next year. (If you do not get around to applying them, one year from the date of your donation, DonorsChoose will apply your credits to help urgent projects they select.)