This week, we’re supplying a package of engineering projects to a Texas school library hit by Hurricane Harvey, and helping an Alabama 7th grade dissect owl pellets! We hope that readers who support quality public school education will help 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 did so well last week that nomandates had to add a third project. Now, that project is also nearing completion, with the help of a great match offer! Overdeck Family Foundation is thrilled to help bring the Boston Museum of Science's best-in-class STEM kits to classrooms across the country, and help facilitate exciting outside-of-school learning experiences for your students.
MAIN PROJECT
Resources: Help me give my students the STEM activity, To the Rescue: Engineering Aid Drop package, to provide opportunities to bring classroom concepts to life and develop a passion for learning within the STEM field.
Economic need: More than three-quarters of students from low‑income households
Location: Torres Elementary School, Victoria, Texas
Total: $477.84 (3x match offer from Overdeck Family Foundation)
Still Needed: $363.31 $138.31 ($47 from us!)
Teacher’s Comments from Mrs. Zimmerman:
My Students: We are a Pre K-5th grade public elementary school with over 520 students from varied backgrounds and diverse needs. We are a Title l school with at least 85% of our students on free and reduced-price lunch. The majority of our students are from low socioeconomic families, in a community still recovering from effects of Hurricane Harvey. Many students do not have access to technology in the home. Our students are bright and love new challenges. They are always ready and excited to learn new things and look forward to working with technology.
My Project: In 2017, our community was hit by Hurricane Harvey. Many student's homes were damaged and many of our families were displaced because of the hurricane.
My students have seen first hand the destruction of Mother Nature and experienced the need for food, clothing, and shelter in a disaster situation.
As the school's librarian, I want to make those out of classroom experiences relevant to what our students are learning. Having the EiE Engineering Air Drop Kit will help my kids develop creative and better problem solving solutions to help their community in an emergency situation while engaging student in the Science curriculum.
Donations of ANY size can make a BIG difference!
This never-before-funded Alabama middle-school teacher will have a classroom of gifted 7th graders this year. Let’s try and fund her owl-pellet project with the help of 2x matching funds from Google.org: We’re incredibly grateful for the work teachers do every day to create learning environments that represent all students, so we’re contributing $4 million to double donations to classrooms, while funds last, through the #ISeeMe campaign, as part of our new $5 million commitment to public school classrooms.
LONG-TERM PROJECT
Resources: Help me give my students the tools to complete an owl pellet dissection.
Economic need: More than half of students from low‑income households
Location: Phenix City Intermediate School, Phenix City, Alabama
Total: $598.52 (2x matching funds from Google.org)
Still Needed: $498.52 $328.52 ($165 from us)
Teacher’s Comments from Mrs. Shavers:
My Students: I teach a lovely group of accelerated seventh graders. They receive an entire year of seventh grade content and half a year of eighth grade content during a traditional school year. They are a lively bunch that keep me on my toes. I am fortunate to have these students because they take pride in their community and their school. Since these students are accelerated, they give me the chance to push my teaching limit and leave everyday with my bucket full. These students touch my heart every single day and make me appreciate my chosen path.
My Project: I love science and I also want my students to love science. Some of the content can be challenging, so engaging students with hands on experiences is crucial for their success. This activity will not only be engaging but also memorable for all of my students. Long gone are the days of the teacher standing in front of the classroom as the student takes notes. In order to captivate my students hands on labs are important. With this lesson, not only will they be able to dissect an owl pellet, but they will also get a deeper understanding of how matter passes through an ecosystem. This activity gives food chains and predator/prey relationships a purpose. The information become more than something that their teacher told them. It becomes tangible with a real world application focus. Please help me help our future.
Donations of ANY size can make a BIG difference!
Last week, we helped complete two projects!
First-year teacher Ms. Almeida will get her wish to give her El Paso third-graders a chance to learn with a tiny Ozobot programmable robot. Her project was Ozobots for Coding!
She writes: Thank you so much for your kind donation. These resources will help me become a better teacher and help the improvement of my kids' social emotional learning. Our school is currently in a terrible budget crisis. This resource would never have been possible without the help of amazing donors like you. Thank you for giving my students the hope that there are people in their community that care about them and their educational well being. Once again thank you for your support and for caring about my kids.
Mrs. Miller’s rural Texas elementary students need some enrichment beyond the standard math-and-reading-focused curriculum. She thinks this STEM-Engineering project kit will be just the thing. The project was Inspire Students to Change the World Through STEM Engineering Education.
She writes: Thank you so much for your contributions! I am so excited to engage my students through STEM and engineering! We will get started with enrichment activities tomorrow in September and this will be a wonderful extension. We can also use this to discuss wind and weather patterns in greater detail. Again, thank you so much for your generosity!
Our Dollars at Work
In February, we learned that Mrs. Schow maintains a MakerSpace in her second grade classroom at her small-town-Missouri school, and that it would benefit greatly from some tools and a fresh supply of interesting materials. TIP to the rescue! The project was Our MakerSpace Needs Some Materials & Tools - Part 1. (More photos at the link.)
I am so appreciative that Daily Kos chose our project to highlight for a week. What a blessing! The project completely funded that week. The supplies arrived within days after that. My students were so excited to see a large box packed "plum-full" with many smaller boxes, as Coleman put it. It is almost like Christmas when you get these projects fulfilled!
These MakerSpace items will be placed in an organized way to be accessible to the students. We will have lessons on how to use the tools, to create projects. The wire, plastic tubing, wooden & foam shapes, craft tubes, wheels & propellers, and containers will be "well-used"!
Our MakerSpace builds confidence and encourages creativity using innovation, as well as fostering inspired ideas. I am excited to have this variety of resources and tools to give the girls and boys the opportunity to challenge their brains and enjoy more hands-on activities.
By donating to this project, you supported boys and girls by opening the STEM doors to all of our students. You have helped to make a difference for an entire community of children for years to come. You have my sincere thanks.
[my emphasis]
Founded in 2009, The Inoculation Project combats the anti-science push in conservative America by funding science and math projects in 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 science or math projects, 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 761! The success-list diary also contains links and additional information about DonorsChoose.org.