This week, we’re helping a Kentucky school librarian bring coding robots to her elementary students, and a St. Louis science teacher assemble an array of age-appropriate science lab kits. 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 made good progress with this project last week, when it had a 1.5x match offer. This week, looks like they’ve run out of matching funds, so the amount left is all on us individual donors. Luckily, it did get down to a very manageable amount before that happened!
Last week, nomandates told us: Let’s help this never-before-funded librarian provide Ozobots for students to learn coding skills. I think she has donated 3 times to her own project.
MAIN PROJECT
Resources: Help me give my students an opportunity to learn computer science skills by coding Ozobots.
Economic need: Nearly all students from low‑income households
Location: Wilkerson Traditional Elementary School, Louisville, Kentucky
Total: $657.86
Still Needed: $112.84 Completed, thanks! Please consider long-term project below.
Librarian’s Comments from Mrs. Baker:
My Students: My students are from a Title I school in one of the largest districts in the United States. I am the Library Media Specialist, so I have the benefit of working with every student in the school ranging from kindergarten to 5th grade. The school population averages 425 students and is racially, ethnically, and socio-economically diverse.
Each student brings something unique to our school culture, which promotes a unity not seen at all schools.
The students are inquisitive and eager to learn, so they can better understand and change the world around them. After participating in the Week of Code, students in all grades have evolved as innovators with a passion for coding in various content related areas.
My Project: Ozobots utilize color to teach coding skills. Using color to teach computer science skills allows all our students, including our youngest students and ESL students, to begin learning the components of coding. Students create color-coded paths for their Ozobots to follow. Students will write stories, and then work as a group to program the tiny robots to travel through their story as one of the characters. Students will not only utilize the Ozobots to bring their writing to life, but they will also re-enact historical events and program the robots to demonstrate their knowledge in science, math, and ELA content areas.
Donations of ANY size can make a BIG difference!
Since the carryover main project is quite close to completion, here’s another ambitious-sized long-term project for a never-before-funded teacher. Although the school is named as an elementary school, elsewhere the project page indicates the students are middle-school-age kids. I’m not sure the description really conveys how much good stuff is in this project, so I’ve put a list of what’s being requested at the bottom, under the teacher’s comments.
LONG-TERM PROJECT
Resources: Help me give my students an opportunity to better understand Space with a hands-on experience using these labs.
Economic need: Nearly all students from low‑income households
Location: Washington Elementary School, Saint Louis, Missouri
Total: $524.06
Still Needed: $524.06 $371.00
Teacher’s Comments from Ms. Johnson:
My Students: The students in my class are very enthusiastic when it comes to learning. They enjoy S.T.E.A.M. focused projects and "Inquiry-Based" learning. What I love about these students is their willingness to expand their learning. They have become (without my urging) lifelong learners. Also, the students work collaboratively to assist others who are struggling in Science class with information to build on their background knowledge.
S.T.E.A.M.
is all around you, create your own destiny.
The most exciting part of the day is when the students conduct Science labs. To see the smiling faces and the strengths of EVERY student in Science labs warms my heart. Knowing that the students are able to incorporate the research learned in class into practice, really brightens my day!
My Project: The materials will provide my students with opportunities to visualize the wonders of our universe through hands-on experiences.
The students will develop strategies to create solar rovers and conduct water experiments to better understand why astronauts are important to our society.
The students will be able to imagine themselves in Space performing similar jobs to space explorers.
Also, the students will be able to provide extrinsic details why exploring Space is necessary for us as human beings. Along with discovering occupations that could be possible for them in the near future.
The whole goal is to provide urban students with opportunities to unearth a world of scientific observations that can promote success for all.
- 4M Magnet Science Kit
- 4M Kidzlabs Anti Gravity Magnetic Levitation Science Kit - Maglev Physics
- 4M Weather Science Kit - Climate Change, Global Warming
- Magical Microbes MudWatt STEM Kit: Clean Energy from Mud!
- Thames & Kosmos Magnetic Science
- 4M Green Science Dynamo Torch - DIY Mechanical Green Alternative Energy Lab
- 4M Potato Clock DIY Green Science Chemistry Engineering Lab
- EZ BioResearch Bacteria Science Kit (I) : Pre-poured LB Agar Plates and Cotton Swabs, E-Book for Science Fair Project with Award Winning Experiments
- 4M 3-in-1 Mini Solar Robot
- 14-in-1 Drinking Water Test Kit by Baldwin Meadows - Water Quality Test for Well Water and Tap Water - IMPROVED SENSITIVITY detects low level ranges for Lead, Fluoride, Iron, Copper & Mercury + MORE!
- 4M Hover Racer Science Kit, DIY Mechanical Engineering Airboat
- 4M Clean Water Science - Climate Change, Global Warming, Lab
- 4M Green Science Windmill Generator Kit
Donations of ANY size can make a BIG difference!
Our long-term project from last week was completed, with a big assist from our readers! You’ll recall that this was a project of ambitious size, that we were hoping to help over the finish line before its matching-funds grant had a chance to run out, and I’m glad to say we did!
Mrs. VanHeuveln’s high school is located on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, and so is starved of resources. She’ll be receiving materials to teach robotics and the Python programming language, and hopefully equip her students to compete as a team. The project was Cyber:bot Robotics course will be competition-ready!
She writes: Thank you from the bottom of my heart, as well as my students! I am so appreciative of your generosity. One doesn't realize the impact that they can make on another's life, and their education. I am so happy that I found DonorsChoose, and will continue to pay it forward as well!
Our Dollars at Work
In November, Mr. Allen’s rural Georgia 4th grade was studying space, and he wanted them to be able to build their own telescopes, to better understand how they work. We were able to help with sending them the lenses and other supplies they needed. The project was Stargazing in 4th Grade. (More photos at the link.)
Our students had a wonderfully engaging time making their telescopes! We were able to explore the lenses and how they work. (We even had a thoughtful discussion on how our eyes work!) Their little minds were working overtime just with the lens exploration!
The construction of the actual telescope took some time, but when they were built the students were amazed at how the telescopes work. We spent a couple of class periods outside just exploring them. Students even developed their own experiments to see what their telescope could do!
With this project we were able to compare our homemade ones to the ones we have in the classroom. We learned about all the parts and the students were able to connect what they built to the larger one! I've never had a class learn the parts so quickly.
As a result of your giving my students are still excited about the stars. Even though that particular unit is over we still have many side lessons on stars, planets, and the universe. They are so much more excited about space than any other class I've had.
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 801! The success-list diary also contains links and additional information about DonorsChoose.org.