This week, we're helping to provide distance learning materials for elementary school science classes in Florida and Georgia. Here is DonorsChoose.org’s message regarding Distance Learning projects:
These materials will help students continue learning through school closures and other scheduling uncertainties related to coronavirus. Items will be delivered to the location chosen by the teacher.
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’ve made lots of progress on this Florida pre-K project providing students at-home kits that will allow them to build a fanciful “cottage” and sprout a tiny real garden in its yard.
MAIN PROJECT
Resources: Help me give my students their very own garden kit to create, grow, and experience!
Economic need: Nearly all students from low‑income households
Location: Hogan-Spring Glen Elementary School, Jacksonville, Florida
Total: $393.29
Still Needed: $164.76 Completed, thank you!
Teacher’s Comments from Mrs. Bopst:
My Students: Our classroom was a vibrant, exciting location for my students to explore and investigate as they mastered the VPK curriculum. Every day 20 smiling faces would enter the room curious and eager to discover what fun and learning would be available and waiting for them that day. Our 'family' cooperated and shared and investigated together so that each child felt supported and capable in learning.
In the classroom, I would provide many hands-on, real life, close up experiences to encourage a love for learning and an interest in the wonders of the world around us.
We are a Title I school and many students come from hard working families that struggle financially. Our classroom environment and activities that were available to each child every day provided an opportunity for equal access and understanding of care and respect for our materials and especially for each other.
My Project: There have been many challenges during this time of virtual school. One of the most disappointing has been the inability for my VPK students to participate in the many hands on opportunities that would have been provided. Although they have watched experiments on the computer, they lost the opportunity to engage first hand in the wonder and excitement of the world around them.
It is my goal to amaze and excite my students by providing them materials for experiments they can complete in their homes.
We have watched caterpillars become butterflies. We have watched beans sprout. We have watched carrot tops grow leaves. With this project, we will do!
[Here’s what Mrs. Bopst wants to give each child: Rainbow Cottage Kids Garden Kit – Rainbow Cottage Model Kit for Kids with Indoor Garden, Includes Flower and Vegetable Seeds, Peat Pellets, Activity Guide, and More]
Donations of ANY size can make a BIG difference!
This never-before-funded STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) teacher is requesting a more diverse collection of books to read to her students, either online or in the classroom, this fall. I’ve included her list of 40 books below the image.
LONG-TERM PROJECT
Resources: Help me give my students quality literature that represents people who look like them.
Economic need: Nearly all students from low‑income households
Location: King Springs Elementary School 2-5 Campus, Smyrna, Georgia
Total: $753.41 (all donations currently doubled)
Still Needed: $601.65 Completed, thank you!
Teacher’s Comments from Mrs. Whitesell:
My Students: My students come from a variety of diverse backgrounds. Currently the K-5 student body is around 1150 students. The demographics break down as follows: White= 42%, Black= 31%, Asian= 10%, Hispanic= 10%, Two or More Races= 7%. Each student brings valuable insights to our school community from their different cultures. As the STEM teacher I have the opportunity to teach every single student at the school.
My students are growing to become fearless and life long learners and I want them to know that they are capable of great things.
It is important to me that my students are able to connect what they are learning about to real world situations so they can see their limitless potential.
My Project: It is up in the air right now whether or not school will begin in early August with in person learning or distance learning. Whether I am teaching in person or virtually, I love to link literature to each of my STEM related lessons. I usually start each lesson with a book and then have my students complete a STEM or design related challenge that ties into the book.
Through examining my current library of STEM related books, I realized that the people and characters in my books were not an accurate reflection of the diversity of the students I teach.
If I want my students to continue to reach their full potential through my instruction it is important that they see themselves in the books that I read with them.
These books will help them to do that regardless of where they are learning. I will be able to either read the books virtually or in person and help my students learn about and connect to real people in STEM careers, or innovative characters who solve real world problems.
Book list:
- Everyday Superheroes: Women in STEM Careers
- Amy Wu and the Patchwork Dragon
- Harlem Grown: How One Big Idea Transformed a Neighborhood
- Grasping Mysteries: Girls Who Loved Math
- Buzzing with Questions: The Inquisitive Mind of Charles Henry Turner
- Kamala and Maya’s Big Idea
- Boxitects
- Jabari Tries
- My Rainy Day Rocket Ship
- Fearless Trailblazers: 11 Latinos who made U.S. History (English and Spanish Edition)
- Born Curious: 20 Girls Who Grew Up to Be Awesome Scientists
- How to Code a Rollercoaster
- Sasha Savvy Loves to Code
- Have You Thanked a Kidventor Today?
- Dream Builder: The Story of Architect Philip Freelon
- Libby Loves Science
- Rocket Says Clean Up!
- More than a Princess
- Iqbal and His Ingenious Idea: How a Science Project Helps One Family and the Planet (CitizenKid)
- Indigo Blume and the Garden City
- When Grandpa Gives You a Toolbox
- Changing the Equation: 50+ US Black Women in STEM
- Have You Thanked an Inventor Today?
- The Little Red Fort
- The Thing About Bees: A Love Letter
- Who Did It First? 50 Politicians, Activists, and Entrepreneurs Who Revolutionized the World
- Izzy Gizmo
- The Thing Lou Couldn't Do
- Abby Invents Unbreakable Crayons
- Kid Engineers (Stem Books For Kids)
- How to Solve a Problem: The Rise (and Falls) of a Rock-Climbing Champion
- Brave. Black. First.: 50+ African American Women Who Changed the World
- Magnus O'Meere, Mind Pioneer
- Astro Girl
- Immigrant Architect: Rafael Guastavino and the American Dream
- Ada's Violin: The Story of the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay
- Cao Chong Weighs an Elephant
- There's No Dream Too Tall
- Whoosh!: Lonnie Johnson's Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions
- I Can Build It!: An Acorn Book (Princess Truly #3)
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 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 833! The success-list diary also contains links and additional information about DonorsChoose.org.