This week, we’re helping Texas classes in middle and elementary grades to learn from home, with books and headphones in one case, and in the other, with an innovative piece of technology that will allow their teacher to make all manner of learning materials affordably, with enough copies for every student! 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 don’t usually pick projects requesting some big piece of hardware, just because there are a zillion projects and others are generally more interesting to read about. This is one of the exceptions. Mrs. Juarez has never quit going the extra mile for her Texas middle school students. She emptied her own pockets this spring to buy supplies for them to use at home, but of course she couldn’t keep doing that indefinitely.
Then she learned about this tool: the Cricut ‘Maker’, a computer-directed cutting machine that can speedily cut complex shapes from paper, fabric, and other sheet materials. She realized she could create math manipulatives, games and puzzles, and learning aids for all manner of science lessons, that would be inexpensive and easy to distribute.
This project has been up since mid-July, and is more than half paid for, yet it has only one individual donor. The project history reveals that this is because, every time there was some kind of corporate matching-funds day, Mrs. Juarez dove in and put in some money herself, just to draw the matching donations! This lady is bent on doing this for her kids and I think she deserves a little more help. Who’s with me? (I know — you all are!)
MAIN PROJECT
Resources: Help me give my students a chance to be hands-on while at home. With the Cricut Maker, I can create games and activities for my students to learn at home.
Economic need: Nearly all students from low‑income households
Location: Cunningham Middle School at South Park, Corpus Christi, Texas
Total: $464.08
Still Needed: $180.26 $101.66
Teacher’s Comments from Mrs. Juarez:
My Students: My students have not been in school since March 6th. Our area is being hit hard by the coronavirus, and we will be looking at a new stay at home order soon. Whether or not the schools fully open, many of my students will be at home doing virtual learning.
My students learn best through hands-on activities which may prove difficult for the majority in a low-income household.
I send home small games and activities for my kids to get that hands-on learning. My kids need to view learning as fun again not just answering online quizzes. With more preparation time, I have been researching after listening to their input from the spring semester. I think I can make their learning fun at home as we did in school. Fun is the best way to learn!
My Project: This past spring, I struggled to engaged my students. I did receive one-time funding to purchase science kits. I was so excited as were the kids who received the kits, but I soon realized the costs of buying each child individual items! I would not be able to do that for my students this fall.
So many kids would love to learn in a way that is hands-on and fun!
I have learned from many other teachers how to create amazing games and activities using the Cricut.
Puzzles and matching activities can be created from paper and sent to their homes. Kids will be so happy to receive little learning gifts from their teachers.
While studying the body systems, kids will receive small models of bodies with removable organs to learn their structures and functions as well as organelles to arrange within the cell. Then kids can match organs and organelles that have the same function. While studying chemistry, students can work with atoms to create molecules. While studying Earth and Space Science, I will send home parts for kids to create models.
Many teachers are sharing ideas to create amazing learning games created on the Cricut I would love to share with my students.
Once back in the class, we will continue these individual games and activities to prevent the sharing of supplies while protecting students from COVID. I also plan to help kids stay safe by labeling students' masks with their names using vinyl Iron-on. My colleagues and I can create reminders of our safety protocol for their desks, bathrooms, and other areas.
Overall, a Cricut Maker will be an amazing tool to help make learning fun at home and safe while at school!
Donations of ANY size can make a BIG difference!
We started this long-term project with nomandates last week, and made excellent progress with matching funds. But, as sometimes happens, the matching funds have dried up, so the project magically is now just about as long-term as it was when we started! No worries, there’s plenty of time to chip away at it before it expires. And sadly, the need for individual supplies for each student won’t be going away very soon.
LONG-TERM PROJECT
Resources: Help me give my students amazing picture books to make math come alive!
Economic need: Nearly all students from low‑income households
Location: J R Harris Elementary School, Houston, Texas
Total: $630.84
Still Needed: $304.31 $239.31
Teacher’s Comments from Mrs. Madrigal:
My Students: My students are the best! I love how my babies never give up.
They are a smart, resilient, creative bunch who demonstrate their love for learning even when it gets tough.
Their eagerness to grow, to do better everyday melts my heart. The pandemic threw us a curveball, but we will succeed. We are on our way to an exciting 4th-grade adventure.
My Project: The headphones are for my students to use at home. During the spring, I noticed many of my kids got distracted while working at home among family members going about their daily chores. These will go on a kit to send home.
I have added math picture books that my eager learners will use to create context and make math learning fun!
The rest of the items will come very handy for teaching remotely and for their home kits. Lastly, PENCILS are a must for either learning face-to-face or safely from home.
Donations of ANY size can make a BIG difference!
McKellar’s Do Not Open This Math Book is one of the books this project will purchase.
Our main project from last week was completed, with a big assist from our readers!
In Mrs. Birdsong’s fifth grade class in western Kentucky, supplies like small whiteboards and math manipulatives aren’t plentiful enough for each student to have a set at home, and even if school is taught on-site, it’s not safe for them to share. We’re happy to have helped, thanks to the project Magnificant Manipulatives for Everyone!
She writes: There are not enough words to express my joy, gratitude, and thanks for your generous donations to my class project. My students and I are so very appreciative of your support for education and creative, hands-on techniques for learning. We are looking forward to using all the materials in our math manipulative bags. They will be a great tool as we continue to grow and learn in the classroom. We can't wait to share some pictures of us using our new math manipulatives. Thank you again!
Our Dollars at Work
Back in May, Ms. Jones was working hard to help her Wisconsin fourth grade class learn from home. She wanted a book that her class could read together, a copy for everyone, and she picked the popular Diary of An Awesome Friendly Kid, along with a pocket-size math game played with dice. The project was Reading and Math Go Great Together. (More photos at the link.)
We have started school online for this school year. This means the kids need the resources that they would have in school. The kids received the math dice and the book, Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid. We read the Diary of a Wimpy Kid in class last year and we loop so this is the same group of kids. They were thrilled to get their new books. We read online out loud each day over Zoom. The kids love the book and always want to read more when we have to stop.
The math dice are nice for them to practice their fact practice. They can play alone or with someone else at home.
Thank you again for making our virtual learning a bit easier for us!
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 842! The success-list diary also contains links and additional information about DonorsChoose.org.