This week, we’re helping provide environmental science activity kits for an elementary school classroom in San Antonio and a mini-robot for a high school classroom and after-school computer club in St. Louis. 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, math, and literacy projects for red-state public schools in low-income neighborhoods. As always, our conduit is DonorsChoose, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation that facilitates tax-deductible donations to specific, vetted projects in public schools.
Let’s take advantage of a matching offer to provide a variety of environmental science activity kits for a never-before-funded elementary school classroom in San Antonio. Donations to this project are being matched by General Motors: At GM, we know that equipping educators of color with resources to confidently teach STEM concepts in the classroom is a cornerstone in the development of our future innovators and leaders in STEM fields.
PROJECT #1
Resources: Help me give my students fun and engaging lessons in Science using hands-on kits!
Economic need: An Equity Focus School; nearly all students from low‑income households.
Location: Sky Harbor Elementary School, San Antonio, Texas
Total: $560.64 (2x matching funds)
Still Needed: $495.34 Completed, thank you! Please consider Project #2 below.
Project description by Ms. Cantú:
I am a proud bilingual teacher who believes in and promotes literacy through hands-on activities. Nothing enhances a student's learning than hands-on activities! With these kits easily accessible to all our students, it will promote the love of learning by being able to experiment like a scientist. Having the opportunity to apply what they have read will help my students make those connections to apply in the world and their own learning. Every student deserves a chance to take ownership of their own learning. With these kits, they will be able to do so and more!
Added note: The requested activity kits focus on matter, properties of earth, and ecosystems.
Donations of ANY size can make a BIG difference!
As belinda ridgewood explained in last week’s TIP diary, Ms. Williams needs her St. Louis high school students to have a chance to program these cool little golf-ball-sized robots. Ms. Williams even stopped by to thank us the first week we featured her project!
PROJECT #2
Resources: Help me give my students by providing Sphero Mini equipment for our STEM / Computer / Technology Student Associate Club. My goal is to expose and educate my scholars in technology in a fun and creative way(s).
Economic need: An Equity Focus School; nearly all students from low‑income households.
Location: Riverview Gardens High School, Saint Louis, Missouri
Total: $527.25
Still Needed: $264.60 $156.07
Project description by Ms. Angela Williams:
Technology and coding are a part of everyone's life now. It is important to educate on how technology works. By having the Sphero Mini in the classroom I can achieve taking the fear out of coding for my students.
The Sphero will be used to teach coding, math practices, and navigational skills when used in obstacle courses.
It will foster team cooperation and self-reliance. Yes, a small little robot can do all that for just one child.
The Sphero will be used in class and in the after-school computer club.
Donations of ANY size can make a BIG difference!
The first video is a manufacturer’s ad for the product; the second is a review that gives a little more detail on the many things the robots can do.
With lots of assistance from our readers, one of last week’s projects — STEM Building Tools for Second Graders — was completed. Here’s the teacher’s thank you note:
I am beyond thankful for all of the generous donations that our project received. My 2nd graders are going to be so excited to collaborate and problem solve as they build with these materials. Play is truly the best type of learning for children and these materials will prove hours of quality play time and team building. Thank you so very much!
With gratitude,
Mrs. Halaburda
DonorsChoose has developed the designation Equity Focus Schools to describe some schools that submit projects. They meet two criteria: at least 50% of students are Black, Latinx, Native American, Pacific Islander, or multiracial, and at least 50% of students qualify for free or reduced price lunch, the standard measure for school economic need. You can read more at the link about their efforts to address the longstanding inequity in education. |
Founded in 2009, The Inoculation Project combats the anti-science, anti-education push in conservative America by funding science, math, and literacy projects in red-state public school classrooms and libraries. Our conduit is DonorsChoose, 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 projects 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 981! The success-list diary also contains links and additional information about DonorsChoose.