This week, we’re helping a St. Louis high school teacher needing Sphero robots for students to program, and a Georgia second grade teacher seeking experiment kits about several science topics. 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.
Okay, then, let’s take another shot at giving an opportunity to our regular donors who haven’t had a chance to stop by yet this week.
PROJECT #4
Resources: Help me give my students science and reading hands on activities in a 21st century world using Alive 3D style.
Economic need: An Equity Focus School; nearly all students from low‑income households.
Location: A G Hilliard Elementary School, Houston, Texas
Total: $684.84 (3x matching funds from A Friend in Houston)
Still Needed: $384.84 $279.84 ($94 from us)
Project description by Ms. Searles:
Reading can be fun and exciting to learn for little learners but what better way than to bring a 3D learning style to a classroom.
3D animals that pop on the screen will create learners of reading, writing and science, while teaching the young learners to use technology for learning not just entertainment.
This interactive learning tool will allow my students to take pictures, practice letters and sounds and create online journals to support reading by scanning a bar code. What better way to start a journey of learning than using tools that adults use everyday. Please help my young learners to use technology to grow their learning.
Donations of ANY size can make a BIG difference!
The original update:
When I see the same person who does not check in here nevertheless complete both of our disparate projects, I can’t help but suspect this person is a TIP reader. If so, thank you!
Because it’s so early and lots of folks have not stopped by yet, I’m tossing up an emergency project #3, also for a never-before-funded teacher.
PROJECT #3
Resources: Help me give my students garden tools, seeds and supplies to grow their own gardens as we study the life cycle of plants.
Economic need: An Equity Focus School; nearly all students from low‑income households.
Location: Crow Leadership Academy, Arlington, Texas
Total: $409.71
Still Needed: $158.71 Completed — thank you!
Project description by Mrs. Ruby:
Our students are ready to develop their green thumbs by planting seeds and watching them grow on our new garden patio! By giving them the hands-on experience of planting seeds and caring for their own plants, our students will learn about the needs of plants, plant cycles, and environmental systems.
These materials will allow us to provide enriching opportunities for our youngest learners to take action and see their role in the environment.
What better way to engage their curiosity than watching their own garden grow from seed to plant!
Donations of ANY size can make a BIG difference!
The original diary:
We are almost there with this substantial project! Ms. Williams (who, you’ll remember, stopped by to thank us) is so close to getting her St. Louis high school students a chance to program these cool little golf-ball-sized robots!
PROJECT #1
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: $156.07 Completed! Thank you!
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.
Here’s another chance for us to leverage matching funds! Ms. Lee is a never-before-funded second-grade teacher in Georgia, hoping to fund some science activity kits about the solar system, matter, and forces.
The project currently has 2x matching funds from 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 #2
Resources: Help me give my students an opportunity to explore science through authentic project-based learning tasks.
Economic need: An Equity Focus School; nearly all students from low‑income households.
Location: Riverside Elementary School, Mableton, Georgia
Total: $387.21 (2x matching funds from General Motors)
Still Needed: $387.21 Completed! Thank you!
Teacher’s Comments from Ms. Lee:
My Project: Project-based learning is essential to the growth and exploration of our students as they learn about the world around them. Hands-on science activity centers will allow students to explore, investigate, and learn science concepts in meaningful and realistic ways.
The thermometers, matter, solar system, and force and motion activity tubs will help my second-grade students begin to become scientists actively engaging them in the scientific process.
The ability to physically engage with scientific phenomenon will improve student motivation, critical thinking, creativity, communication, and collaborative skills.
I will use these materials to provide hands-on opportunities for students to investigate and better understand science in the real world.
Donations of ANY size can make a BIG difference!
One of the topics is the solar system. I liked this project to lay out a model solar system to scale in the Black Rock Desert in Nevada.
There’s a little “making of” video too.
Last week, our main project was completed, with a big boost from our readers and some matching funds from General Motors!
Project #1, A World of Science: Ms. Cantú is a bilingual teacher at a San Antonio elementary school, never before funded by DonorsChoose, and she’s been trying to get her students an assortment of environmental science activity kits.
She writes: You did it! I am so grateful and excited. I especially can't wait to see the looks on my students' faces when they realize I am going to ""allow"" them to manipulate actual materials! Because of your support, students will be able to learn about a part of the world and science that most of them know very little about. Each one of you is a true hero for supporting public school kids. Thank you!!!!
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 982! The success-list diary also contains links and additional information about DonorsChoose.