This week, we’re helping an Iowa fourth grade get some books, and a North Carolina high school class get a microscope and some coding robots. 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 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.
We’ve made so much progress on this project, it’s up here this week!
Mrs. Meyers teaches fourth grade in a town northwest of Des Moines, and she needs more books to help turn her students into lifelong readers!
PROJECT #1
Resources: Help me give my students many different levels of books to choose from.
Economic need: An Equity Focus School; more than half of students from low‑income households.
Location: Perry Elementary School, Perry, Iowa
Total: $475.21
Still Needed: $191.98 $63.45
Project description by Mrs. Myers: The only books many of my students have access to are from my classroom. These books will enhance my classroom library.
Students become better readers by reading.
They need lots of books available to them. I want to expose my students to many different genres and characters. I want my students to be able to see themselves in these books. My goal is for my students to read books because they enjoy reading not because I ask them to read. I like having many different series of books because if you can get someone hooked on one book, they will come back for more!
Donations of ANY size can make a BIG difference!
The author of some requested books, the “Spy School” series, sits for a TV interview about his work.
We have a new project today, and it’s got a terrific matching grant at the moment!
Mrs. Price teaches high school in a small town in eastern North Carolina. She has a very interesting project in mind that will combine microscope viewing with robot coding in an innovative way.
We’re helped here by 3x matching funds, which we don’t see very often, from “a local family foundation”. (3x meaning, they will double-match your donation so it ends up being 3 times as much as it was originally. You give $1, they give $2 for a total of $3.)
PROJECT #2
Resources: Help me give my students the exploration of the intersection of biology and computer science through hands-on experimentation with coding robots and digital microscopy tools, creating an innovative makerspace where science meets technology.
Economic need: An Equity Focus School; nearly all students from low‑income households.
Location: Southwest Edgecombe High School, Pinetops, North Carolina
Total: $764.18 (3x matching funds from ”a local family foundation”)
Still Needed: $764.18 $536.88 ($188 from us)
Project description by Mrs. Price: Our students are passionate innovators who light up when discovering new ways to solve problems. Despite varying academic backgrounds, they unite through curiosity and collaboration in our library makerspace. The requested resources will transform their learning by combining coding and scientific exploration in unprecedented ways.
The Artie Max and Botley 2.0 robots will teach coding through hands-on experimentation.
As students program these robots to recreate patterns they observe under the GeoSafari MicroPro microscope, they'll bridge the gap between biological observation and digital representation. Our innovative learners will use the GeoSafari MicroPro microscope to examine and document microscopic specimens, then program Artie Max and Botley 2.0 robots to recreate these biological patterns through coding commands - for example, having Artie Max draw the spiral structure of a microscopic shell or programming Botley to navigate a maze based on the pathway of observed microorganisms. This hands-on connection between scientific observation and robotic recreation makes abstract concepts concrete while building both coding and analytical skills. This connection between science and technology sparks deeper understanding and engagement.
What makes our students truly special is their willingness to support each other's learning journeys. When one student masters a coding concept or makes an exciting microscopic discovery, they eagerly share their knowledge with peers. The mobile utility cart will create a flexible learning environment, allowing us to transport our STEAM resources between the library and classrooms, fostering this collaborative spirit.
Our goals are threefold: develop students' coding literacy, enhance scientific observation skills, and strengthen peer-to-peer learning. By combining these tools, students will create an interactive "Microbe Museum" where they'll share their discoveries through coded demonstrations and digital presentations, making abstract concepts tangible for the entire school community.
Donations of ANY size can make a BIG difference!
A brief introduction to the requested Artie Max drawing robot.
Our project #1 from last week was completed! Our readers had much to do with that happy outcome.
Project #1, Help Close Our Literacy Gap With Hands on Activities: Ms. Rampersad is working with middle school students in the Bronx who need extra help with reading, and she needed materials to help them advance.
She writes: Thank you so much for your generosity! Because of you, we can get a little closer to closing the literacy gap. Your contribution is invaluable for the education of these young readers. We look forward to sending you pictures and updates on how your investment is shaping their future education.
| 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 seeks to fund science, math, and literacy projects in 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 1136! The success-list diary also contains links and additional information about DonorsChoose.
