This week, we’re helping two classrooms in different parts of Arkansas: a high school class that wants to do a lab about how muscles work, and a middle school class that needs more books. 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.
Our new #1 project will help Ms. Groves’ high school class, all the way in the northeast corner of Arkansas right by the Mississippi River, to do a lab that shows how ATP causes muscle tissue to contract.
PROJECT #1
Resources: Help me give my students a hands-on lab to explore muscle function.
Economic need: An Equity Focus School; nearly all students from low‑income households.
Location: Blytheville High School, Blytheville, Arkansas
Total: $267.71
Still Needed: $107.41 Completed, thank you! Please consider project #2 below.
Project description by Ms. Madison Groves: My students are eager learners who love to explore science beyond the pages of their textbooks. We are a Title I school in one of the most impoverished areas of the state, so it is often difficult to give them all of the science experiences that more affluent schools are able to offer.
With this ATP muscle kit, my Anatomy and Physiology students will be able to complete a lab that gives them a visible demonstration of muscle function.
These supplies will give my students the chance to explore anatomy in a more interesting and engaging way. My students love having the chance to complete labs, and this kit will give them another opportunity to do so. This kit is unique in its ability to demonstrate the concepts of muscle function beyond the pages of the textbook. This will be a great learning opportunity for all of my students.
Donations of ANY size can make a BIG difference!
The animated Amoeba Sisters explain all about how muscles work.
We made excellent progress on this ambitious project last week. Mr. Autry’s Arkansas middle-school students would love some new books, and he’d love to give them appealing books that would get them reading enough to improve their skills!
PROJECT #2
Resources: Help me give my students a change to read books that they enjoy! I have asked them the books they want and the big ones are Harry Potter, Baby Mouse, and the Saddleback Books.
Economic need: An Equity Focus School; more than half of students from low‑income households.
Location: Sylvan Hills Middle School, North Little Rock, Arkansas
Total: $505.86
Still Needed: $260.86 $145.86
Project description by Mr. Autry: In our society, the internet, specifically social media, has taken the short attention span of our students and made it that much shorter. By finding books that my students are interested in, I believe that I can rekindle the flame that is buried in their hearts for good stories. I hope to use the stories found in this project to ignite the passion for reading in my classroom. I have asked them the books they want and the big ones are Harry Potter, Baby Mouse, and the Saddleback Books.
As my students continue to read I hope to increase my students' reading stamina, which will help them to be prepared for entering college and the workforce.
By supporting this project, you will also help increase their reading scores on the NWEA MAP exams that they take every year. My students are yearning to learn and I hope this project can make that happen!
Donations of ANY size can make a BIG difference!
The Book Thief, one of the books on Mr. Autry’s list, is a NY Times best-seller about a girl in Nazi Germany who steals books because she loves them. This is a trailer from the 2013 movie.
Our main project last week was completed quite promptly, with the help of our readers — thank you!
Project #1, Hydroponic Explorers: Cultivating Learning in Our AeroGarden: Ms. Pili teaches high school in a small, mostly-indigenous village in Alaska. She was hoping to get an AeroGarden into her classroom, so her students can grow fresh greens and herbs.
She writes: Thank you for sharing your blessings to us. This project wouldn’t be possible without your generosity. Rest assured that this project will be used in a fun, interesting, educational, and environment-friendly way. God bless your beautiful hearts. More power and hope you continue to be a blessing to others.
| 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 1097! The success-list diary also contains links and additional information about DonorsChoose.
