This week, we’re helping elementary-grades projects in Oklahoma, where STEM building materials are needed, and Arizona, where Diné language materials would help students acquire the language at an early age. 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 have two new projects today, both of which will benefit students of Indigenous heritage.
Mrs. Watters teaches elementary school in a very tiny town in the Seminole Nation in Oklahoma, where some STEM materials would catch students’ interest.
PROJECT #1
Resources: Help me give my students STEM activity kits for the classroom to build as a team project.
Economic need: An Equity Focus School; nearly all students from low‑income households.
Location: Sasakwa School, Sasakwa, Oklahoma
Total: $166.25
Still Needed: $166.25 Completed, thank you! Please consider Project #2 below.
Project description by Mrs. Watters: I plan to use the STEM cards to work on STEM projects and help my students make projects in a hands-on way. I plan to use the Lego gear bots, marble run, and bridge builders kits to break my students up into groups and help promote teamwork and bonding while building fun and exciting new things. These kits will be an improvement to my classroom and will teach my students life-long skills both in the classroom and at home. STEM projects can provide a wide variety of learning opportunities for a students' developing mind in the classroom.
Donations of ANY size can make a BIG difference!
A YouTube reviewer has some good things to say about the requested “Klutz Lego Gear Bots Science” activity kit.
This is quite an ambitious project, but it’s also so awesome, we really can’t not do it! I think we’ll manage.
Ms. Gover teaches early elementary grades in a small Arizona town in the Navajo Nation. She figures, as long as she’s working on language skills, why shouldn’t her students also acquire Diné language skills?
PROJECT #2
Resources: Help me give my students some culturally relevant materials to promote Diné (Navajo) language.
Economic need: An Equity Focus School; nearly all students from low‑income households.
Location: Indian Wells Elementary School, Indian Wells, Arizona
Total: $987.74
Still Needed: $461.27 $141.27
Project description by Ms. Gover: The specific items requested will build up language skills in both Diné and English. The flashcards and activity book will be used during after-school activities.
My goal for this project is for students to build their Navajo language skills at a young age to help with language revitalization.
My students are special because they have an opportunity to be bilingual students. There is research that supports bilingual and multilingual students aids in academic achievement throughout their academic careers. Not only will this help their academic achievement, it will also help with language revitalization.
Donations of ANY size can make a BIG difference!
This short segment from the PBS series Native America tells how Star Wars came to be dubbed into the Navajo language. (Side note: Jonathan Nez, then-president of the Navajo Nation, is shown introducing the screening. He is running for Congress in AZ-02 — you can support him here.)
Both our projects from last week were completed, including the one that was dangerously close to its expiration! Many thanks to our readers, as always, but particularly for coming to the rescue in that case!
Project #1, Sunset Biology Gets to Dissect!: Mrs. Simms hoped to give her Dallas high school students a chance to dissect a frog.
As I write, Mrs. Simms has not seen the good news yet, but we’ll bring you her note when it becomes available.
Project #2, Visualize Mitosis!: Mrs. Welch wanted her Kentucky middle school students to have sets of microscope slides that would help them learn about plant mitosis.
She writes: I wanted to extend my heartfelt gratitude for your generous donations and unwavering support for our science classroom. Your contributions have made an incredible impact on our ability to provide hands-on learning experiences for our students, particularly in studying the fascinating process of mitosis through microscope slides.
Your generosity has given my students the tools they need to explore and understand the wonders of biology in a tangible way. These hands-on activities not only enhance their learning but also ignite a passion for discovery that will stay with them for years to come.
Thank you once again for believing in the power of education and for investing in the future of our young scientists. Your support is truly appreciated, and we are deeply grateful for your kindness.
| 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 1120! The success-list diary also contains links and additional information about DonorsChoose.
