This week, we’re helping a Little Rock kindergarten get some books, blocks, and learning games, and an Oklahoma City special-needs classroom get equipment for growing plants indoors. 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 and math 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.
This never-before-funded kindergarten teacher in Little Rock is working against a lot of obstacles. Last Thursday’s matching grant for all book projects is used up, but this project has 2x matching funds from “An Anonymous Funder”: We're proud to help teachers access hands-on resources to make sure students have what they need to keep learning.
PROJECT #1
Resources: Help me give my students counting blocks, reading material, and manipulates to help them further connect the learning dots.
Economic need: An Equity Focus School; nearly all students from low‑income households
Location: Meadowcliff Elementary School, Little Rock, Arkansas
Total: $566.72 (2x matching funds from An Anonymous Funder)
Still Needed: $566.72 $306.72 ($154 from us)
Teacher’s Comments from Ms. Wright:
My Students: My Kindergarten class at our elementary school consists of 25 students. Our school is considered a low-performing school, however, my students are excited and eager to learn new things. It has been my struggle to fill in the gaps with students during this pandemic. The majority of my students come from low-income households and do not have access to these materials. It is my duty to provide my students with multiple opportunities for growth and development into skilled readers.
My Project: The materials and supplies I am requesting will really benefit the students' needs. In this classroom, we have about 75% of the class below grade level. With these supplies, I will be able to give better demonstrations and provide hands-on experiences. I will also be able to create home kits for students who need extra assistance. Using the dry erase boards students will be able to do a variety of interactive activities that will support their learning needs.
No matter what the students may grow up to be or do they will always use their math and reading skills.
Providing the students with tracing letters and blocks will help them read and write better. Reading, counting, and writing are skills students will use every day. Students are required to read a different book every day to help enhance their reading skills. The books I have requested will support the science of reading governed by the state of Arkansas. Thus, helping the students to grow and develop into fluent readers. The books I have chosen will also give me the ability to expose students to different genres.
Donations of ANY size can make a BIG difference!
A collection of ten “I Can Read” books is among the resources requested. The classic A Picture for Harold’s Room is one of them. See full list here.
An unusual school setting for some special-needs students in Oklahoma City really caught my attention. This project currently has 2x matching funds from General Motors: As we continue to navigate the global pandemic, now more than ever, equipping educators with resources and tools to confidently teach STEM curriculum is critical in the development of our future innovators and leaders in STEM.
PROJECT #2
Resources: Help me give my students these great educational Hydroponic gardens for science class.
Economic need: An Equity Focus School; nearly all students from low‑income households
Location: OKC Extended Educational Services, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Total: $708.72 (2x matching funds from General Motors)
Still Needed: $655.78 $395.78 ($198 from us)
Teacher’s Comments from Mr. Hatcher:
My Students: I have a diverse classroom consisting of 3-5 grade levels of special needs children. These children come from different and difficult situations. My site is located in a hospital setting and due to privacy issues, I am not allowed to show photos of the children. We have limited supplies, and many days have to make do with what we can find on free websites. These donations will go a long way in helping these children get to use items they might never have the opportunity to otherwise.
These children are eager to learn but just need the opportunity to thrive and prosper.
Despite so many hardships, my students are eager to learn and do their best. They want to be in school because they want to learn all they can so they can be successful one day.
My Project: I am excited to teach my students about plants, how they grow and different ways to grow them.
They will learn old and new ways to grow plants and visually see their success.
With these great kits, I will be able to allow the students daily, hands on teaching of how plants grow. They will do assignments from the ground up, from planting seeds, watering, measuring and taking daily care of their own plants. This will give them great tools to use. They will see how different plants grow such as carrots and onions as well as herbs. These will be great teaching tools for our science class.
Donations of ANY size can make a BIG difference!
Both of our projects from last week were completed, with a big assist from our readers!
Project #1, Geometry with Legos: Mrs. Smeltzer’s Kansas City middle school students are working on geometry, and she needed some Legos to help them understand the subject better.
She writes: I cannot express enough gratitude for your donations. I know my students are going to enjoy a more hands on approach and because of your support I can now make that happen. I know that these legos are going to supply a fun approach to learning. I cannot wait to provide evidence of how much my students will enjoy learning with legos.
Project #2, More Boundless Books: Ms. Dunnell’s students attend a high school in St. Louis. She wanted them all to have the chance to read The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison.
She writes: Wow! This project is going to make it possible for every student each hour to have a book in hand while we read The Bluest Eye in a few months' time.
Your generosity is helping my students learn more about the past through reading, but also showing them that people around the world are rooting for them and their future.
DonorsChoose has developed a new designation for schools that submit projects. Equity Focus Schools 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 push in conservative America by funding science and math projects in red-state 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 science or math projects, preferably 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 935! The success-list diary also contains links and additional information about DonorsChoose.
You can follow DonorsChoose on Twitter HERE to get their latest updates.