This week, our first project will help Texas middle-schoolers map the ecoregions of their state, despite having lost their classroom supplies in Hurricane Harvey. Our second project is getting close to revamping a fifth-grade science lab in a rural classroom in El Paso County, even though the project’s matching funds offer has expired.
We hope that readers who support quality public school education will help these teachers and students 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.org, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation that facilitates tax-deductible donations to specific, vetted projects in public schools.
Our main project this week is in Port Aransas, Texas, a name you may recall from Hurricane Harvey coverage; it’s on a barrier island along the Gulf coast, so it was among the first places in Texas to be flattened by that storm. Matching funds are currently available from the Rebuild Texas Fund. The Rebuild Texas Fund is committed to supporting those on the ground doing the hard work of recovering from Hurricane Harvey. The efforts of our teachers, their students, and the community are so appreciated!
MAIN PROJECT
Resources: My students need chart paper, student pencil colors, and posterboard to complete to scale renderings of the ecoregions of Texas.
Economic need: More than a third of students from low‑income households
Location: Brundrett Middle School, Port Aransas, Texas
Total: $276.28 (Matching funds from the Rebuild Texas Fund)
Still Needed: $276.28 Completed! Please see project below!
Teacher’s Comments from Mr. Gips:
My Students: My students are outstanding hands-on learners! They love to use textbook material and translate it into drawings or charts that will help them learn new things in a different way! From the time that they walk into my classroom every day they are asking questions and looking around to see what we are doing in class and what materials that they might need for the lesson!
After Hurricane Harvey many of my students and myself included were left with virtually no supplies!
Throughout the school year we pulled together to meet every material need for the vast array of my learners. While I do use a large variety of learning strategies I love to watch students work together in groups. I absolutely enjoy watching them vary leadership roles, assign tasks to one another and search for success! I can't wait for the 2018-2019 school year to start!
My Project: Students will be able to render (to scale) a model of the ecoregions of Texas. Understanding that many students will not visit all of the ecoregions of Texas in their lifetime I think it is imperative that they still be able to grasp the details of each region.
Each student will use the posterboard to draw a model of the state of Texas, outlining and defining the ecoregions along with the different plant life, soil types, elevations and animals.
I attempted to do this project over the past year but with far less space on normal printer paper the students had difficultly having enough space for all of the information. In the end, we finished the project with making flip books for the information. With posterboard, chart paper, and colored pencils students will be able to keep all of the information on the same poster that students can keep with them for years to come!
Donations of ANY size can make a BIG difference!
For a map, and a discussion of each region (some with video links), see this page from Texas Parks and Wildlife.
As nomandates has told us, our long-term project is located in El Paso County, where the Trump “administration” opened a tent facility in Tornillo, Texas for the detention of immigrant children.
This never-before-funded teacher in a rural community has requested science safety glasses plus materials to study circuits. Unfortunately, an earlier match offer has expired, but we are surely close enough now to help complete this project before it expires in September.
LONG-TERM PROJECT
Resources: My students need circuits for series and parallel circuits to understand how they work. It's not enough to look at a video or read a magazine. The students need actual hands on exploration.
Economic need: Nearly all students from low‑income households
Location: Robert R. Rojas Elementary School, El Paso, Texas
Total: $593.11
Still Needed: $231.28 $87.75
Teacher’s Comments from Ms. H.:
My Students: I love the students enthusiasm! The students are very humble and very respectful! I teach in a rural community and many of the students work on a farm or on a ranch. Many of the students are being raised by grandparents, aunts, and uncles. The students know the value of an education and do whatever possible to learn. They stay after school and even come into school on Saturdays. 100% of the students in my classroom receive free lunch. Every student appreciates their teachers.
My Project: Safety first! Students need to understand that as you enter the science lab, safety is first. We would use the safety glasses donated in order to understand the importance of safety in the lab. Secondly we would use the circuits to understand series and parallel circuits in the classroom. This would be important for all students to understand by using hands on activities versus learning from pictures and videos on a computer screen. It's important that the students understand the real world experiences to understand science safety. Using the materials needed will help them understand many real world uses for circuits.
Donations of ANY size can make a BIG difference!
Last week, we completed an earlier long-term project, Robots and Music?!! The future is here now! Mrs. Noland has about about 500 music students in grades 3-5, in a small town outside Wichita Falls, Texas. This project will bring them a “Dash and Dot” programmable robot that comes with a 1-octave xylophone it’s able to strike. The kids can learn about technology and music by programming the robot to play various tunes.
Mrs. Noland writes: Thank you so much for finding this project! My students will be so excited to see these robots and what they can do. I strive to offer opportunities for my students to learn new skills and to be excited about learning. Your generous donation will assist my students as they grow in their learning. Thanks again for your support!!
Our Dollars at Work
This past Christmas Eve, we helped Ms. Werner’s Miami middle school students get a telescope, through which they can study the moon, and planets as well. The students will get a chance to borrow the telescope overnight, so they can observe without needing to come to school after dark! The project was Telescope Shows The Stars! (More photos at the link.)
Thank you so much for donating the telescope. We look forward to using the telescope and sending it home with students. The telescope is a great resource for our earth space unit, which is typically taught in an 8th grade class. We are also implementing an astronomy club next year. Mrs. Greenfield will use the telescopes to view stars, planets, and nebulae. The telescope is also a great resource for teaching other units like phases of the moon, lenses, and when teaching about the history of science. Thank you so much for your generosity. Many students will benefit from your donation!
Founded in 2009, The Inoculation Project combats the anti-science push in conservative America by funding science and math projects in traditionally red-state classrooms and libraries. Our conduit is DonorsChoose.org, 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 two science or math projects in red states, 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 671! The success-list diary also contains links and additional information about DonorsChoose.org.