This week, we're helping two Texas projects that have a generous funder matching our donations: an environmental science teacher needs copies of The Lorax, and a biology teacher needs microscopes. (I’ve added a Louisiana owl-pellet project.) 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.
This public high school a bit north of Houston is an interesting venture: it offers students college-level courses that will award them an Associate degree as well as a diploma. And yet, it’s still hurting for funds for enrichment, especially after Hurricane Harvey. This teacher is making creative use of the Dr. Seuss classic The Lorax to stimulate environmental science discussions.
We’re taking advantage of matching funds 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!
PROJECT #1
Resources: Copies of The Lorax by Dr. Seuss so they can better study environmental topics and themes.
Economic need: More than half of students from low‑income households
Location: Infinity Early College High School, Porter, Texas
Total: $228.16 (Matching funds from The Rebuild Texas Fund)
Still Needed: $226.19 Completed, thank you! Please see project #3.
Teacher’s Comments from Mrs. Siel:
My Students: My students are phenomenal. We have a very average mix of ability levels, but what stands out about our kids is their determination and grit. This tight-knit group of kids is also extremely compassionate and generous. They worked hard last year organizing several supply drives and doing volunteer work to benefit their community.
They are inquisitive go-getters who are eager to be successful in life, despite any personal hardships they may have had to overcome.
Our school population is 70% economically disadvantaged, and 60% Hispanic. Although our area is technically a suburb of Houston, some parts of our district are still very rural. Our school is a unique program in the district and is still pretty new. The students take college classes while still in high school and are able to graduate at the end of four years with an Associate's degree. We have an extremely limited budget that provides for the basic supplies that we need; however, we frequently don't have a lot of money left over for enrichment supplies that really help connect the students with the concepts we teach.
My Project: Through his clever storytelling in The Lorax, Dr. Seuss assumes the voice of an outspoken environmental advocate (the Lorax) and tells the compelling story of a young, aspiring businessperson (the Once-ler) who saw economic opportunity upon his first visit to an Eden-like environmental haven. What begins as a charming tale quickly turns dark, however, as it describes how the exploitation of the area's natural resources leaves it a barren wasteland completely devoid of life. Though from the outside it may look like a children's book, The Lorax is quite complex and is a staple in teaching environmental science. It is rich in themes such as the impact of pollution, deforestation, effects of disrupting ecosystem functions, the importance of preservation, and many more!
With today's environmental issues looming, the topics in The Lorax couldn't be more important for students to learn!
Currently, I have one copy of The Lorax that I read to my students at the beginning of the year. We talk about it and do an activity. I have now found bunch of activities using The Lorax that we can do throughout the year, but I really need multiple copies so that each small group of students can have their own copy to use. One book is just too hard to pass around! I'd like to purchase 12 copies of The Lorax so that I can weave the content of the book throughout my course.
“But now," says the Once-ler, "now that you're here, the word of the Lorax seems perfectly clear. UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.”
Last year was tough with Hurricane Harvey and a lot of change, so we're doing everything we can to make our school have the best learning environment possible!
Donations of ANY size can make a BIG difference!
I’ve called today’s projects “#1” and “#2” because they’re similar enough in the amount needed that one’s not “long term” compared to the other. I was initially looking for a project that had a larger amount outstanding, when I ran into this one. This Texas school is west of Houston, but this project, too, is getting matching funds from The Rebuild Texas Fund. However, for reasons I don’t know, it’s getting a 5x match (meaning, your donation ends up being 5x what you put in: you donate $20, they add $80 to make it $100.) I thought, how can we not do this? It’s a rather costly project, and will certainly come under the heading “long-term” for us if the match runs out, but maybe we can keep that from happening!
PROJECT #2
Resources: Microscopes to explore the hidden world of biology.
Economic need: More than a third of students from low‑income households
Location: East Bernard High School, East Bernard, Texas
Total: $908.19 (5x matching funds from The Rebuild Texas Fund)
Still Needed: $783.19 Completed! Thank you! Please see other two projects!
Teacher’s Comments from Mrs. Heimann:
My Students: I teach Biology, PreAP Biology and AP Biology to 115 students in a rural town on the Texas Gulf Coast. The equipment in my classroom is also shared with other subjects including Plant and Soil Science, Anatomy, and Environmental Sciences.
My students love to explore, experiment, observe and examine by completing labs based on the lessons learned in the classroom.
They truly enjoy lab days and are always excited when they see lab equipment out on the lab tables. Their favorite lab is when they explore types of cells and make a slide using their own cheek cells.
My Project: Exploring the world under a microscope gives students the opportunity to view life in a new way. Using microscopes will allow my students to discover the different types of cells, view the stages of cellular division, and learn the about microorganisms.
Memorable moments in a classroom leave a lasting impression on a student.
Viewing their own cheek cells under a microscope is a lesson the students never forget. Observing and classifying living microscopic organisms is always a fun and fascinating lab. Being able to see, explore, or identify during a lab using the microscope helps the students understand and reinforces the concepts taught. We do not have enough working microscopes for the classroom to complete labs. The microscopes we do have are aging or damaged.
Our community was affected by Hurricane Harvey last year. There are some still recovering from the devastating hurricane. I try to provide a fun learning environment for those that may not have a normal home life as they recover a year later. Using labs in my classroom is always fun and exciting for the students. Using a microscope during a lab is always an adventure. You never know what new view you will have under the microscope.
Donations of ANY size can make a BIG difference!
It just occurred to me how fast we’ll run out of project with that 5x match, so I’m adding #3. We haven’t had an owl-pellet project in a while.
PROJECT #3
Resources: Owl pellets and dissection charts to study food webs.
Economic need: More than half of students from low‑income households
Location: South Grant Elementary School, Dry Prong, Louisiana
Total: $175.02
Still Needed: $175.02 $93.02
Teacher’s Comments from Ms. Flynn:
My Students: Our school is a rural school that serves many neighboring communities. We have a mix of abilities from those functioning several grade levels below their level, to those functioning much higher than their grade level. Our families are hardworking and do all they can to support their kids.
My students are rock stars and deserve everything, and if I could, I'd give them the world.
DonorsChoose.org and the amazing donors behind it help me at least open the window to that world and see what's out there. You also let them see that in this crazy, scary world, kindness is still there.
My Project: Part of what we cover in science in food webs and food chains. It's a topic that students are usually familiar with the facts of, but sometimes struggle to grasp the ideas behind the same flow chart we all learn to drive. So, I look for ways to make it more exciting, and more though provoking. That's where owl pellets come in.
Getting to dig through owl puke, who wouldn't want to do that?
Okay, so you may think that there's a lot of people who wouldn't, but only people who haven't tried it. Owl pellets are actually very clean and safe. They are amazing treasure troves of the fur and bones of the creatures that they owl ate. It allows students to track what the owl ate and to create a food web that they are part of. That's where the dissection mat comes in. It's an invaluable tool that helps the students identify the bones that they find. Students will collect data about what their owl ate, using the mats.
You can help put these tools in my students' hands. Thanks for your support!
Donations of ANY size can make a BIG difference!
Last week, we completed all three of our open projects!
First, we helped a longstanding North Carolina project over the finish line. Mrs. Beasley’s elementary-school science students will have a microscope, human body puzzles, Legos, and more. The project is Full S.T.E.A.M Ahead with Hands-on Learning!
Mrs. Beasley writes: Full STEAM Ahead has been funded! We are so excited. Thank everyone who helped make this come true. These supplies will assist us in our science quest and learning. I do not have the words to express my gratitude for your support for our project. We try to offer as many opportunities to our students as we can, and your support makes it possible for us to continue to do so.
Next, we went to South Carolina, to help Ms. Ervin create a Lego wall in her elementary school media center’s maker space. The project is Full STEAM Ahead: Our 1st Maker’s Space.
Ms. Ervin writes: There are not enough words to express my joy, gratitude, and thanks for your generous donations to my class project. My students and I are so very appreciative of your support for education and creative, hands-on techniques for learning. We cannot wait to use these materials and learn to become creators.
And finally, we finished up a Michigan preschool project, providing Mrs. Kron’s students with resources like geodes, weather instruments, and a microscope, in the project Science Exploration for Low-Income Preschoolers.
Mrs. Kron writes: I am thrilled to see this project get funded in such a short time! I can't wait to see my preschoolers learn and grow using these STEM tools. Your donation has allowed a classroom full of 4 and 5 year olds to experience science and math everyday and we can’t thank you enough!
Our Dollars at Work
In August, we helped Mrs. Payne’s Texas third grade as they rebuilt and moved forward after Hurricane Harvey. They needed, and received, bundles of math resources on decimals, fractions, and operations. The project was Motivating All Thinkers in Engaging Math Instruction. (More photos at the link.)
This project has made a tremendous impact on math instruction so far. Students have been able to use the resources to make connections to the concepts they are learning in class. For example, the students recently engaged in a decimals activity that focused on adding and subtracting decimals using real world situations. The students used the decimals kit to reinforce their learning of decimals throughout the duration of the decimals activity.
The operations kit came in handy when my students learned about whole number operations because they were able to use the resources to support their learning of multiplication and division. Our upcoming units will focus on Fractions and Algebraic Thinking and the students will have the opportunity to use those kits as well to support their learning in the classroom.
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 696! The success-list diary also contains links and additional information about DonorsChoose.org.