Lady Gaga swooped in to complete all DonorsChoose.org projects in Gilroy, El Paso, and Dayton, so this week we’re helping predominantly Hispanic classrooms. We hope to help start a robotics club at an elementary school in Charlotte, North Carolina, to provide science centers for a second-grade classroom in Dallas, Texas, and to provide OZOBOTS to a South Texas border classroom in San Juan, Texas. (I updated to add the last project after the first one was completed so quickly.)
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.
Let’s help this teacher start a robotics club in Charlotte.
MAIN PROJECT
Resources: Help me give my students the MINDSTORMS Education EV3 Core Set to take our STEM classes to the next level.
Economic need: Nearly all students from low‑income households
Location: Devonshire Elementary School, Charlotte, North Carolina
Total: $582.66 (2x match offer)
Still Needed: $582.66 Completed, thank you!
Teacher’s Comments from Mrs. Rolle:
My Students: I'm a technology teacher at a Title I elementary school. The school's student population is predominantly Hispanic and many of our students come from low socio-economic backgrounds. What amazes me about my students is the fact that although many of them face challenging home lives their desire for learning is ever apparent. They have a drive that is infectious!
My students enter the classroom every day with an eagerness to learn and a curiosity that makes the classroom come alive.
I am forever keeping up with what's new in the technological field and sharing my findings in the classroom. I have always felt that infusing technology into the classroom is an effective way to connect with students of all learning styles and I enjoy the rich and rigorous educational experiences that it provides them.
My Project: The Lego MINDSTORMS Education EV3 Core Set is not something that we want. It's something we need. Gender and diversity gaps persist in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). My students are the demographic that are left behind when it comes to the educational experiences in STEM education.
I want to change the game.
It is my goal to enrich the educational experience of my students with learning that encourages curiosity in STEM which would ultimately drive them to pursue careers in this field.
The purchase of the kits would be the first step in starting a robotics club at our school with the end goal of participating in a robotics competition in the spring of next year.
Something to think about...The robotics club and competition provide exciting opportunities for students to develop 21st century skills. Leadership, communication, team work and collaboration, problem solving, critical thinking and creativity are just a few of the skills programs such as these promote. They give students the technical and interpersonal skills needed to meet workforce demands, drive economic growth, and solve the world’s biggest problems.
Now that's a project worth funding! Thank you!
Donations of ANY size can make a BIG difference!
Let’s help provide science games and books for this never-before-funded classroom in Dallas. Be sure to add match code THRIVE when checking out.
BONUS PROJECT #1
Resources: Help me give my students games and visuals so they can learn all they can while having fun in their science centers.
Economic need: Nearly all students from low‑income households
Location: Mary McLeod Bethune Elementary School, Dallas, Texas
Total: $476.94 (use code THRIVE at checkout to double your donation)
Still Needed: $476.94 $257.82
Teacher’s Comments from Ms. Martinez Hernandez:
My Students: My students are bilingual second graders. They are mostly Hispanic. The grand majority of them come from low income homes. They are 7, turning 8 years old. And struggle a bit with reading.
They love to learn, create, participate and help with experiments and absolutely loooove doing centers.
In class they are learning all about science so they are super exited and come every day with a lot of energy. They love to work in teams, are super competitive and are always up for a team competition.
My Project: Science centers are an every week thing in my class. It gives the students the opportunity to be independent and responsible for their own work. Kids love doing centers. One of their favorite centers of the entire year has been the Can Do! Games.
These new additions to class will keep kids motivated while enjoying a center where they can be competitive and play while learning.
With them, kids can learn about Earth, Force & Motion and Matter. The Read About Science Learning Centers will be a new activity in class. With them I intend to help kids learn about Life Cycles, Plants, States of Matter and Animals while helping increase their reading comprehension skills.
The I Know The Answer! Game Buzzers will bring a new intensity to the games in class, while the Magnet Bars, Charts and Kids will keep the class organized and the students will know whos turn it is to go to each center.
Donations of ANY size can make a BIG difference!
Updated to add another project since the first one was completed so quickly!
BONUS PROJECT #2
Resources: Help me give my students an introduction to coding by using OZOBOTS. These little robots will help my students learn to code with markers and then we can transfer the learning to digital coding.
Economic need: Nearly all students from low‑income households
Location: Vida N Clover Elementary School, San Juan, Texas
Total: $437.62 (2x match offer)
Still Needed: $284.98 $208.45 ($105 from us)
Teacher’s Comments from Ms. Romero:
My Students: We are a Title I school located near the South Texas border with Mexico. Our students are at risk with 100% free breakfast and lunch. Many of our students are Hispanic and do not speak English at home.
Each child in my classroom absolutely loves learning but doesn't have the resources to do all they are capable of doing in the classroom.
Despite these challenges, they come to school eager and ready to learn.
Please help me close the educational gap.
My Project: These little robots will help my students get introduced to the world of STEM. Ozobot is a miniature smart robot that can follow lines or roam around freely, detect colors, and can also be programmed. They will learn to manually code with markers and then take that knowledge to learn to digitally code. They promote logical thinking, problem solving, persistence, collaboration, creativity, and communication.
All of these skills improve academic success.
Using Ozobots in the classroom will empower my students to understand that they can influence how and why technology is used. They will let their creativity flow and reach for new heights as they become innovators and shift their understanding of what's possible when they learn something new.
Donations of ANY size can make a BIG difference!
Both of last week’s projects were completed with a huge assist from our donors! Here are the teachers’ thank you notes (one from two weeks ago, and two from last week):
Owl Pellet Dissections (Phenix City, Alabama)
You don't know how honored I feel having you donate to support my classroom. My students will be so happy to experience this owl-pellet activity. How often do you get to dissect a pellet and try to put the bones back together? Many times students struggle with the concept of ecology but this activity will bring everything full circle. Thank you for helping me mold the future.
With gratitude,
Mrs. Shavers
Math and Science Essentials (El Paso)
I thank you very much for providing my students with these amazing math and science necessities. These items will really bring our math and science labs to life! This project allows each of my students to have their own lab necessities to explore and learn. It is truly a blessing to have your support!!!!
With gratitude,
Ms. Catlett
Destination Discovery — Earth, Our World (Orange, TX)
Thank you so much for helping me and my upcoming class this year. It is greatly appreciated! They will learn wonderful and exciting thinks about the earth this year. There will be many changes this year at our school and the materials are exactly what I needed. Thank you again.
With gratitude,
Ms. Lazenby
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 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 765! The success-list diary also contains links and additional information about DonorsChoose.org.