Our projects today help small children whose families can’t afford the supplies they need. For a Detroit second grade, it’s books, and for a Florida preschool class, it’s toys that help them learn to count, sort, and other early math skills. 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.org, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation that facilitates tax-deductible donations to specific, vetted projects in public schools.
Here is DonorsChoose.org’s message about the current situation:
Coronavirus Update: Thank you for your continued support of teachers; they need us right now! We are working closely with teachers and will fulfill all funded projects on the timeline that is best for their school.
This school in Detroit left its students mostly without access to books when it closed, and Mrs. Miller would like to help her second grade get reading again!
MAIN PROJECT
Resources: Help me give my students high interest, National Geographic Readers to develop a love of reading.
Economic need: Nearly all students from low‑income households
Location: Roberto Clemente Learning Academy, Detroit, Michigan
Total: $157.04
Still Needed: $157.04 Completed - thank you! One more project below!
Teacher’s Comments from Mrs. Miller:
My Students: I teach a class of 22 amazing second graders. They are loving, intelligent, kind, and funny. As of now, our school is closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. It was a sudden closure, where we didn't get to end off our time together in the classroom. I immediately learned how to teach remotely and began distance learning.
Distance learning is not ideal, but we are making the best of the current situation.
It has been difficult for me and my students. Our classroom is our happy place. My students come from diverse backgrounds, and many come from lower income families. Many of my students come from challenging home environments and have limited resources at home. I also have English learners and students with special needs such as autism, ADD, and ADHD. Many of my students do not have basic supplies to help them succeed. The one thing they all have in common is that they are eager to learn. I would like to provide them with the educational resources they need during school closure.
My Project: As a teacher, I strive to teach my students to become readers and lifelong learners. I would like to be able to provide books to my class during distance learning. I would also like to read aloud an engaging book during my Teams lessons during this time away from school. My students need to be able to find books that interest and captivate them. I want them to be hooked on reading from this young age. Unfortunately, they don't have books at home and our public libraries are closed due to the coronavirus.
By providing books that children love, I will be able to develop a love of reading in my students.
National Geographic Readers are the books that my students love. These books are always chosen during read to self or read with a friend. They like to read about animals and science. I would like to get enough of the books for all of my students to be able to enjoy while they are home. It is my goal to get books into the hands of children during school closures. Thank you for your support with helping my students become lifelong readers!
Donations of ANY size can make a BIG difference!
We’ve been working on this project for a couple of weeks already, and we’ve made good progress on it!
LONG-TERM PROJECT
Resources: Help me give my students hands-on math materials (counting bears, counting interlocking cubes, dice and play dough) to help reinforce math while distance learning!
Economic need: Nearly all students from low‑income households
Location: Caloosa Elementary School, Cape Coral, Florida
Total: $454.07
Still Needed: $185.25 Completed — yay!!! See you Sunday with more!
Teacher’s Comments from Ms. Clark:
My Students: Currently my Pre-K ESE classroom is being run online through distance learning while the state of Florida has closed schools indefinitely. We know that the remainder of the school year will be based online through Zoom circle times, 1:1 sessions with families and therapists, and providing hands-on learning materials so we do not miss a step from where we left off before COVID-19 took control. The last date the students were in school was March 12, 2020.
I have been making up learning packets for two weeks at a time of worksheets, activity materials, crafts, and books to help give the students materials in their hands.
I personally am funding this and hand-delivering (all with families' consent and practicing social distancing guidelines - dropping at doorsteps/mailboxes). The use of Google Classroom is more for the parents and has been a struggle for the students who are used to hands-on materials and not able to navigate a laptop/Chromebook.
My Project: My students and I are continuing to participate in learning activities together through google classroom and Zoom circle times during this time of COVID-19 distance learning. My students have shown a tremendous amount of resilience through this scary time in history. These materials will help be able to reinforce the activities I show them and they will be able to do with me and also when they are working independently at home.
Learning with hands-on materials is crucial for younger learners, which is why play is essential for learning math concepts.
When students are using bear counters and unifix cubes to practice number, color, quantity, and patterning concepts, these lessons will stick in their memory and be activities they want to continue pursuing so that when they learn addition and subtraction, they are ready with a core foundation of math. Playdough is essential for learning math concepts as well since it can be used in endless ways to make shapes, counters, measurement, weight, and size.
Donations of ANY size can make a BIG difference!
DonorsChoose.org has set up a special coronavirus relief effort to help teachers in highest poverty areas send educational materials to students who are trying to learn from home. This effort isn’t limited to math and science projects, but we thought our readers might be interested in hearing about it. The fund has raised over $11.7 million so far. (See this update about how the funds are being used — nice photos of teachers and kids getting their packages!)
Urgent Coronavirus Response: Help teachers get key resources to students at home.
Coronavirus has closed schools across the country. Right now, teachers need to get supplies in the hands of students at home to keep them learning, especially in our country’s highest-need communities. We surveyed over 3,000 teachers, and 97% of them are worried that school closings are going to hurt their students’ learning.
Teachers need your help now to get the technology, basic supplies, and hands-on activities they need to keep kids learning at home.
Here’s how it will work:
- You make a donation of any amount to Keep Kids Learning.
- All donations go to teachers at schools serving low-income communities where most students are eligible for free and reduced lunch.
- Teachers select the materials they need and distribute them to students at home.
DonorsChoose, the classroom funding site for public school teachers, is committed to getting teachers what they need to give every student a great education. Usually, funded supplies are shipped directly to classrooms in need. With schools closed, this new pilot program for delivering on our mission empowers teachers to get supplies directly to students at home.
We’ve automatically waived our 15% optional donation for this program, so 100% of your gift will go to supplies for teachers and their students.
DonorsChoose.org is a 501(c)3 nonprofit with Charity Navigator's highest 4-star rating. Visit our help center for details on how Keep Kids Learning works, or for more information on how we're responding to teachers impacted by coronavirus.
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Our main project from last week was completed, with a big assist from our readers!
Mrs. Campos teaches a kindergarten class in Brownsville Texas, and as we’re sadly never surprised to hear, many of her students have no access to the internet at home, and many parents have lost their jobs and can’t afford school supplies like pencils, crayons, and notebooks. Now the class will get the supplies they need, thanks to the project I Want and Need to Do My Work!
She writes: I cannot thank you enough for your generous donations. I am beyond excited to see that this project has funded. The support of the DonorsChoose community is overwhelming and I feel so blessed to know so many people that value public education as much as you do. Thank you again for allowing me to provide these materials for my children. I know they are going to be excited when they receive them.
Thank you again for helping to make this possible for our most needy and deserving students!
Our Dollars at Work
Stepping away this week from our forays into history, here’s a distance-learning project we worked on late this March. Mrs. Mindermann’s Florida kindergarten class includes many English-language learners and some students experiencing homelessness. They needed resources to be able to continue learning without attending school. We were able to help them with math and phonics workbooks, nice new crayons, and some cookies for a treat! The project was Learning From Home COVID-19 (More photos at the link. I always say this, but I SERIOUSLY encourage you to go look at the other photos today, because all the children were so adorable, I had an awful time not putting ALL of them in here.)
My class family and I are so blessed that you donated to this project. These workbooks and treats are so wonderful! They are learning at home and practicing the skills needed to be successful readers in Kindergarten.
For most a new box of crayons is routine, but for students in poverty it is such a special treat to enjoy! Your donation of the cookies and crayons were an added bonus that they absolutely were thrilled to receive.
Your generous donation made this possible. I thank you, my students thank you , and their parents who are unable to supply their child with these basics thank you!
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.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 829! The success-list diary also contains links and additional information about DonorsChoose.org.