This week, we're helping to provide hands-on materials for lessons that could inspire future meteorologists in Nashville and future environmentalists in a small Texas town. 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.
Today’s first project supports a never-before-funded middle school teacher’s efforts to inspire her students to become meteorologists. The teacher has had to temporarily withdraw this project. Please consider other projects below.
MAIN PROJECT (withdrawn)
Resources: My students need supplies to make important weather tools. The mason jars are essential in creating a good barometer.
Economic need: Nearly all students from low‑income households
Location: McMurray Middle School, Nashville, Tennessee
Total: $166.92 Cancelled.
Still Needed: $166.92 $58.09 Please consider added project below.
Teacher’s Comments from Mrs. Collins:
My Students: My students come from a very diverse group of learners. Our middle school is the most diverse middle school in middle Tennessee by serving 30 different cultures. As a result, the students must be hardworking to overcome language barriers and accepting of other peoples' differences. So many of them have struggled through hardships as a result of family income or from being new to the country. They are amazing kids to teach, their perseverance is inspiring.
Being limited in their ability to speak the language will NOT be the reason that they can't learn.
My goal is to make sure that all of my students find their passion and learn skills that will allow them to be productive, happy, and successful students.
My Project: Understanding the weather can be very challenging for middle school students. They see the impact but have a harder time making predictions on what is going to happen. I want to make sure they know how to predict by building their own weather stations.
They will be creating barometers and compasses, both of which are easier to understand once you see how it works.
The materials needed for these projects are to help the students create simple versions of complicated weather tools. My students learn so much better when they are able to put their hands on something, and I'm excited to help provide them with that! I know that my students are capable of becoming future meteorologists and I want to provide them with the background knowledge to do this.
Our new long-term project will help stock an environmental science library for an elementary school in a small Texas town.
LONG-TERM PROJECT
Resources: My students need exciting books such as Earth's Biomes to help them learn about our natural world and the issues affecting the fragile balance in different ecosystems.
Economic need: Nearly all students from low‑income households
Location: Carver Elementary School, Greenville, Texas
Total: $409.76
Still Needed: $292.12 Completed! Thank you.
Teacher’s Comments from Mrs. Hester:
My Students: My students are a great group of kids. I have a classroom that is culturally diverse and many of my students are English language learners.
Although this is a small town with only six elementary schools, my students deal daily with the problems commonly associated with large urban school districts.
We have a high poverty population, and the neighborhood is not the safest. Regardless, my students come to school every day with smiles on their faces and ready to learn.
My Project: My students need access to a wide variety of visually exciting books that will help them learn about the natural world outside of Greenville, Texas.
My goal is to create a dynamic science library that will help develop reading skills, visual literacy, and an active interest in the environment and in environmental issues.
Books published by National Geographic are always a good choice because they have great pictures, and the content is always accurate. I have also included books by Gail Gibbons because they are easy to read and have a strong focus on vocabulary acquisition, which is perfect for English Language Learners!
Donations of ANY size can make a BIG difference!
Added project:
ADDED PROJECT
Resources: My students need fun science centers to work cooperatively with their partners during our stations.
Economic need: Nearly all students from low‑income households
Location: Griffin Elementary School, Tyler, Texas
Total: $167.81
Still Needed: $167.81 $84.93
Teacher’s Comments from Mrs. Jimenez:
My Students: I am lucky enough to be the teacher of a group of amazing bilingual kids. Most of them are the first generation born here, but their families are originally from Mexico. Their parents moved to Texas looking for a brighter future for their children, and that is my goal: to try to help them as much as I can to make their dreams come true.
Being part of my wonderful kids' lives, showing them that education is the path, makes me love my profession with a passion.
My Project: My students need fun attractive science station to make them more engaging and these look really attractive.
My class loves science, and these stations will give them the extra fun practice that they need.
My kids love working and learning with each other and these games will support them all the way!
It will not only be fun but wil help them become more independent and responsible learners.
We will use them everyday during our science block. Stations provide my ELL students the extra visual and manipulative support that they need. Using their senses help the to make sense of the world around us!
Donations of ANY size can make a BIG difference!
Both of last week’s projects have already been funded, thanks in large part to the generosity of our donors! Here are the teachers’ thank you notes:
Little Hands, Big Dreams
I can't say thank you enough! My students thrive through hands on learning materials! I cannot wait to share these new math materials with them and watch them explore concepts of sorting, patterns, measurement, numbers and shapes.
Thank you to all of you who donated, and shared our project! I am excited to watch them continue to grow and love math!
With gratitude,
Ms. Quilitzsch
I am thrilled the entire sixth grade science students now have access to pre-made microscope slides for hands-on science!
These slides will provide scholars with the tools they need to understand cell types, cell structure, and much more. The entire science department thanks you sincerely for helping Dallas students learn!
With gratitude,
Ms. Norlander
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 668! The success-list diary also contains links and additional information about DonorsChoose.org.