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The Inoculation Project 12/24/2023: STEM Bins and Books [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2023-12-24

This week, we’re helping a North Carolina first grade get some STEM materials, and a California special ed class get a great group of storybooks. 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, math, and literacy projects for public schools in low-income neighborhoods. As always, our conduit is DonorsChoose, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation that facilitates tax-deductible donations to specific, vetted projects in public schools.

We’re fast running out of 2023, so it is time to remind you of this message from DonorsChoose:

🕛 If you would like to close the year with more charitable donations than you have so far made, you can donate to DonorsChoose without having to pick out your projects right now. You can purchase account credits here, so your donation counts in 2023, and dole out the money whenever you like. (When a year has passed, they will apply any remaining unused balance to their urgent projects list for you.)

Mrs. Pittard teaches first grade in a small northern North Carolina city, about halfway between Raleigh and the coast. She could use some supplies to create STEM bins for her class.

PROJECT #1 Project: STEM Fun Resources: Help me give my students morning STEM bins for learning fun and exploring. Economic need: An Equity Focus School; nearly all students from low‑income households. Location: Everetts Elementary STEM Academy, Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina Total: $248.00 Still Needed: $ 148.00 $99.47 Project description by Mrs. Pittard: STEM bins are used daily to start our mornings. They are also used during indoor recess. This is so much better than having them watch a movie. These materials will be put to immediate use. Using our minds and hands will help my students’ brains grow. My students love the challenge to build new things daily. Getting these items will give my students more of a variety to choose from, giving them more creativity. STEM bins are such a great way for students to explore and learn new things everyday! DONATE HERE Donations of ANY size can make a BIG difference! Math linking cubes (real physical ones) are among the items requested. This animation illustrates one way they can be used, to help with addition. x x YouTube Video

California isn’t usual territory for us, but public schools are starved for funds in all sorts of places, when local property taxes can’t keep up with the need. In Bakersfield, Mrs. Unsell teaches a classroom of elementary-age special ed students with a wide variety of needs. She’s requesting a selection of books her students will enjoy.

PROJECT #2 Project: Amazing Literacy Through New Books Resources: Help me give my students new books for amazing literacy instruction. Economic need: An Equity Focus School; nearly all students from low‑income households. Location: Evergreen Elementary School, Bakersfield, California Total: $434.53 Still Needed: $ 434.53 $359.24 Project description by Mrs. Unsell: All of the books in this project will be used in both small group and large group instruction. These books will give my students a hands on experience with new books and will allow me the opportunity to increase the literacy instruction in my classroom. My goal is to create adapted materials for all the books in this project to meet the needs of all my special learners. My students all have some form of disability and a wide range of educational needs. The books in this project will go along with digital materials that I will create. The digital materials will give my non-verbal students the opportunity to answer questions about the books that are read to them. DONATE HERE Donations of ANY size can make a BIG difference! Here’s a reading of one of the books requested — bet you didn’t know bats have a beach party at night when we’ve all gone to bed! x x YouTube Video

Both our projects from last week were completed! Thanks are due to our readers for making that happen! Project #1, Hilo Series for My Students!: Mrs. Hinojosa wanted an award-winning graphic novel series for her third grade students in a Texas town right along the Rio Grande. She writes: Thank you so much for your generous donation!!! My still will be ecstatic to have new books to read before the end of this school year!!! They love to read especially these type of genres. I can’t wait to see their smiles when they get to open the package. Project #2, The Gift of Books: Ms. Manasco runs the computer lab at an elementary school in southeastern Mississippi. She needed to have relevant books on hand for “when the internet fails”. She writes: Thank you so much for helping me fund my classroom library. Now students can read about STEM topics and careers while in my lab. I am so excited to offer this new material to them. Our lab is new and my class is new also. Thank you for helping make it great!!​ ​ ​ ​ ​

DonorsChoose has developed the designation Equity Focus Schools to describe some schools that submit projects. They meet two criteria: at least 50% of students are Black, Latinx, Native American, Pacific Islander, or multiracial, and at least 50% of students qualify for free or reduced price lunch, the standard measure for school economic need. You can read more at the link about their efforts to address the longstanding inequity in education.

Founded in 2009, The Inoculation Project seeks to fund science, math, and literacy projects in public school classrooms and libraries. Our conduit is DonorsChoose, 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 projects 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 1071! The success-list diary also contains links and additional information about DonorsChoose.

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