Scroll down for this week's project. On tap this week: Cultivating Young Scientists
Reminder: Look for "The Inoculation Project" every Friday afternoon!
The Inoculation Project: Math & Science in Red State Schools
Solid science education is the best inoculation against ignorance.
The objective of this weekly project is to combat the anti-science push in conservative America by providing direct funding each week to math and science projects in red state classrooms.
Fortunately, a conduit organization for achieving this direct funding already exists: DonorsChoose.org. DonorsChoose.org allows you to make direct contributions to specific classroom projects (all vetted), resulting in tremendous and immediate impacts from small dollar donations.
Each week we focus on funding a single small-dollar project in a traditionally red state classroom. These are projects whose funding requests are expiring within the next week. If the projects are not funded by their expiration date, they die.
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This Week's Project
Project: Motivate to Cultivate
Resources Needed: motivational items, including notecards, copy paper, erasers, and scientific poster, posters, window clings, markers, index cards, composition notebooks and sticky notes
School Poverty Level: High
State: North Carolina
Total Cost: $588.53
Still Needed: $99.98 FULLY FUNDED!
Expires: Feb 21, 2011
Click to Donate
Teacher's Comments:
My Students
Many of my students don't have the basic supplies or major support from home in order to be successful in school. They have the ability to be successful but have many obstacles that are standing in the way of their success. I want to "Motivate and Cultivate" my students for success.
I teach seventh grade Intergrade Science which includes atmosphere (weather), human biology, cells and heredity, and motion and forces. I teach at a very high need, focus, Title One school in North Carolina.
Many of my students come from families that do not have a lot. Many of my students parent/guardian can only buy the basic items for the family such as food and clothes. School supplies are not considered as a necessity. Many of my students want to learn but lack the basic materials needed for school.
My Project
My students need small things that will help them stay motivated, learn new materials, and things to keep them more creative in the classroom. I am asking for donation for markers to complete their Interactive Student Notebooks which is a great learning tool. This notebook will carry on with them next year as a means for preparing for the End of Grade Test in Eighth Grade Science next year. Some of the other supplies that I am requesting are learning tools such as posters to post in the classroom to help them learn the process of the scientific method and science inquiry. In addition, I have to try strategies to keep my students motivated. I am asking for motivational items to teach my student to stay positive and to stay focus at all time. All of these resource will help improve the learning process for all my students.
This project is important for many different reasons. Children from a low-poverty area need an extra boost to help them understand that they are more than conquers academically. Giving and showing them ways in which to motivate themselves is a great tool to teaching them accountability and respect for themselves and their learning process. My students need basic things to get them through their learning process in order to be successful. Every little thing counts with all of my students.
Please consider rescuing this project by making a small donation to it. Small dollars make a big difference.
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Good News
Last week's nationwide Choose-a-Palooza was a rip-roaring success! In celebration of the transition to DK4, we opened it up to all states (not just red states) and listed all the math and science-related projects that still needed $60 or less.
Over the course of a couple of hours, you guys rescued 12 projects!
The action was so fast and furious that even one of the teachers got in on the fun. She got the e-mail notifying her of her project's funding while she was in class, and immediately announced it to the students:
I just announced to my students that our classroom project was funded, and the room went wild! They are so excited to start working on the Ipod Touch for multiplication! You have opened a world of learning for these students. We appreciate your donations, your kindness, and your love of children.
We will use the IPod Touch for reading, math, and listening to music in the classroom. You would be amazed at just how much the kids will learn!
And, after a few days, she returned and posted the following thank-you note:
The information has finally moved and grooved through my classroom, and they are even more excited after the weekend! They send a warm thank you and Happy Valentine's to each of you today. I spent part of my weekend looking at the various activities I can do with an IPod in the classroom, and I was overwhelmed at the variety of subjects and skills this piece of technology will allow us to cover in class.
I will put audio books, flash cards, math games, reading comprehension games, etc. on the Ipod and use it with small groups. We have also been lacking of really good student timers. We now have a small group set which is awesome!
Check the updated list of projects funded below for more great teacher notes from Friday's Choose-a-Palooza.
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Projects Funded So Far
Can we grow this list of successes?
The Viking Shark Project
Weight Our Learning
Complications - Reading to Learn About the Human Body
The Colorful World of Science
Fill Our Display Case!
Magnetic Learning
Caught By A Kiss
Add, Subtract, Write, and Save the Trees!
Math Mania!
AVID Style Interactive Notebooks
Human Body Study for my Science Class
Physics Visuals
Rocks Rock at Knox
Owl Pellet Fun!
To the Front of the Class
Help A Fishy Cause
Microscopes for Illumination
What Day is it? I Forgot!
Absent Scientists
Math Centers Full of Learning!
Time For Kids?
Extend Our Learning
We've Got the Power to Learn Math (Help Us Get Charged Up)
We Are "Mac-ing!"
Help CreateNew Experiences & LearningThrough Nonfiction Text
Projecting Success!
Help Us See. Help Us Learn
Save The World ... Make It A Better Place!
Feathered Friends
Write and Stick Learning
Leading Through Learning
Hands on ESL Scientists
Electricity Shock!
Up and Atom...A Chemistry and Math Experience!
Sun Power!
Erupting With Excitement!
I Believe I Can Fly!
Art and Science Team Up!
Bringing the Earth Up Close and Personal
Fixing the Ditch
Creepy, Crawly, Critters!
Macro Micro Nano: The Minuscule World Revealed
VaVaVaVoom Vibrant Math in Art
Ant-icipating Results!
Exploring Force and Motion
Calculating our Potential in Physics and Chemistry
Let Me See It: Representing Mathematical Models
He Ate WHAT?!?
Chemistry is a Piece of Cake!!!!!
Current Events in Science
"Prints, Bones And Stones," Oh My!!
6th Grade Science Fair Here We Come!
Super Science Centers Grade 1
Math Maniacs Need More Games
123 Count With Me!
Have Rockets...Will Travel!
Lab Notebooks (Just Like a Real Scientist)!!
Reading and Math is AWESOME!!! WE LOVE IT!!!!
Elements You Can See
Truth of Fertilizer: Investigative Research
The Pendulum Swings
Young Scientists: Investigating and Recording Data
Hands on Physics
Getting to The Roots of Our Plants!
Help Me Protect My Students
Have Fun With Math And Science!!!
Hands on Heredity
Happy Hypermedia Creates Happy Homeroom
Science Technology - Time to Interact
Watch it Grow
Interactive Math for 4th Graders
Math Manipulative Mania!
Help Us Get Wired for Our Robot Competition!
Scientific Learning with ScienceSaurus
Our 4th Annual Science Fair!
I see. I think. I can
Math Is Everywhere in 3rd Grade!
Keeping It Real with Non-Fiction Reading!
Science Students Need Hands-on Research Capability
Creating Science Solvers and Critical Thinkers
Picture-Inspired Writing
HP for AP Chemistry
Creating Science
The Quest for Math
Video by Van
Environmental Science DVDs
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Helpful Links
DonorsChoose.org
DonorsChoose.org Blog
DonorsChoose.org Donor FAQ
All DonorsChoose.org Math & Science Projects
Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with DonorsChoose.org, or any of the classroom projects presented for funding. I'm just volunteering my time and pixels to make a difference.