Ms. Moffett's Classroom Edit display name

Past projects 26

• Keeping Tabs On Learning: Students, Parents & Teachers, 2

  Funded Mar 13, 2016

  There's no question that an iPad has numerous uses in the classroom. For my English Language Learners, the foremost use is for quick and easy translation of vocabulary words and phrases essential to understanding a text or topic. My students' nimble fingers are faster at online searches than thumbing through a dictionary. While the latter is a skill we teachers still ensure they are capable of, we also know that digital is everything to their young minds, so we go with what works when we want to encourage independent, inquisitive learners! Additionally, the classroom iPad has been extremely useful in providing hands-on demonstrations of education apps to students and their families as well as offering quick information on the go without having personal device school policies complicate matters. We are grateful to enjoy such a versatile resource! Thank you again!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Moffett

  This classroom project was brought to life by #BestSchoolDay and 18 other donors.

• Color Me Visually Engaged in Learning!

  Funded Mar 11, 2016

  Oh, the wonders a color printer has brought to my classroom! It has made handout creation, special projects, and other documents more lively and eye-catching. Particularly when I use photos as an instructional launching point for English language learners, there can be so much detail lost in a poor-quality, greyscale only photo. Now, I can use real-to-life photographs and demonstrate reading and writing techniques like highlighting with ease. Simply put, access to a color printer has amplified our classroom instruction and student work products in an easy, convenient manner. It feels like a luxurious classroom item, but now one that I don't know how I'd do without! My students and I are forever grateful for the color you've brought to our class. Thank you so much again for your contribution!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Moffett

  This classroom project was brought to life by #BestSchoolDay and 2 other donors.

• Putting Our Ideas on Display with a Document Camera

  Funded Dec 8, 2015

  While there are gadgets galore, sometimes fiddling around with taking photos and uploading them to the computer to screen overhead is just too much trouble than it's worth. A document camera might seem low-tech in comparison to the wonders that iPads and apps can do, but it's a reliable tool that gets the job done. Now I can model in real time reviewing and editing a student's written response to a question in their actual notebook, so the whole class can benefit from the feedback as well as the student. There is no waiting for the wi-fi to refresh or the page to reload. The answers are right in front of us; we just need a little help making it large enough for all to see. Here is where having a document camera has done wonders, small as they may be sometimes. Thank you for your contribution to help make this simple yet important project come true. I am grateful to have such a useful tool available to extend the reach of my classroom instruction. Thank you!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Moffett

• A Ladder to ELA/History Success for ELLs, Part 1

  Funded Dec 2, 2015

  Ask many of my students, and they'll tell you Math is their favorite subject. It's often the only subject they feel most successful as it's not as language dependent as subjects like ELA and Social Studies. Add in all the contextually-specific nuances of these latter subjects, and it's no wonder they sigh and groan while entering the classroom sometimes. So, having numerous materials to pull from that can make the information in those subjects more palatable and accessible for my students is essential. For those new to the country, many common, everyday American historical and literary allusions go right over their heads. Having visually engaging and reading-level appropriate texts that can fill in these knowledge gaps are so important to their academic success, but also their English language fluency, command of which requires knowing when and where to say what. By providing translated copies of core course texts as well, it helps to reduce the Everest sized obstacles my students face trying to grapple with complex, grade-level topics and themes in a language they struggle with so much. I'm so grateful for your generosity that has helped make this possible for my students. Your support of them and my classroom is so very appreciated.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Moffett

• I'm Game for Learning! Puzzles to Grow Our Minds

  Funded Dec 14, 2015

  I think the pictures say it all. The energy and excitement my students had getting the chance to play in the classroom with their peers and teach themselves new games is apparent in their body language. For my students, having a treasure trove of games to choose from help them forge new friendships with peers, making one of my recently arrived, limited English speaking students, in particular, feel more welcome amongst his classmates. Another benefit of these materials in my room was the freedom it gave them to relax and cut loose a bit after the grueling stress of mornings filled by taking state exams. Having these games and activities helped to foster language and social development among my students while feeling like a reward for their diligent, patient efforts. That's an excellent teacher Jedi mind trick in my book! Thank you for helping to make this possible!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Moffett

  This classroom project was brought to life by Dorothy and 7 other donors.

• Keeping Tabs on Learning with Students, Parents & Teachers

  Funded Dec 2, 2015

  It's a simple concept: 21st century tools for 21st century students. While I would consider myself a tech savvy teacher, my students definitely teach me new tricks, with the Google Translate app in particular! Tablets serve as computers on the go. For a teacher like me that travels to many classrooms throughout the building supporting English Language Learners in multiple grades, having an iPad or Amazon Fire tablet handy to provide instant translation or look up visual diagrams to illustrate an important lesson point is indispensable. These tablets are not only useful for students, but also for parents, particularly new families that enroll at the registration desk, like when it helpful to display a neighborhood map to familiarize newcomers with bus stop locations. Simply put, schools need modern technology to use their time and resources efficiently, and tablet technology absolutely helps meet this need. Thank you for support to supply these tools to our classroom and school with your generosity!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Moffett

  This classroom project was brought to life by Google.org and 3 other donors.

• Fueling our Minds and Classroom for the Year

  Funded Dec 3, 2015

  There is no question that a bucket full of candy will make any middle school student's day. It's honestly quite hilarious how just offering up a candy prize can motivate students to finish a problem or copy an assignment down just that much faster! More importantly, having sweets and slightly more nutritious snacks like honey pretzel twists on hand as students take state exams in the springtime helps hold over the students who unfortunately did not have a nutritious breakfast that morning. Though not the first supplies one might think are necessary to fuel a classroom, snacks (and hand sanitizer for all those sticky fingers!) are integral components in running a successful classroom. Thank you for your contribution to our classroom!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Moffett

• Fueling Our Minds And Classroom For The Year, Part 1

  Funded Oct 12, 2015

  There aren't enough words to express how helpful it is to have plentiful supplies of toner and paper to keep my classroom printer running without hiccup. Daily, I print out handouts, reference guides, parent letters, student projects, and more. We recently had parent teacher conferences, and I was able to hand out customized bilingual letters to parents with tips on how to further support their children. In class, we're now working on vocabulary and spelling exercises. So, I can give my students printed lists instead of wasting time with copying from the board or assuming kids have reliable internet access to get the lists online. I'm also happy that my students know--as a last resort, of course, since they're attempting to be responsible academics--they can count on me if in a bind to get a project printed even for other classes. While careful not to waste materials unnecessarily, this supply really helps make my life and my students' lives a WHOLE LOT easier in the classroom. Thank you for your support!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Moffett

• Language Without Borders: Computer Programming in ESL

  Funded Aug 22, 2015

  You won't believe the Ooh's and Ahh's from my students when they unveiled these blue laptops. They were definitely impressed and awed that they were entrusted to use such beautiful, new machines. Being so used to the slower, outdated school machines, it's unsurprising one of the first English phrases my students shout is "why the computer lagging so much?!"

  With your help, however, we now have machines that boot up almost instantly, reducing the wait time when students need to transition into activities requiring them to use the Internet for research or essay typing. These machines are also extremely lightweight, thus easy to carry into the many classrooms I visit to deliver English language services. Another fantastic feature of these laptops is that I can enable a simple 4-digit pin to unlock the computer, making communication of log-in instructions much easier for everyone, especially newly arrived students. While I love a good exercise in problem solving for anyone, the learning curve for adjusting to a new school, language, and culture is already more than enough.

  So far, our energies in using these computers have been devoted to shoring up fundamental language skills and keeping core curriculum studies on track. But, as opportunities to deviate from the norm arise, we will be using the laptops to begin filling in large computer tech knowledge gaps, starting with the basics like keyboarding skills and proper word processing techniques! Ultimately, we are fortunate to have equipment at the ready to facilitate this "non-traditional" learning, so thank you once more for your great generosity!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Moffett

  This classroom project was brought to life by Infosys Foundation USA and 24 other donors.

• Powering Our ESL Audio Center Into The Future

  Funded Jun 9, 2015

  In our middle school, students travel from room to room every 45 minutes as opposed to in elementary school when they generally call a single classroom home for the majority of the day. Creating an organized system for learning materials, and then ensuring that students come to care for them as well as stay accountable for their upkeep can be a challenge when they are constantly coming in and out, focused only on their next destination when the period ends. Our audio supplies, particularly the headphone sets that my students use to have stories read aloud online and to quiz themselves on vocabulary and spelling, used to fall victim to this chaos when they didn't have an easily accessible home. With hanging hooks, velcro ties, and an audio cart, students now know where to go get and return supplies to, and can learn to return them back to the neatly organized way in which they found them. With a cassette tape converter, we can slowly bring outdated supplies up-to-date with the digital iPod systems my students are used to. And of course, the extension cords and outlets help to power every corner of the classroom so that students can find more flexible seating. Your generous donation has brought this basic, yet essential system of organization to my classroom, which helps to avoid the time drain known as disorganization in the flow of a lesson. Again, I'm so thankful that wonderful supporters like you recognize the importance of classroom projects such as these in achieving learning success. Thank you!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Moffett