Everyone likes a good mystery, and Mrs. Pribula’s first grade class is no exception. Both Valley Catholic first grade teachers, Mrs. Storm and Mrs. Pribula, have utilized the “Mystery Reader” program, and it was Mrs. Storm’s idea to bring it to the digital learning format.
On Monday, September 28, excitement had been building about who the day’s Mystery Reader might be, and what story the reader might share. Mrs. Pribula’s class were delighted to have Mr. Matcovich, Valley Catholic’s president, as the day’s guest reader. The story he chose was one of his childhood favorites, “Willy’s Silly Glasses.”
The book was a well-loved copy from Mr. Matcovich’s childhood collection and a story he related to as a youngster who wore glasses.
In addition to the excitement of a special guest, a new story, and getting to know a member of the Valley Catholic community, the “Mystery Reader” program yields positive educational benefits.
“We are learning the difference between a question and a statement in first grade and practice really helps. Having an inquisitive mind also improves personal connections to text. Students guess who our reader might be which builds engagement and meta cognitive skills in predicting. The students were so excited to have Mr. Matcovich read and said they loved the funny story from his childhood. Students connected to text by identifying nouns and possessive nouns. This aligned to our grammar lesson for the week. Students who love to read have higher grades in all content areas and we really wanted to instill that passion for reading in our students. We are blessed because the Mystery Reader program offers all of those aspects to our students,” said Mrs. Pribula.
