Spending Time with Mrs. P

Greetings!

The site that I am sharing today has got to be in my 08-09 classes’ Top 5 places to visit in the computer lab and on the Smart Board from this past school year. Credit goes to a colleague and friend in my PLN, Kevin Jarrett, for writing such a thorough and complete review of this web site on his own blog in November 2008.

The site I am talking about is Mrs. P’s Library, where Mrs. P’s only message to children is “Reading IS cool!”

From the very first time I Mrs. P’s site popped up onto the screen in the classroom, the children’s undivided attention shifted straight to her. ‘Her’ happens to be Kathy Kinney (from The Drew Carey Show fame) and she does a marvelous job drawing the student’s interest into the site and into reading.

To be honest, the first time I logged on to the site, I was blown away by the advancements and capabilities of Flash and what is making it through on the Internet these days. It is recommended to have at least a High Speed connection to have Mrs. P at her full capacity of enjoyment.

Once you have the options selected to make the visit run smoothly, it is up to you to roam around the virtual library setting and explore the vastness surrounding you. The students in the room had a personal love interest with Mrs. P’s dog, Spyri. Spyri the Dog is quite the ham of a game of charades in the games section. See below for a couple of screen shots of this.

The ‘bread and butter’ of the site that really worked for me as the school year ran along is the actual storytelling that Mrs. P gives for a rapidly and consistently growing library that sits behind her on the bookshelf. By the end of the year, I had some basic worksheets to go along with the story she was telling to have the children focus on their comprehension skills.

If you have some time this summer, please take a moment in Mrs. P’s library and I assure you will not leave disappointed or without a smile on your face!

As with all of the posts that will be listed on this Blog, the site above is listed and categorized within the Moodle Companion Site. At the end of each post I will be listing exactly where to find this resource within the Moodle Companion Site.

{Box 9 – Language Arts Resources} ~ {Kindergarten – 5th Grade Resources} ~{Reading Based Skills}
Mrs. P’s Library- Reading Encouragement

Please share your experiences with this resource in your own classroom with all of us in the comments section!

Thanks for stopping,

Bill