How to Successfully Run Free Voluntary Reading (FVR)

Are you interested in starting free voluntary reading in your Spanish class? Nervous about how to implement it and keep students on task? Read on to find out how I structure my FVR time. 

1. Let your students choose which books or short stories they want to read. You need them to be interested in the material.
2. Set out the materials at the front of the room before class. Students pick up their reading materials as they walk into the classroom.
3. Once class begins, set a timer for how long they’re going to read and write the time on the board. I start with just five minutes at the beginning of the school year.
4. Read with your students! Be a good role model and show them that reading is important. Don’t take this time to enter attendance or do other tasks.
5. Tell the students that if they start their book or story and are not enjoying it that they can quietly come to the front of the room and swap it for a different book.
6. After the five minutes are up, students pass their books to the front of the room. Two students collect all the books and return them to your classroom library.
7. Give the class 2 minutes to turn to a partner and describe what they read. Each student gets one minute to speak. In a novice class allow them to do this in English (or their L1).

It’s so important that the students like what they are reading. Reading should be enjoyable. I hope this gave you some good ideas of how to simply set up your free voluntary reading time. Have any questions? Feel free to reach out to me on Instagram or Facebook.