Free Voluntary Reading Programming

One does not have to look very far to find overwhelming data that reading is key to language learning. Dr. Stephen Krashen, an expert in the field of language acquisition, has published numerous studies describing the effect of free and voluntary reading programs in first and second language acquisition, most of which are detailed in his book, "The Power of Reading". He contends that Free Voluntary Reading (FVR) programs are the most effective ways of building fluency in a language, having an equal or greater effect than traditional reading, writing, and spelling programs. Students need to read, not by force, but by access to a choice of interesting reading materials in Spanish, in order to acquire Spanish. FVR has found great popularity in the foreign language classroom as well as in English classrooms. However, my students do not have access to a great quantity of books nor do they have access to many books (of any kind) at home. I have a small library and I bring in children's books belonging to my own bilingual child, and even though they would not be interested in the same books in English (most would be below their skill level), they enjoy them and are interested in them because they can understand these books perfectly in the foreign language. I would like to create a Spanish-language library for the classroom so that students have the opportunity to read books and magazines of their choice during class. By providing a wide selection of books and magazines geared toward the interests of high school students, I feel that our students would begin to acquire much more Spanish through reading. In my classes I plan to establish a regular reading program. On a weekly basis we will read as a class from a Spanish language reader. Two days per week in Spanish I and II, I will offer several minutes of class time for Free Voluntary Reading during which students may choose a book or magazine to read. One day per week I will read a children's book to the students with discussion in Spanish. This plan is designed to foster an appreciation for reading in the students' second language. I am seeking not to force students to read but rather to provide them with reading material that is interesting enough that they will enjoy reading. The students served by this reading program are high school students (the majority are in the 10th-12th grades) in first through third year Spanish. An FVR program would establish a foundation of language for them to build upon, an interest in and appreciation of Spanish, as well as a love of reading--an asset in any class. Dr. Krashen's research shows that language is learned through varied, repetitive, meaningful and comprehensible input. Input can come through listening or reading. Students would benefit from a classroom library by building fluency through reading. Reading selections in textbooks and in readers laden with footnotes cannot influence this acquisition in the way that a quantity of varied reading materials can. The reading experience in Spanish would be made meaningful through access to materials that are comprehensible and interesting; students are more interested in books that they select themselves. Donations would be used to acquire children's and young adult books and magazines from Scholastic, Inc. and other sources. There are a wide variety of books available ranging in price from $1.00-6.00 each. Priority will be given to less expensive titles in order to have a larger collection to choose from, and to books with simpler language and/or familiar stories, to aid in comprehension.