ABSTRACT
The case for including free voluntary reading (FVR) in language education programs is, in my opinion, overwhelming. 1 In fact, FVR may be the best educational tool we have for literacy development. In this chapter, I present two arguments for FVR: (1) the language argument: the argument that FVR is a powerful way of developing competence in literacy; (2) the affective argument, the claim that FVR is very enjoyable. In addition, I present some evidence that FVR can be used as a bridge from communicative language competence to academic language competence, and some new applications: how FVR can be used to strengthen bilingual education programs, and how free reading can help in the acquisition of second dialects.
