Diving Into Your Q&As: What Exactly is Free Choice Friday?

Welcome to the second episode in our summer Q&A series! This week we have a question from Marsha T. She asked – Can you give some insight into what free choice Friday entails? Ya’ll. Free Choice Friday is seriously my jam, so I am thrilled to answer this question today!

There’s a reason we say T.G.I.F. By the end of the week, you are ready for a much needed break. You’re thinking about closing out the current week while also planning for the next. Friday is about slowing down and catching your breath. It is totally possible to make your Fridays FUN without sacrificing learning time. This is a practice I’ve used in kindergarten, second, and fourth grade, so you can absolutely use Free Choice Friday in ANY grade.

If you have a question that you’d like me to address on a future Q&A episode, send me a message on IG @missps_style!

In this episode I share 5 benefits of implementing Free Choice Friday:

1. Student Choice

2. Time to allow for catch up work

3. Time to review data and pull strategy groups

4. It’s a way to not start new content before a weekend

5. It gives YOU a break from the long week you just had!

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Episode 32, Diving Into Your Q&As: How Do You Set Up Effective Writing Centers?
• Small Group Notes Observation Tracker
• Reading Skills and Strategies Posters

Connect with Megan:

• Check out my TpT Store
• Join The Literacy Dive Facebook Group
• Subscribe to my E-mail List
• Instagram posts
• Blog posts
• Facebook posts
• Watch my YouTube channel

About The Literacy Dive Podcast:

Do you find yourself seeking new ideas when it comes to literacy instruction in elementary classrooms? The Literacy Dive Podcast was created to offer actionable steps and to share information for teachers, like you, who are always looking to improve their craft! ELA is our jam and we are excited to dive into all things reading and writing with you!

Your host, Megan Polk, is the creator and owner behind Miss P’s Style. She is a literacy specialist and loves to support students and their teachers with curriculum, literacy instruction, best practices, and engaging literacy activities. Through this podcast, she will share literacy tips and strategies that she has learned from the many years of experience she holds from being an elementary teacher and literacy specialist. Megan has taught all elementary grades (K-5), but an intense passion and love for upper elementary came about!

Dive in with us every Monday for a new episode from Megan! She, and her guests, will chat about various literacy topics and will bring you tips and tricks that can easily be implemented in your classrooms… immediately!

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