P A R E N T     W O R K S H O P 

There are 3 main hurdles that keep parents from successfully and confidently supporting their child at home in French.​​
PROBLEM # 1
​You don’t speak French. You feel like you could do so much to help your child if you had only taken French when you were younger. You feel stuck. You hope that what the teacher said about you not needing to know French for your child to do well is true. Beyond letter flashcards, it's hard to know where to get started.
PROBLEM # 2
​You don’t know what to focus on. At home, you have a small pile of flashcards, letter sounds, and books that get sent home from school. What can you do beyond reading with them for 20 minutes, or drilling them with flashcards? What is the most impactful way you can focus on French?
PROBLEM # 3
​You don't have French resources, and you don't have the time. You've tried to find out the answers for yourself, but it ended up being a big waste of time. You'd like to work on a few important things at home to move them forward. You're just not sure what you'll get back from investing your time.​
​I hear this so often from parents - and with schooling disruptions over the past year, more families are finding that their child is not reading at grade-level expectations. It is no one’s fault, but parents are now forced to try and pick up the slack.

The parents I talk to are already working with their child, but things aren't going as they thought. They’ve either…
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Spend a lot of time googling and on Youtube, watching French videos with the hope that some of it will connect to what your child is working on at school.

OR...

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​Work on sight words in French. Sit with them during their daily home reading and any correct mistakes you notice. But...you’re not sure how much this routine is helping them retain new French words.

​I’ve talked to so many families with children in French Immersion who want a better way. As teachers, we always say “you do not need to speak French for your child to succeed in French Immersion”.

Every teacher I’ve met works hard to make this true. But some students need extra support, and families want the option to positively impact their child's learning. They can carve out 15-30 minutes a day out of their busy schedule, but what should they be focusing on? What would get them results? What can they implement right now, given their own level of French knowledge?
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   Have you ever found yourself saying any of these?
    ♢    ​I wish had time to learn French, but I'm so busy.
    ♢    My kid already knows so much more French than I'll ever know! 
    ♢    ​Should we just hire a tutor?
    ♢    I thought he knew this sight word yesterday...
    ♢    ​I don't know where to start."
So often I hear parents say “I wish I had taken French at school” - as if there was only one time they could learn French, and they've missed the boat. That because they didn't do something as a child, they've missed out on the opportunity to support their own child's learning at school.

My name is Nicole Balston, and I’m a teacher and private tutor. I've also been enthusiastically learning French for over 15 years. This enthusiasm led me to study French linguistics, teach in France, and finally become a French Immersion teacher in K-3 classrooms! Finally, I stumbled upon the Science of Reading, and it changed everything. Did you know that there is only one way our brains learn to read? That we can teach reading directly in a way - the only way - our brains learn?

This was a game changer. I learned that students need direct and clear instruction in the language 'code' to successfully and confidently learn to read. Everything I teach hinges directly on that premise.
If you’re ready to start confidently supporting your child and decoding in French, then we’d like to formally invite you to…
Join this Parent Bootcamp so you can start reading simple sentences
in French in only three days!
Here’s A Sneak Peek At What We’ll Be Covering:
DAY 1: FOUNDATIONS  
​      ✔   Learn French alphabet sounds and the key differences between English and French.
      ✔   Learn what to do - and more importantly, what not to do - when helping your child with reading!          
​      ✔   Train your ear to hear the difference between similar French sounds, and train your mouth to say them!
​      ✔   Learn about silent letters and 'superhero e'. 
DAY 2: GRAMMAR 
​      ✔   Review challenging letter sounds.
      ✔   Learn SoundStories to understand why some letters have more than one sound. Use these stories later to help your child!
​      ✔   Essential grammar for pronunciation.
​      ✔   Learn the 2 sounds of c, g, o, and s - and when to use them.
DAY 3: READING
      ✔   Learn when the 2 sounds of e, and when to use them. 
​      ✔   Learn about silent letters in special situations.
      ✔   Start reading decodable sentences!
​      ⭐​   ​Time after session to ask Nicole any questions about French you may have. Open FAQ!
I want to give you the information you need to start now. 

You don’t need to know everything about French to help your child -
​you need to know some French essentials, and know what to do when you’re working together.​
I want to stop the constant scroll to find the perfect French learning video on Youtube.

No more spending hours searching for French resource and activities you can use at home.

If you do use Duolingo, it will be because you want to, not because it's your only option for learning enough French to support your child." 
Be a part of this streamlined 3-day bootcamp for parents so you can quickly start decoding in French!


​So. See you there? :-) 

Here's what some previous bootcampers have to say...


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​Still have questions? I have answers.

For supporting my child at home, what grade is this targeting?
This workshop will be of particular use to parents with children in their first few years in French - whether that's K/1/2, or Grade 6/7 in Late French Immersion!  I've had families attend with children in Grade 3-4 who were struggling with some parts of reading. With these older grades, you simply move through these activities at a quicker pace, with the goal of filling any gaps in the reading foundation.

To learn best, students of all ages need explicit, direct instruction. Instead of assuming you will pick it on the patterns just by reading, the rule will be clearly explained. Step 2 is learning the SoundStory that goes with so that you (and your child) don't have to "just memorize it" - instead, it will make sense!

Regardless of their child's current grade, parents starting from scratch with their own French knowledge are welcome to attend as it will provide a foundation for you to begin more efficiently supporting your child with their French reading.

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Why is this free?
Every year as a classroom teacher, I would have the same meeting multiple times. Call in a family. Talk to them about how their child was working hard, but they weren't connecting the dots yet. They need more support, particularly in French reading.

The family would often ask: We don't speak French at home. What can I do to help? 

I would sit down with them for the next hour, going past our meeting time, but knowing that they needed information. I gave them what I could, but I would always wonder: is this enough? I wanted to direct them to a program that would give them the tools they needed, but the French Immersion program was unique enough that nothing existed for it. 

This is why I want to provide this workshop, free of charge. I've spent years studying and figuring out the French code. It is my passion to share that information so it reaches more families so together, we can help more students succeed in French Immersion.

This being said, due to everything that goes into hosting a live event, it is possible that this later becomes a paid bootcamp. Since I cannot guarantee that the price won't go up in the future, I'd love for you to capitalize on this opportunity now! 


What if I can’t make it to the live calls? 
I strongly urge you to show up live each day — because that’s how you’re going to get the most out of this bootcamp! I'm here to answer your questions as you do the work. Carving out the time to be with us each day keeps you accountable and results in tangible progress each day. 

But, don't worry, I know that things come up, and life is busy! That’s why we'll record the material for you from each day, so you'll always have access to them.  ​

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Does my child have to be in French Immersion for me to attend? 
Not at all! This bootcamp is to support parents in learning the essentials of the French alphabetic code in order to help their child read in French.

Learning how to decode (pronounce) words in French Immersion is a non-negotiable, and I found there was a lack of resources for English-speaking parents to help their child learn to read in French. That is why I created this bootcamp, and why it is primarily targeted towards families in (or planning on) a French Immersion program.

If you're looking for colours, numbers, and "bonjour, comment ça va" sentences, this won't be for you. But if you're looking to learn the why and how behind pronouncing words in French, then this bootcamp would be perfect for you!

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I don't know any French. Is this for me?
Yes! I've created this workshop with you exactly in mind! This is for parents who don't know French, don't know the letter sounds, and don't feel comfortable working in French. They might have memorized different French words, but they don't understand the code. This is going to jump-start your French knowledge so at the end of the three days, you'll be able to read decodable sentences, and you'll go away with games and activities that you can do at home with your child this summer!

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My child hasn't started French Kindergarten yet! Would it makes sense to attend?
Yes! This is a great way to start front-loading yourself and your child with direct instruction into the French code. This will allow you to develop good habits and phonological awareness skills they will use later on when developing working on reading.


My child is starting Late French Immersion. Does this still apply to older students starting French?
Yes. I wish I had this information when I was first learning French! Older students will be able to go through the material faster as they already have an "anchor" of English reading. 

I've even taught these same rules to high school students who started French Immersion in Kindergarten - and they learned something, too!

That's because knowing the why behind what letters do allows you to make use of your strongest asset - your pattern-seeking brain. You don't have to guess why cheval has an "eu" sound, but elle says "è". No more relying on saying the word until it 'sounds right'. With the rules to fall back on, all of a sudden, things make sense!    
    

I already feel comfortable working in French. Is this for me?
This workshop was made to be accessible to parents with no French knowledge. That being said, I include the explanations of the why behind the pronunciation - how do you decide if e will make the "eu" sound or the "è" in a word? When does s say /z/ instead?

These little rules will allow you to better help your child in French. The next time you read "Elle casse la vase", you'll be able to explain the why behind è, ss, and z sounds. Better yet, I've created SoundStories that allow these ideas to make these concepts accessible to kids!

I've had adults who went through French Immersion and even French teachers say the workshop pushed them forward in how to teach French reading!

How much work do I have to put in to actually see results?
If you show up for each session and actively participate, you will be able to decode simple sentences by the end of day 3.  By actively participate, I mean that you try to say the words and sounds out loud, even if it feels silly. You'll be on mute most of the time, so you'll just be practising for your own improvement.

Having your full attention and participation during these hour long sessions is vital to making the learning stick. Isn't that exciting, though? You can learn to read in French in around the time it takes to watch a long movie! I promise you, this will take you much, much further than three hours of Duolingo!


I have a different question. How can I contact you?
If it's a quick question, send me an email. If it's more involved, please feel free to book a student success call so I can help!

Merci, et à bientôt. :)
(Thank you, and talk soon!)