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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'. |
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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. |
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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! |
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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. 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. 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! |
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! 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!) |
