One of the biggest topics of conversation I have with parents this time of year is LITERACY.
The new school year energy starts to fade and suddenly a world of fear and comparison sets in for parents everywhere....
Are they behind in reading ability?
My neighbor's child is younger than mine and reading better than my child!
My kid HATES writing!
Am I a failure?
I know I should read to model to them, but ugh... I don’t even like reading!
This spiral of fear and comparison can cause us to make decisions that don't serve us or our children, & can even cause harm to their overall literacy development!
Yikes!
So we’ve made it our October Mission to support you and your kiddos on a healthy natural literacy journey - where a lifelong love and joy of reading and writing is the focus (for them AND you)!
Welcome to the Month of Literacy Workshop Series!
We heard from hundreds of you through our Literacy Survey, and have put together something that we think you’re really going to love...
Each week in October, we’ll be highlighting a different area of literacy. We’ll do a live workshop session (recorded, of course) on Monday to teach you everything you need to know about the topic, and then we’ll spend the next six days taking simple, yet powerful steps to shift our mindsets, our actions and approaches, our environments, our language and conversation, and more.
You do NOT need to have a lot of time to dedicate to this. You just need to be willing to listen, learn, and implement! Much of what we need to know and learn about literacy exists in how we handle our thinking about learning reading and writing skills, not in what we DO to our kids.
Everything will be hosted and saved in our private online space, so you’ll be free to access the content after the live sessions.
PRESENTED BY:
Leah McDermott, M.Ed., author and founder of Your Natural Learner and Bridge Academy
Literacy Workshop Schedule
Week 1 - October 3-9 Supporting the Pre-/Early Readers
Week 2 - October 10-16 Encouraging Your Independent Reader
Week 3 - October 17-23 Writing - A Self-Expressive Journey
Week 4 - October 24-30 Literacy Disabilities and Struggles
BONUS - October 31 Learning to Love Reading as an Adult
Flexible for families of all sizes & ages!
We know every family is a little bit different, so we've chosen topics that will meet everyone's needs, and included ongoing support for the week beyond the workshop to help you tailor your learning to your unique family's needs!
Get ready to totally transform what you THOUGHT you knew about reading, writing, spelling, literacy, and learning as a whole! 🤯
WEEK ONE
October 3rd-9th
Supporting the Pre-/Early Readers
In this workshop, we’ll look at the early literacy skills your pre and early readers are working on right now! We’re going to talk about:
- how reading and writing develop in the brain
- what other skills are important for literacy development
- what natural literacy actually looks like and what is “normal”
- what signs to look for that show you your child’s readiness
- how you can support your child in their literacy development
- making sure learning to read doesn’t feel like a chore that your child will hate
This workshop will be filmed LIVE on Monday, October 3rd at 12:30pm EST with a Q&A following the session. After the workshop, a recording will be available.
On October 4-9, you will receive daily prompts that encourage you to put into practice what you learned in the workshop through observation, assessment, and implementation exercises.
By the end of this week, you will have a clear understanding of what stage of development your child is in with their literacy, the next things you should be looking for to assess their growth, and exactly how you can support them in this stage of literacy learning through your environment and learning actions.
WEEK TWO
October 10th-16th
Encouraging Your Independent Reader
In this workshop, we will explore what happens after that amazing explosion of reading finally happens and your child is reading independently. We’re going to talk about:
- what literacy skills continue to develop after independent reading
- how to “get your child to read” if they don’t naturally choose it
- shifting your own mindset about reading in this modern world
- determining value of reading outside of a book
- developing your child’s advanced reading skills
- what to do if your child has literacy trauma
This workshop will be filmed LIVE on Monday, October 10th at 12:30pm EST with a Q&A following the session. After the workshop, a recording will be available.
On October 11-16, you will receive daily prompts that encourage you to put into practice what you learned in the workshop through observation, assessment, and implementation exercises.
By the end of this week, you will have confidence in supporting your independent reader, knowledge of how to heal from literacy trauma, a refreshed view of reading as a life skill, and tips for how to encourage reading as a lifelong passion.
WEEK THREE
October 17th-23rd
Writing - A Self-Expressive Journey
In this most-anticipated workshop, we will dive into WRITING and all of the fears, emotions, and skills that come along with it! This workshop is a DON’T MISS! We’re going to talk about:
- what writing REALLY is and why you don’t need to stress so much about it
- the purpose of writing and its mechanics
- the writing continuum and the eight stages of development
- how to determine the stage of writing that your child is in
- the four cardinal rules for teaching writing
- what writing trauma is and how to heal from it (and how to prevent it in the first place)
This workshop will be filmed LIVE on Monday, October 17th at 12:30pm EST with a Q&A following the session. After the workshop, a recording will be available.
On October 18-23, you will receive daily prompts that encourage you to put into practice what you learned in the workshop through observation, assessment, and implementation exercises.
By the end of this week, you will feel more confident in your child’s writing journey than you ever have before! You will understand the important elements of writing, be able to determine exactly where your child is in their learning journey and what their next stage of development is, and know exactly how to support them! Most importantly, you will understand how writing trauma happens and how to prevent it and heal from it.
WEEK FOUR
October 24th-30th
Literacy Disabilities and Struggles
If you’ve ever wondered if your child might be dealing with a disability or inherent struggle in literacy, this workshop is for you! We’re going to talk about:
- what literacy disabilities are there and what do they look like
- how to determine if your child is having difficulty in literacy
- knowing when to intervene and seek professional support
- supporting the child who is struggling, but does not have a documented disability
- supporting a child who already has a diagnosis on a natural literacy path
- who to go to if more support is needed
This workshop will be filmed LIVE on Monday, October 24th at 12:30pm EST with a Q&A following the session. After the workshop, a recording will be available.
On October 25-30, you will receive daily prompts that encourage you to put into practice what you learned in the workshop through observation, assessment, and implementation exercises.
By the end of this week, you should have a better understanding of the difference between a natural literacy path, a child who is just struggling a bit, and a potential literacy disability. You’ll feel more confident in supporting the child who struggles with one or more areas of literacy and will have the skills and resources to assist them or to reach out if you feel you need additional support.
Ready to sign up?
20% off if you purchase before October 15th!!
Your purchase includes:
- 4 Workshops and Q&As
- 4 Weeks of Experiential Learning
- BONUS WORKSHOP
- Recordings for everything!
- Community space to engage with other participants
$80 $100
FAQs
Is there a deadline to sign up?
No, but if you want to join the live sessions and be a part of the Q&A, you’ll need to enroll for the week prior to the session you wish to join. If you sign up after the live session, you’ll get access to the recording.
I am a Bridge Academy family member - do I have to pay for this?
Yes, this Month of Literacy is supplemental to the curriculum and trainings available through Bridge Academy.
What if I'm not a homeschooler - will this help me?
100% yes. This is important for EVERY parent - homeschooling, unschooling, public schooling, virtual schooling, etc.... speaking your child’s learning language helps you support them in every area of their lives - from daily tasks to academic activities to lifelong skills. I'd even argue that it's MORE important for those whose children attend school, as it helps you tune into your children more and advocate for their best experience in the classroom.
Is this live? How much time do I need to dedicate?
The workshop each Monday (12:30pm EST) will be recorded live and then available as a replay. The rest of the week's content will be work at your own pace. The workshops will be approximately 45-60 minutes (depending on topic and Q&A) and the daily tasks will be quick and easy to read, and will vary in implementation by family.
What's the bonus if I buy the bundle for the whole month?
On top of getting all four workshops & full experiential learning weeks for integration, you'll get access to a end-of-the-month live call with me that's especially for parents who know how important DESCHOOLING is ... but feel like it's not just the homeschooling that is hard but their own childhood educational trauma.
- Maybe you used to be an avid reader, but parenthood and life got in the way and you haven’t made time to pick up a book for yourself in ages
- Maybe you just spend so much time researching and reading things to help your kids that you don’t even know what you enjoy anymore
- Maybe you have your own literacy trauma that you’re dealing with and reading has never been a passion for you, but you want to model that love of reading to your children
- Maybe you still love reading and just want more tips to infuse even more literacy joy into your life
Wherever you are on your personal literacy journey, it’s never too late to grow and learn for ourselves - it’s not always about the kids, you know! This workshop will be a choose-your-own-adventure style to give you exactly what you need in the moment, and hopefully encourage a new step in your literacy path.
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