About
What We're All About
I Can Read In French works with school boards across Canada, providing teachers with the resources and professional development necessary for students to succeed.
Meet Lindsay Cochrane
Hi, I’m Lindsay. I’m an educator, writer, and lifelong book lover with a passion for helping children learn to read.
When I started teaching Grade 1 French Immersion, I was shocked to realize how little I actually knew about how kids learn to read. I had a classroom full of eager students and a stack of curriculum documents – but no real roadmap for building those crucial early literacy skills.
That experience lit a fire in me. I began digging deep into the Science of Reading, a body of research that explains how children become successful readers through explicit, systematic instruction in things like phonemic awareness, phonics and vocabulary. It completely changed the way I teach.
I taught for the Toronto District School Board for 12 years. In this time, I piloted their first French Immersion Full-Day Kindergarten program, organized student and teacher book clubs, and did reading intervention with French Immersion students. I’ve also led successful grant-writing campaigns (including a $195,000 literacy grant!), spoken on CBC Radio, and adapted the novel Beatrice & Virgil by Yann Martel into a play which has had two professional runs.
I created I Can Read In French because I believe every child deserves access to effective, evidence-based reading instruction – and every teacher deserves the tools and support to make that happen.
Lindsay Cochrane
Founder
About I Can Read In French Inc.
Who We Are
I Can Read In French works with school boards across Canada, providing teachers with the resources and professional development necessary for students to succeed.
Grounded in the Science of Reading, our resources are designed to demystify the reading process. Rather than relying on guesswork or outdated methodologies, we aim to equip educators with evidence-based strategies and teacher-friendly materials that build literacy skills step-by-step, from early foundations to fluent reading.
Whether you’re a classroom teacher searching for a structured literacy program or a parent navigating supporting your child at home, I Can Read in French is your go-to source for clarity, support, and real results.
About the Science of Reading
The Science of Reading refers to decades of established research across academic fields such as neuroscience and cognitive psychology.
This research dispels many myths and tells us how to teach reading and writing most effectively.
Myth
The human brain is wired for oral language, but reading is something that requires years of explicit, intentional instruction.
Fact
Learning to read happens naturally, through exposure to books and other forms of print.
As a fluent reader, my brain is processing words instantaneously.
Therefore, the best way to get my child reading is to drill lists of words based on their frequency or organized by theme.
Although it appears to us as fluent readers that our brains are processing words instantaneously, neuroscanning has shown us that in fact our brains are decoding the sounds mapped onto print, but doing so at an extremely high speed. The most effective way to get kids to recognize words is through phonics instruction rather than drilling whole words. (Watch this presentation by neuroscientist Stanislas Dehaene to learn more.)
Oral language and vocabulary are what really matter. Once my child can speak French, they will start to read.
Yes, we need language comprehension (the vocabulary, grammar and sentence structure necessary to understand and produce spoken language) in order to comprehend what we read. But oral language is not enough! Most students also need years of direct instruction in decoding (being able to accurately sound out what they read).
Testimonials
Trusted by Teachers Across Canada
Alanna, Grade 1 French Immersion Teacher
Katie, Literacy Consultant & FSL Lead
Mélanie, Directrice (Principal)
