Real strategies for reaching your struggling readers — without watering down your curriculum.
JUNE 23 – 25, 2026
A free 3-day virtual event where 6–12 ELA teachers and literacy specialists come together to explore practical strategies for the readers who struggle to access, engage with, and make meaning from the texts in your classroom.
Watch the video below to learn how this free 3-day event will help you walk into the new school year feeling equipped for the struggling readers in your classroom.
Helping struggling readers make real progress takes a whole lot more than one strategy, one program, or one really good unit.
You know that better than anyone.
You’ve differentiated lessons, modified assignments on the fly, and spent hours outside of contract time looking for something — anything — that might finally make a difference for the students who need it most.
But even with all of that… you’re still not quite sure it’s working.
Maybe Right Now You...
Are working with a curriculum that simply wasn’t built for students reading below grade level, and you’re left to fill in the gaps yourself
Spend hours searching for fresh strategies and resources, then wonder how on earth to make them work for the range of readers in your room
Watch the number of struggling readers in your classroom grow each year, with no clear roadmap for how to support them without slowing down the rest of your class
Sit through PD that’s too vague to be actionable, when what you actually need is something you can use Monday morning
What if this was the summer everything shifted?
You chose this work because you believe every student deserves a teacher who doesn't give up on them.
And your struggling readers? They need that more than anyone.
How would it feel to…
BETTER UNDERSTAND
Why certain students struggle to access the text in front of them and get a clearer picture of what might be going on and where you might begin.
LEAVE SCHOOL
Feeling like you tried something intentional, a real strategy with a real student in mind, instead of just surviving another period of independent reading where half the class checked out.
LOOK AT YOUR DATA
And believe again that progress is possible for the students who feel out of reach, even when it’s slow, hard to see, and when the data doesn’t show it yet.
BE SURROUNDED
By secondary ELA teachers and specialists who are wrestling with the same questions you are — because figuring this out alongside people who get it is so much better than figuring it out alone.
This is your summer to show up for your struggling readers — and for yourself.
Join us for three days and learn alongside ELA teachers and literacy specialists who know exactly what it feels like to watch students struggle through a text or shut down during reading — and how to layer in strategies that move reluctant readers forward.
This is your dedicated time to step back, dig into what’s actually working, and walk away with a clearer picture of what to try next without overhauling everything you’re already doing.
Meet Your Host
Hey there, I'm Natayle!
I’ve taught reading from two significant milestones in a reader’s journey — first in K–3 small groups, where I saw exactly how foundational reading skills are built, and later in middle school ELA, where I watched what happens when students arrive without them.
When I landed in a 6th grade intervention classroom with almost no resources and a vague directive — just do something — I did what most of us do. I pieced it together. I searched, I adapted, I tried things, and I learned a lot along the way.
That experience revealed something I couldn’t unsee: most middle and secondary teachers are given a roster of struggling readers without ever being given the tools to reach them. And that’s exactly why this conference exists.
Tune in June 23-25 and join me and 20 ELA teachers and literacy specialists. You deserve a room full of people who get it, and this is that room.
I can’t wait to learn alongside you.
This is where it all comes together.
Inside the Unstuck Literacy Conference
When & Where
The Unstuck Virtual Literacy Conference will run from June 23–25 with a variety of sessions to attend from anywhere with internet access, whether that’s your classroom, the pool, or somewhere in between! Sessions release each morning starting at 9am EST and remain available for 48-hours after release.
Voices From the Field
Hear from ELA teachers and literacy specialists across 20 sessions covering vocabulary, comprehension and the cognitive science behind it, scaffolded instruction for complex texts, syntax and sentence-level reading, motivation and more — all designed for the secondary classroom.
Private Community
Join our private Facebook community to connect with secondary ELA teachers working toward the same goal. This is where we’ll hang out during the conference, collaborate, and connect with those who genuinely get what you’re up against.
Chances to Win
Show up, engage in our community throughout the conference, and keep an eye out for chances to win prizes, including gifts from our speakers and a few fun surprises along the way!
Upgrade for a VIP Experience
After registering, you can upgrade to the All Access Pass Literacy Toolkit, which includes ongoing access to all presentations, bonus contributions from every speaker, session playbooks, notes, transcripts, bonus networking sessions, and more.
This conference was built for ELA teachers who know their struggling readers deserve more — and are ready to do something about it.
Most district PD wasn’t built for you.
Science of Reading content skews toward K–3 classrooms. Most ELA-focused events are broad by design — a little of everything for everyone.
This one isn’t.
- It’s for grades 6–12. Sessions and strategies are designed with secondary students and teachers in mind.
- Sessions go beyond the curriculum to address what happens when students aren’t ready for it, helping you understand the gap between where your readers are and where your ELA standards expect them to be.
- Strategies are designed to layer in. You won’t have to overhaul your curriculum, abandon your novels, or restructure your entire classroom. These are approaches that fit with what you’re already doing.
Whether a session challenges how you think or hands you something to try tomorrow, you’ll walk away with a deeper understanding of your struggling readers and real ideas you can actually use.
Meet the Speakers
Meet the ELA teachers and literacy specialists who will be joining us at the Unstuck Literacy Conference:
Daina Petronis
Beyond the Whole Class Novel: Implementing Guided Reading in Alternative Secondary Settings
Allison McManus
Syntax Sense: Unlocking Comprehension Through Sentence Structure
Megan Pinchback
Why Your Struggling Readers Still Aren’t Fluent: What Dyslexia Teaches Us About Missed Reading Foundations
Jeremiah Short
Phenomenal Word Power: An Evolution of Word Study
Dr. Sarah Holbrook
Complex Text, Strong Scaffolds: Real Solutions for Older Readers
Terri @ Huddle Teach
Catch the Clunk: Teaching Students to Notice and Fix Confusion While Reading
Amanda Cardenas
Unmasking the Novel: How Evidence Trackers Ignite Student Voice and Eliminate the Study Guide
Elizabeth Peterson
Before the Strategy: The 3 Things Your Struggling Students Need to Even Start
Emily Sapenoff
Science of Reading in High School: What It Actually Looks Like with Struggling Readers
Lisa Spangler
From Gaps To Growth: 3 Strategic Supports For Struggling Middle School Readers
Jen Zarlino
Reading Scaffolds That Actually Work in Secondary ELA
Katia Fratticci
Surface Code, Textbase, Situation Model: A Framework for Understanding Comprehension Breakdown
Natayle Brown
Beyond Word Lists: The Vocabulary Strategy Every Secondary Reader Needs
Melissa Kruse
Mark it Like You Mean It: Annotations that Actually Work
Amanda Zieba
The 15-Minute Engagement Fix: Small Moves That Change Everything
Angela Egan
Not an ELA Problem: Helping All Teachers Support Struggling Readers
Reghan Corley
Reading to Writing Process to Strengthen Comprehension
Abby Ramos Stanutz
Reading Team: Building Secondary Readers through Collaboration & Connection
Lauralee Moss
Easy Engagements for a Reading Community
Laura Daly
Graphic Organizers to Guide Growth
This is the room you've been looking for. Grab your free ticket and join us June 23–25.
You're ready to make a difference for your struggling readers — and for yourself.
It’s time to stop piecing it together alone and walk into the new school year with the strategies, the tools, and the community you’ve been looking for.
Grab your free ticket and join us at the Unstuck Virtual Literacy Conference, June 23–25.
HAVE QUESTIONS? WE’VE GOT ANSWERS.
This conference was built primarily for general education ELA teachers in grades 6–12 who have struggling readers in their classrooms. That said, reading specialists, interventionists, and teachers who also have an intervention block will find plenty here that speaks directly to their work too. If you teach English and have students who struggle to access, engage with, or make meaning from what they read — you’re in the right place.
Absolutely. You don’t need a classroom full of students reading three grade levels behind to benefit from this event. If you have students who struggle to access grade-level text, lose steam during independent reading, or need a little more support to keep up — this conference was made with you in mind!
Yes! This conference focuses on instructional strategies, not a specific curriculum or program. The approaches shared here are designed to layer into what you’re already doing rather than replace it.
The Unstuck Virtual Literacy Conference runs June 23–25, 2026. You’ll also be able to join our private Facebook community as soon as you register, so you can connect with other attendees right away.
All presentations are pre-recorded and available for 48 hours after they’re released, so you have flexibility in when you watch. We do encourage you to carve out time during the conference week to engage with the community and attend any live sessions. If you need extended access, you can upgrade to the All Access Pass Literacy Toolkit after registering.
Your free ticket includes 48-hour access to each session. If you’d like ongoing access, the All Access Pass Literacy Toolkit includes extended access to all presentations along with a conference playbook, transcripts, a private podcast feed, bonus contributions from speakers, and more.
Presentations are pre-recorded so speakers can deliver their best content without tech hiccups. However, speakers will be live in the chatbox during their session window to connect with you and answer your questions. There will also be opportunities to join live events during the conference week, including networking opportunities and select speaker conversations so you’ll have chances to connect in real time.
No. When you register, you’ll be added to the Hey Natayle email list so we can send you event updates and links to each day’s presentations. Individual speakers will not receive your email address unless you choose to sign up for their resources directly. That way, you’re in control of who you hear from.
You can learn more in our Privacy Policy.
Yes. All presentations include closed captioning. Full transcripts and notes are also available with the All Access Pass Literacy Toolkit.
Please reach out if there’s anything we can do to make this event more accessible for you.
We encourage you to go ahead and grab your free ticket; most questions get answered during the event or in the Facebook community! But if you need to reach us before registering, feel free to send us an email at unstuck@heynatayle.com.
