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Integrating Environmental Print Across the Curriculum, PreK-3

Making Literacy Instruction Meaningful

By: Lynn Kirkland, Jerry Aldridge, Patricia Kuby

From billboards to lunch boxes, environmental print offers a powerful springboard to literacy!

Environmental print (EP) surrounds us in our daily lives and is an effective tool in the development of early literacy skills. This friendly book highlights reading research that supports EP instruction in Grades PreK–3 and provides a wealth of activities for jump-starting the literacy process in all children. Each activity will help you:

Develop the skills critical for reading success as specified by the National Reading Panel
Assess children's ability level in performing the activity
Strengthen concepts with related literature and songs
Encourage parents to use EP with their children

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Product Details

Grade Level: PreK-3
ISBN: 9781412937580
Published By: Corwin
Year: 2006
Page Count: 160
Publication date: December 28, 2006

Price: $32.95

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Description

From billboards to lunch boxes, environmental print offers a powerful springboard to literacy!

While learning to read and write takes time, there are effective ways to tap into what children already know and to use that information to jump start the literacy process. One way is through environmental print (EP), the print that surrounds children in their daily lives.

Integrating Environmental Print Across the Curriculum, PreK–3, provides a wealth of activities that build literacy skills during time devoted to language arts, math, science, social studies, art, and dramatic play. Highlighting research from the National Reading Panel, the authors demonstrate that by activating prior knowledge and creating opportunities for authentic learning, EP is an effective tool in developing the early literacy skills of all children, including English language learners and those at risk for, or identified with, special needs. Each activity specifies grade range, materials, and instructions to help you:

Meet the goals of Early Reading First and Reading First
Assess children's ability levels in performing the activity
Strengthen concepts with related literature and songs
Communicate ways that parents can use EP with their children

This friendly, research-based book is designed to assist you in creating an environmental print program that promotes the development of strong literacy skills for every child!

Key features

Offers foundational (Clay, Goodman) and recent (Vukelich, Schickedanz, Burns, Snow) research to support the use of environmental print in developing children's early literacy.
Provides a wealth of environmental print activities to use in teaching language arts, math, health, science, social studies, art, music, and dramatic play.
Each activity specifies goals/literacy skills, materials, instructions, variations and extensions, assessment practices, as well as related literature and songs to strengthen concepts
Includes suggestions for getting parents involved in using environmental print with their children
Resources include an environmental print book list and a sample letter to parents

Author(s)

Lynn Kirkland

Lynn Kirkland is associate professor of early childhood education at The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). She also directs the UAB Children's Creative Learning Center's summer enrichment program for children. Kirkland has published numerous articles on early childhood and literacy development, and is co-author of Connectors: Content Area Studies in Early Childhood published by the Association for Childhood Education International.

Jerry Aldridge

Jerry Aldridge is professor of curriculum and instruction and coordinator of the doctoral program in early childhood education at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He is a former president of the United States chapter of the World Organization for Early Childhood Education and currently serves on the publications committee of the Association for Childhood Education International. Aldridge has published numerous articles in early childhood, literacy, and special education.

Patricia Kuby

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

About the Authors

Introduction

1. What We Know About Environmental Print and Young Children

The Conceptual Framework for Using Environmental Print

What We Know About Early Literacy

Research on Environmental Print

Environmental Print and Children With Special Needs

Environmental Print and No Child Left Behind

Summary of the Research Findings on Environmental Print

Appropriate Ways to Use Environmental Print Throughout the Curriculum

2. Language Arts Activities

Daily News

Posters and Signs

Dictionaries

Writing Experiences

Literacy Across Thematic Units

Rebus Stories

Wall Lists and Bulletin Boards

Pocket Charts

Text Innovations

Word Boxes

Book Boxes

Newspaper Ad Word Search

Recipes

Lunchboxes

Billboards

Alphabet Scavenger Hunt

Environmental Print Walk

Restaurant Menus

Alphabet Wall/Community Alphabet

Alphabet Books

Reading Inside the Box

3. Math Activities

Puzzles

Coupons

Graphs

Math Games

Math in an Integrated Curriculum

M & M's Math

Newspaper Ads

Food Labels

Enlarged Class Texts

Lists

Grocery Store Surveys

Food Groups

4. Health and Science Activities

Making Flavored Milk

Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches

Making M & M's Coookies

Making Chicken or Vegetable Stew

Making Pizza

Making Pancakes

Pretend Shopping

Real Shopping

Good Food Versus Junk Food

Snacks--How Good Are They?

Where Does Food Go?

Pretend Restaurant

Matching Toothpaste

Planting Seeds

Using Cardboard Containers

Weather Symbols

Going on a Picnic

5. Social Studies Activities

Using the Newspaper

Postcard Travel

Mapping the Community

Community Helpers

Transportation Schedules

Home Sales and Rentals

Environmental Print Graphs and Elections

Careers and Environmental Print

Social Studies "Me Books" and Journals

Culturally Diverse Environmental Print

6. Creative Dramatics, Music, and Art Activities

Art Collage

Studying Artists

Neighborhood Mural

Me Boxes and "Myself"

Delivery Vehicles

MUSIC--Songs for Commercials

Creative Dramatics--"Centers" Stage

Musical Instrument Time

Can You Make a Puppet?

7. Meeting the Goals of the National Reading Panel Through Environmental Print Activities

Phonemic Awareness Activity: Starts Like...

Phonics Activity: Blended Environmental Print

Fluency Activity: Speedy Shopping List

Vocabulary Activity: What Goes With This?

Comprehension Activity: Where Do You Find It?

Conclusion: Challenges and Opportunities in Using Environmental Print

Reflective Teaching

Transformational Teaching

Resources

Resource A. Environmental Print Book List

Resource B. Sample Letter to Parents

References

Reviews

"Having children bring in environmental print items with which they have had experiences gives them a feeling of ownership in learning to read. They share their experiences and these experiences, in turn, have a profound effect on their literacy development."

From the Introduction

"With built-in performance ratings per activity, teachers will find this a key to meeting reading goals and assessing and strengthening a child's ability levels."

California Bookwatch, March 2007

Other Titles in: Literacy, K-12 | English/Language Arts (Middle/High School)

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