This week has been filled with environmental print. The reason we talk so much about environmental print, is to bring awareness to kids that they are already readers. They are readers if they know how to pick out their favorite snack from the pantry, their favorite movie, open the favorite app, read street signs…but they don’t know that’s what they are doing. It’s our job to bring that awareness to them. To show them that reading happens in everyday life. We make it meaningful to them from the get-go.
Here are some ways you can incorporate environmental print in your room.
Poem: Pizza Hut.
Right? We’ve all heard this one.
Environmental print emergent reader.
There are SO many places out there where you can print off the images for this reader. This Pinterest Board is a great place to start or Hubbard’s Cupboard has some printables.
I like to ask my kiddos what they like. We usually print off movies they like (all about Frozen this year), teams, colleges, lego logos…etc. I try to have images already printed out, but I also like to ask the kiddos what they would like in their books so it’s not just filled with images that I chose.
I give each student a book. They trace over the “I like” words and then glue down the logo pictures that they picked.
There are some really REALLY cheap ways that you can incorporate environmental print in your literacy stations. The first way is to cut up the front of snack/cereal boxes and create puzzles. You can laminate them if you want them to last, but I think it’s easier to just keep them in gallon zip-locs…labels are changing all the time! You could also have them bring in their own cereal boxes to create puzzles with.
It’s a simple activity and costs ZERO dollars…speaking my language.
I used the Hubbard’s Cupboard printables and made a concentration game. In order to keep their pair of cards, they have to “read” their matches. I did put these labels on card stock and laminated them. This game is a little more extensive to put together (and by that I mean not cutting up the front of a cereal box and throwing it in a bag…) and I don’t want to re-do it every year.
On the last day, the students bring in their own “Can Read” environmental print pictures and we share them and create a class book. Sometimes, I’ll post them in the home-living center so they are up all year.
Hope this helps!
Have a great weekend 🙂
Our students brought their collection of print today for their homework, and I gave them one copy of the page of your book. They chose their most favorite out of what they brought and glued it down. I let the students who didn’t bring something choose from the collection we had on the pocket chart. The rest I hung up on our word wall. I like your ” can read” idea and will use that next year. I wish I had the room for a dramatic play or block center so I could use them there.
I love the Environmental Book and how you point out to your kids that they are ALREADY readers!
Learning at the Teacher Table