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Three 30- to 45-minute sessions
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| Overview |
“I can read that!” A student who says these words may be talking about a stop sign or a McDonald’s logo. Capitalizing on this ability to recognize images and words in the world around them, this lesson has students read logos beginning in color, following with black and white, and finishing with the logo word without supporting graphics. Students then move from whole-word identification to alphabetic decoding by sorting the logos according to their initial letters. This lesson is aimed primarily at emerging readers in kindergarten and first grade, but it can also be used with older struggling readers.
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| From Theory to Practice |
Prior, J., & Gerard, M.R. (2004). Environmental print in the classroom: Meaningful connections for learning to read. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
- High-impact environmental print symbols are the first exposure young children have to the code system of written symbols.
- Research indicates that children must construct a “cognitive anchor” for mapping sounds onto written code symbols. Environmental print can be this anchor.
- Adult instruction is the key element to effectively using environmental print to teach beginning reading skills. When an adult draws attention to the letters and sounds in environmental print words, children are more likely to transfer this knowledge to decontextualized print (text without graphics).
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| Student Objectives |
Students will
- Develop word recognition and fluency by identifying and discussing familiar print in the environment, by taking note of individual letters in the words, and by segmenting the sounds of these letters
- Develop word recognition, fluency, and early reading success by reading environmental print in different forms
- Apply what they have learned and demonstrate comprehension by recalling the sounds of the letters they see in logos and sorting those logos according to their initial letter
- Practice reading and sorting by placing the logos in additional categories
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| Instructional Plan |
Preparation
| 1. |
You may choose to teach this lesson as part of a unit along with “Stop Signs, McDonald’s, and Cheerios: Writing with Environmental Print.” If you have already completed this lesson, you can use the environmental print materials you assembled for it and can skip Session 1 of this lesson, which is the same.
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| 2. |
You will be using examples of signs, labels, and logos with your students and should have a collection available to share with them, to make cards for Session 2, and to use in the sorting activity in Session 3. These can come from product packaging (e.g., cereal boxes, soda cans), fast food containers, store bags, or magazines. Some of these images should come specifically from your immediate community (e.g., the sign in front of your school or street signs from main streets in town). You might consider taking photos of local signs with a digital camera or scanning in pictures that you cut out of local magazines or brochures. You will want to resize these images so that they fit onto index cards. You can do this by scanning the images and then using software or a photocopier to resize them. You want at least eight images and preferably more.
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| 3. |
You can also use the Internet to capture images of signs, logos, and product labels as follows:
| a. |
Go to Google Image Search and type in the name of a sign, company, or product you would like to use (for example, type in the words stop sign).
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| b. |
On the page that opens with images, click on the image that is simplest and will copy most clearly; then click on the link that says See full-size image.
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| c. |
When this image opens, right-click on the image. A drop-down menu will appear. Click on the word Copy.
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| d. |
Using Microsoft Word or another word-processing program, open a blank document and paste the image in. You will want to resize the image so that it can fit onto an index card.
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| 4. |
To prepare for Session 2, you will need to create three sets of environmental print cards as follows:
| a. |
Select eight images from those you have collected in Steps 1 and 2, preferably ones that are familiar to your students (examples might include a stop sign and labels from Oreos, Play-Doh, Burger King food, Crest toothpaste, Barbie, BAND-AIDs, and LEGOs).
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| b. |
Make one copy of each image in color and another in black and white. If possible, when you create the black-and-white image, remove any graphics or illustrations that accompany the word in the logo or sign.
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| c. |
Type and print out each logo word or words in an enlarged standard font. Be sure to type just as the word is written. For example, OREO would be typed as it appears on the label using all uppercase letters. Play-Doh would be typed in both uppercase and lowercase letters.
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| d. |
You will now have eight logos in three different forms. Glue each one to an index card.
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| 5. |
Choose at least two of the following four T-chart templates for the activity during Session 3:
Your choice should be based on how many appropriate images you collected for each category during Steps 2 and 3. You will complete one of the templates with your students and should copy it onto chart paper and make larger copies of the appropriate logos and images to accompany it.
Make one letter-sized copy of the second T-chart template you choose for each student in your class. Make smaller copies of the appropriate logos and images for your students to use when sorting.
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| 6. |
Ask your students to bring in their own examples of packaging, labels, and logos to share during Session 1.
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Instruction and Activities
Session 1
| 1. |
Display the items you have assembled to share and those that your students have brought in (see Preparation, Steps 1 and 6). Ask students to identify each of them. Ask how they know the name of the item and have student volunteers point to the words on the packaging.
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| 2. |
Use the words on the items you have brought in to draw students’ attentions to the letters and sounds. For example:
- How do you know this box says BAND-AID?
- What letter do you see at the beginning?
- What sounds does the letter b make?
- Is that the sound you hear at the beginning of BAND-AID?
- What is another word that begins with the same sound?
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| 3. |
Slowly segment the sounds made by each environmental print word and have students call out the letter for each sound. Draw students’ attentions to the different sounds that the same letter can make. For example:
- What other letters do you see in the word BAND-AID?
- What are the sounds that you hear in BAND-AID?
- Do you see the letter a here in BAND-AID says /ă/, but the letter a here says its name /ā/?
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| 4. |
Proceed in this manner with each of the items. Draw students’ attentions to the fact that often a letter appears in different ways. For example, sometimes a letter might be written in cursive. Sometimes the same letter is big and red. The same letter can look different when it appears in different words.
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Session 2
| 1. |
Using tape to attach the image cards you have prepared (see Preparation, Step 4), arrange them in three columns on a sheet of chart paper, with all of the colored cards together, all of the black-and-white logo cards together, and all of the typed cards together. Within each column, the cards should be placed in random order.
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| 2. |
Say one of the logo names and ask students to identify it in the first column. Assist them by asking them to listen as you say the word and think about the beginning sound and the letter that represents that sound. For example: “Listen as I say the word BAND-AID. What sound do you hear at the beginning of the word? What letter makes that sound? Can you find the word BAND-AID in the first column?”
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| 3. |
Next, ask students to locate the same logo in the second column. Explain that the logo will look a bit different because it will not have the color and graphics they just saw. Draw students’ attentions to the differences and similarities in the printed letters of the two logos. For example: “Now, you’re going to look for the word BAND-AID in the second column. What do you notice about the cards here? That’s right; they no longer have colorful letters or pictures. Can you find a word that begins with the letter b?”
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| 4. |
Finally, ask students to locate the same word in the third column. This may be challenging, so be ready to provide assistance. If you have selected multiple logos that begin with the same letter, the difficulty level will be increased. You’ll need to encourage students to look at ending letters to help them identify the corresponding logo words. For example: “Find the word BAND-AID in the third column. Remember that BAND-AID begins with the /b/ sound. Find the words that begin with b. How can you tell these words apart? Look at the end of each word. Find the word that ends with the same ending sound as BAND-AID.”
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| 5. |
Once the logo has been identified in all three columns, begin again with another logo and continue in the same manner. Remember that you are the key to the success of this kind of instruction. It is important to continually generate conversation about the letters in the logos and the sounds the letters represent.
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Note: Depending on how you usually work with your students, you may want to complete this activity with small groups of four or five. You may also choose to create multiple sets of the cards and after you have completed Steps 1 through 4 with a couple of logos, ask students to complete the activity in pairs on their own sheets of chart paper.
Session 3
| 1. |
Place the T-chart you have written on chart paper someplace where students can see it (see Preparation, Step 5). Take the images you have assembled to go with the chart and display them next to the chart. (You want the images to be able to adhere to the paper but also to be moved around easily – loops of masking tape might work well for this purpose.)
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| 2. |
Review each of the images, asking students to say the environmental print word(s) they contain. Questions for discussion include:
- How do you know the word or words?
- Are there any clues that tell you what the word is? What kind of clues?
- What letter or letters do you see at the beginning of the word?
- What sound does that letter make?
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| 3. |
Next, review the chart, asking students what they think the headings mean and how they think the images are meant to go on the chart. Explain that they will sort the images, putting some on the right side of the chart and some on the left side.
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| 4. |
Invite students to come to the front of the room and pick an image and where they think it goes. Once all of the images have been placed, ask the following questions for each image:
- Why do you think this image is here?
- Could it go on the other side of the chart? Why or why not?
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| 5. |
Distribute the T-chart and images you have created for students to complete individually (See Preparation, Step 5). Give each student some pieces of tape or some glue so they can affix the images to the page. Support students while they are working by circulating and answering questions as necessary.
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Extensions
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| Student Assessment/Reflections |
- Observe students’ participation during the group activities, especially their ability to read logo words and identify letters and sounds. Pay close attention to how easily students segment and hear the sounds of the letters in each environmental print word. You will also want to observe how well students are able to place logos in the appropriate places on the T-charts during Session 3. If necessary, you may want to use one of the two remaining T-chart templates to create another chart for students to get more practice before having them complete their charts independently.
- During Session 2, observe as students make attempts to read decontextualized words. Make note of any difficulty they experience with particular letters. Offer additional instruction using environmental print or other letter-identification activities focusing on these letters.
- Review each student’s completed T-chart. Check for correct placement of all images. If a student places an image incorrectly, ask him or her to explain the logic behind the placement. You may find it necessary to work individually with some students.
- On a class list, note which letters are recognized readily by which students.
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1 - Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.
3 - Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).
12 - Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).
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