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The Learning Environment -  Environmental Print

Environmental Print

(Photo gallery at bottom of page)

Environmental Print has great benefits for the learning and teaching process. Students' work can be displayed on corkboards or hung from the ceiling on old fishing nets, hoops, rope ladders, curtains or a variety of different objects.  The displays not only provide opportunities for students to 'show off' his/her work but very often make the room a vibrant work space and an inviting place to visit. 
If Environmental Print is only used to this end, however, we have overlooked its greatest potential for learning and teaching.
Displays, lists, contracts, posters, signs, electronic media, logos, graffiti and all sorts of other information can be used as a teaching tool and can also assist students become more independent and self-directed in the classroom. All of these forms of environmental print can be used as part of a teaching episode and can be used in other activities as a resource for students to draw upon.

IDEAS for using Environmental Print in your Classroom

  • In morning routines, read around the room.  Ask each child to find something they can read. Turn it into a game e.g. "I'm thinking of a letter that....."
  • Find letters, sounds, blends, sight words, strings of letters, chunks of words, words inside words, logos, brand names, font types, colours, numbers, similes, homophones, diagraphs, explanations or answers to questions from posters and other displays in the room.
  • As you teach a new strategy, create a symbol or sign that can be used later on in an independent activity e.g. cutting out (picture of scissors), retrieval chart (a picture of a grid), cloze activity (picture of a half finished sentence) etc. Put the taught strategies above the blackboard so students know where to look for them (adding an explanation under each symbol can also remind students what each of these strategies means).
  • Make the displays interactive so students can use the information at their desks or in other ways that helps her/him complete the task at hand e.g. sight words or context-specific vocabulary from the unit being taught displayed on cards or collected in containers that can be used at the students' desks.  These could also be used in word sorts or other independent activities.
  • Weather stations to record the daily weather activities.
  • Large Graphs of information - weather, tides, favourite foods, colours, sports played, tasks completed.
  • Labelled boxes or work stations allow students to find and put away equipment.
  • Create explanations of what the display is about and add these to the display (with the students).
  • Contracts of activities can be displayed in work stations
  • Daily displays of interesting facts, tongue twisters, brain-teasers can make the classroom fun and interactive.
 

Photo gallery
Colour Chart with as many colours on it as you need Colour Chart with as many colours on it as you need
Lost property box engages students when labelled appropriately. Lost property box engages students when labelled appropriately.
All the songs students know are listed on a board All the songs students know are listed on a board
Detail of song list Detail of song list
Sight words on cards for students to take back to their desks. Sight words on cards for students to take back to their desks.
An alphabet frieze is a must in every room. An alphabet frieze is a must in every room.
Reading books are labelled for ease of use. Reading books are labelled for ease of use.
Magazine holders store students work. Magazine holders store students work.
Teaching staff can find and organise resources easily Teaching staff can find and organise resources easily
Puzzles simply organised and labeled Puzzles simply organised and labeled
Simple labels Simple labels
Materials for students to use Materials for students to use
Prompts recorded from writing lesson and numbered Prompts recorded from writing lesson and numbered
Modeled writing on display with writing prompts Modeled writing on display with writing prompts
Timetable should be shared every morning. Timetable should be shared every morning.
Prompts used during maths lessons Prompts used during maths lessons
Displays can be interactive Displays can be interactive
Notes from the lesson are displayed for future reference Notes from the lesson are displayed for future reference
Sentence makers are absolutely essential for all year levels Sentence makers are absolutely essential for all year levels
Weekly timetable Weekly timetable
Useful prompts to use during lessons Useful prompts to use during lessons
Commercial resources are matched with class resources Commercial resources are matched with class resources
Empty containers make great storage Empty containers make great storage
Organised resources Organised resources
Jointly constructed text displayed in class library Jointly constructed text displayed in class library
Class reading area Class reading area
Posters can convey lots of different messages Posters can convey lots of different messages
Thinking corner poster Thinking corner poster
Students can make these resources Students can make these resources
Resources can be numbered to help students identify the required resources Resources can be numbered to help students identify the required resources
Equipment trolley Equipment trolley
Handmade foam dice with velcroe cards used for playing all sorts of games Handmade foam dice with velcroe cards used for playing all sorts of games
Students create a prop for a display Students create a prop for a display
Badges for great work Badges for great work
 
 
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  Last update: 15/08/2007
 
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