English learners improve their reading skills when they notice and read environmental print.

Environmental Print is print we see in everyday life:

  • ads (advertising about things for sale, events, services)

  • logos (company branding images with the company’s name or symbol)

  • store displays (banners, signs about products, sections, sales, and so on)

  • packaging (boxes, bags, cans, and other product containers: cereal boxes, bags of frozen fruit, soup cans)

  • road signs (STOP, No Right Turn, Lane Ends Merge Left, Road Work Ahead, Do Not Enter, One Way, Be Alert for Bears)

  • signage (Entrance, Exit, Parking, Keep Left, Drive Up, Office, Deliveries, Restrooms, Hospital, Elevator)

  • instructions (step-by-step Lego building instructions, checklists, safety rules, recipes)

  • T-shirts printed with words

  • window stickers and bumper stickers on cars

  • warning signs (CAUTION: WET FLOOR, WARNING, DANGER, HAZARDOUS, TOXIC, FLAMMABLE)