Environmental Print Series, is a comprehensive, standards-based language arts curriculum for students with significant cognitive disabilities. It was developed for both verbal and nonverbal students by Janie Haugen-McLane, Jill L. Haney, and Elizabeth Stein.
Fully scripted, the program integrates forms of environmental print such as road signs and indoor signs into the story lines of books about adolescent characters. It includes a wide variety of manipulatives that allow students to demonstrate comprehension and content mastery. The text in books and activity sheets is supported by SymbolStix® from News-2-You®, making the program accessible to nonreaders of all ages.
Program Themes
Level One teaches 48 signs, first through the context of a book and then generalized through a poster of a community scene and suggested community-based instruction activities. Each book and poster focuses on three signs in one of four environments:
• Streets and Roads• Work Places • Restaurants• Community Places
Language Arts Standards
Level One lessons focus on teaching and reinforcing the following language arts standards:
• Concepts of Print• Setting • Main Character• Cause and Effect • Character Traits• Main Idea
Designed for Both Verbal and Nonverbal Students
Many classrooms for students with intellectual disabilities include a mix of students who are verbal and students who are nonverbal. Meeting the receptive and expressive communication needs of all these students can be a challenge. Environmental Print Series has been developed so that all questions asked in the lessons can be answered verbally or nonverbally.