Using environmental print” (signs, TM logos, images) in classrooms has been around for some time now and has research based success as a supplemental support to adoptions already in place. Using it often provides encouragement and confidence to young children because they recognize the fact that they already can and do ‘read’!

Publicatons Journal of Instructional Psychology
Publication Date: 01-JUN-04
Article Excerpt
The purpose of this research was to ascertain if there were any significant differences in the ability to read logos and to make the transition to reading logos in manuscript forms of kindergarten children who received direct instruction with environmental print, those who received indirect instruction, and those who received no instruction with environmental print. The Environmental Print Checklist (EPC) was employed to measure the children's ability to read logos and to make the transition from reading actual logos to reading logos in manuscript forms. A quasi-experimental pre-/post-test design was used with a convenience sample of six intact kindergarten classes from a large inner-city school system. The population consisted of 106 children at post-test. Those in the two treatment groups received 8 months of instruction using environmental print. After statistical analysis of the data it was found that the control and direct instruction groups were not significantly different from each other. However, the indirect instruction group scored significantly higher (p = .01) than both the direct instruction and the control groups at levels three, four, five, and six. The results of this study demonstrated that indirect instruction with environmental print improved kindergarten children's ability to read logos and aided them in making the transition from reading logos to reading in manuscript form.

This exposure to environmental print can be found in many publications and storybooks,                             already in use and in songs such as Dr. Jean Feldman’s “Pizza Hut” song which includes the ‘lyrics’ Taco Bell, Red Lobster, Kentucky Fried Chicken, McDonalds, Burger King, Dairy Queen, Wendy’s and Arby’s and songs that features cartoon characters such as  thrill children; it’s something they are familiar with and often know more about than adults, (the thrilling part!) 
“The boom in brand-name-snack books began with Barbara McGrath, the nursery school teacher in Wellesley, Mass., who discovered in 1982 that her students' interest perked up at brand names they recognized from advertisements. She composed a little poem about M & M's to teach children to count. "I just made M & M's with construction paper because you can't feed chocolate to 4- and 5-year-olds,then I laminated them so the kids thought they were really special," she said. Brand name children's books have exploded in the last two years into a genre all their own as Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins, and Scholastic have all jumped into the field. Millions of copies have been sold, with a full shelf of new titles on the way. Random House planned its first entry this year - a book based on Taco Bell's fast food and Chihuahua mascot - until Taco Bell pulled the dog from its commercials.Publishers have based children's books on characters from movies and television for years, but have only recently turned to brand-name foods known mainly from commercials. Plenty of parents and teachers are embracing the new genre. "We love using brand names," said Judy Kelley, a kindergarten teacher at the Lilja school in Natick, Mass. "You hate to always use food, but it is such a hit with the kids because they can count them and then it is so rewarding for them to eat them." Kelly Eshback, head of the parent- teacher organization in N.H., said "Any book that children recognize for whatever reason .and read and enjoy is a good thing," she added. "I guess product names are a way of life for us now." Most publishers are blasé about introducing books that look like advertisements into the highchair and the classroom.. After the success of Mrs. McGrath's M & M's book, Simon & Schuster's children's division decided to get into the act. "A big part of our business is brand-oriented in terms of media tie-ins like `Rugrats' or `Blue's Clues,' so we thought, “ what other brands” are important that we could translate into wholesome books for kids?" said Robin Corey, publisher of Simon & Schuster's novelties and tie-ins division. Since the success of the Cheerios book, food companies started to take notice of the untapped potential in children's books and curriculum. Publishers are scrambling to find name brand products that fit the bill. Simon & Schuster followed up its Cheerios success with books on Sun-Maid raisins. Charlesbridge moved from M & M's to Skittles. Scholastic began a series based on Hershey's Kisses and other candies. HarperCollins jumped into the field with Pepperidge Farm Goldfish, Kellogg's Froot Loops, and, soon, Necco Sweetheart candies. "The whole issue of ‘brand name’ commercialization of children's books came a long time ago," said Susan Katz, publisher of HarperCollins children's division Publishers also began expanding upward from toddlers into books for children in elementary school, too, including "Reese's Pieces: Count by Fives," the "Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bar Fractions Book," and "Skittles Math Riddles."

These ‘brand name’ connections have predominantly featured fast food restaurants, snack food, T.V. and movie characters …until now. Teachers of today’s and tomorrows’ small but mighty consumers, recognize the fact that we are at war for the hearts and minds of our earliest learners. We know that children not only consume fast food, they “consume” movies, DVD’s, toys, games, cereal, music, candy, familiar characters, snacks, video games, T.V. shows and commercials. We also recognize the fact, that “A” is for apple and “Z” is for zebra, has long been replaced by, “A” is for and “Z” is for !

One area that must never change however, has been to ’meet’ children on their level (prior knowledge) and then to use that as an academic foundation or framework to teach new skills! Now, it seems that we must also teach the old familiar (what ours, or at least mine, was as kids) “prior knowledge” just to get to that starting point when in fact, it’s already there! ‘Prior knowledge’ for some young learners changes daily based on the latest T.V. show, DVD release, hottest toy, or newest ‘Lunchable’. When was thelast time you began to read a story to your students and experienced multiple cries of “I have that movie!” or, when asking students what they knew (WLK-prior knowledge) about a certain nursery rhyme or fairy tale, just got blank stares? At the beginning of this school year, during a pre-assessment, one of my students was unable to identify an elephant (found on most letter “E” flashcards or alphabet poster sets). However, he DID know who Elmo was!
PROMPTZ© allow children to use THEIR “prior knowledge” (referred to as ‘schema’) from THEIR ‘familiar framework’ (self to world) to conceptualize and apply meaning to otherwise abstract numbers, letters, sounds and words.

What they ‘know’ about is
And   , not Little Red Riding Hood.

Whether us ‘Old Mother Hubbard’s’ and ‘Old King Cole’s’ want to inhabit it or not this, is the storybook they live in. Their cupboards have, and in them. Their music comes from , not three fiddlers. Oh, and the dog?
 He gets   instead of a bone!

Primary teachers, for the most part, already know about and use “environmental print” however, many still use box tops, labels and packaging sent from homes or otherwise indiscriminately provided. Imagine how much educational value young learners will receive from being able to use some of their favorite, familiar “picture clues” in this media!

PROMPTZ© enable students to become actively and educationally engaged (individually, small group, whole group) in the world they live in with the things they already know about and, it goes far beyond stop signs and cereal box tops!
 
PROMPTZ© allows for differentiation instruction by providing children not only “visual” clues  but now, auditory and kinesthetic clues as well, many times in tandem with each other!

Now, children can successfully enjoy ownership and feel empowered (two huge factors in the learning process) by this opportunity to pick and choose exciting tools that they (and YOU) can individually customized and apply to any skill or activity in order to master the required standards. Just listen as your classroom fills with excited chatter and “oohs and aahs” as you project these colorful, exciting, familiar images onto any white surface, interactive Smartboard or LCD projectors or even overheads (no need to print or run off activity sheets although that is certainly an option as follow up and/or assessment). Thrill in the amount of focused learning and engagement your students experience while they (or you) manipulate, enlarge, diminish, or turn upside-down, a PROMPTZ © during a math or reading lesson! The results are incredibly successful and the learning is meaningful, achievable and applicable and, best of all, long-term simply because children are allowed to use their schema, (prior knowledge) bond with peers in kindred ownership, and to feel successful and proud about who they are and what they know about.  After all, it’s not about us and the way we think and teach, it’s about them and the way they think and apply learning…..you know, text to self to world!                                          
                                           
: If you cannot identify the PROMPTZ©, the children most likely will be able to. You can also easily identify them by simply passing the mouse over them, following the CRLT +click to it’s link.

PROMPTZ Purpose-Goal:

To demonstrate to educators how they can use this extensive ‘environmental print’ collection in their classrooms. Enables educators to modify, customized, individualize and update any lesson or activity for any standard in any application or technology!

PROMPTZ have been obtained freely and legally (see legalities) And, even though you too can collect these images (in our workshops we encourage you to customize your PROMPTZ collection this way and, we will show you how!) the PROMPTZ starter CDs will save you literally hundreds of hours of valuable time and research. They are cross-referenced, alphabetized and sequenced so it is very easy to find what you need quickly and efficiently! No two PROMPTZ collections will ever or be like any one else’s since you will be able to modify and customize the collection as you so desire! In fact, my personal collection changes all the time as I delete, add to and modify them on an ongoing basis!  In fact, I carry a notepad in my purse just in case I see one I don’t have to add to my collection later!
 
There are other collections of logos and trademarks (NOTHING like this!) that can be purchased on the internet however, they are not customized for early childhood classroom use and, are VERY expensive (average $50.00 for less than 100 thumbnail images) The cost of  PROMPTZ is literally pennies however, the best thing about the starting packages is that they will save you hundreds of hours and, they will never become “outdated” like those expensive work or activity books purchased with precious and limited budget monies.

Since  PROMPTZ are interactive, it is easy to update, modify or simply make  (in minutes) whatever change or lesson you need whoever you need it for!

  PROMPTZ Legalitiez 

Purpose-Legal Authorization ‘Intent to Use’ Trademark-Logos-Copyright
      The ‘Copyright Act’ sets out four factors the courts consider in trademark infringement cases:
                                                                               ( 17 U.S.C. § 107)

‘PROMPTZ’ uses the mark in a ‘non-trademark manner’ and not as a source identifier of the work, is ’Non-competing/ Non-confusing’. Selling ‘PROMPTZ©’ goods and/or services does not remotely “compete with” or “cause dilution to” those of the mark owner and strong evidence exists that consumers will not be ’confused’, no infringement exists. Since ‘PROMPTZ© will serve a “different audience or purpose” using trademarks in this manner shall be considered “Fair Use”. Providing links to the trademark owner will totally eliminate a ‘substitution’ effect.
‘PROMPTZ©’ purpose and character is one of  ”Transformative Use”. The law favors, and courts have said that “putting a piece of an existing work into a new context” (such as a thumbnail image from any search engine)”counts as ’Transformative Use’. The “compilation” is a work formed by the collection and assembling of pre-existing materials and data has been selected, coordinated, and arranged in such a way that the resulting work as a whole constitutes an ’original work of authorship’, ‘PROMPTZ©’ . The term “compilation” includes collective works and images are subject to the same copyright and ‘fair use’ laws as written materials therefore, the same ‘fair use’ factors apply.
‘PROMPTZ©’ use of all trademarks has been rendered in ’good faith’. Under the “fair use” law, consideration is made as to ‘whether’ or ‘if’ the use of trademark is “non-disparaging. The effect on the market or potential market has not been ‘diminished’ or compromised in any way.
‘PROMPTZ©’ use of the trademark is ‘incidental’. No appearance exists that the trademark owner and author-publisher are associates of one another. The use of trademarks expressly refers to the owners so consumers will not be ’confused’ about or why the trademark was chosen (recognition factor and application value of it’s’ letters, sounds, numbers to curriculum} Furthermore, there will be no reference as to use, value, comparison or significance of either the product or company. This ’incidental use’ of trademark (one of several thousand) is protected as well under ’Nominative Fair Use’.

There is no association with, endorsement by or sponsorship given to
‘PROMPTZ©” by any trademark owner.
Beyond ‘Fair Use-and Nominative Fair Use’: Remaining pertinent statues and laws:
STATUTORY PERMISSION TO USE COPYRIGHTED AND
TRADEMARK MATERIALS IN U.S. CLASSROOM

Section 110(1) of Title 17 of the United States Code grants a specific exemption from copyright and trademark laws for: performance or display of a work by instructors or pupils in the course of face-to face teaching activities of a nonprofit educational institution, in a classroom or similar place devoted to instruction. A public school or a non-profit educational institution may purchase a copy of a CD, DVD or any other format and use it for instructional purposes in classrooms. Likewise, a teacher at a public school or non-profit educational institution may purchase the copy and use it in classroom instruction.

The PROMPTZ© collection features 
six environmental print-picture clue CD’s:

 A-Z Letterz, Blendz, Sight
Wordz, Numberz, Wigglez, and Vibez.

There are also 2 PROMPTZ© Reading and Math CD’s available featuring
pre-made generic lessons, activities, flash cards, bingo games and much more!                                                                                     
                                     
“I bought your CD's at the Kgn. conference in Kansas City this week.  I am getting a Smart Board this year. I know nothing about it so I am going to be figuring it out and using the CD's.  I have already made some poems and worksheets using the different print and love it!!”-Madaline