Color Vowel Wall Sheets

a free resource from www.colorvowelchart.org

Introduction
The Color Vowel Chart is a visual organizer for the vowel sounds of
American English. By using Color Vowel wall sheets, learners can collect
words that matter to them as they explore one vowel sound in depth. The
example shown at right demonstrates how BLUE (/uw/) words include a wide
variety of spelling patterns.

This Resource
The pages that follow are best printed in color and may be used in a variety of ways:

Color-Vowel Gallery. Post the sheets on the walls around the classroom. When a
pronunciation question arises during class, have the class identify the primary stressed
syllable and the color of the word in question. (For example, Vancouver = BLUE) Then,
the teacher or a student may write that word on the corresponding color-vowel sheet,
underlining the stressed syllable. Use this strategy throughout the semester or teaching
cycle so that words accumulate on each sheet. At the end of each class, select just one
of the sheets and take a few minutes to review the words there through choral repetition,
drawing attention to the color-vowel in the stressed syllable of each word.

Similar Sounds Scavenger Hunt. Focus in on two or three similar color-vowels, for
example: BLACK, OLIVE, and MUSTARD. Divide students into three groups and assign
each group one color-vowel. Distribute a well-known text to the students (ideally one that
they have already read and understand) and have them look for important words or
phrases that contain their assigned color-vowel in the stressed syllable of the word. This
task will motivate learners to read aloud together with a mindful ear on pronunciation.
(Note: The text should be long enough to contain a good number of words of each colorvowel. Do this activity yourself before you do it in class.)

A note on OLIVE, AUBURN and ORANGE

Each of us speaks English in a way that reflects our national, regional, and cultural
backgrounds, and there are many right (comprehensible) ways to speak English. For some,
particularly speakers of Western U.S. English, the vowel sounds in OLIVE and AUBURN are
perceived and produced as the same (/a/); teachers for whom this is true may want to omit the
AUBURN sheet from their instructional activities. For others, the vowel sounds in ORANGE and
AUBURN may sound the same (//); these teachers may want to omit the ORANGE sheet
included in this resource. To learn more about accent variation and The Color Vowel Chart, read
this blog article.
Color Vowel Chart Wall Sheets 2014 English Language Training Solutions LLC, Santa Fe NM. http://www.colorvowelchart.org
All rights reserved. You may store, print and/or copy this document for educational purposes only.

green tea

Color Vowel Chart Wall Sheets 2014 English Language Training Solutions LLC, Santa Fe NM. http://www.colorvowelchart.org
All rights reserved. You may store, print and/or copy this document for educational purposes only.

silver pin

Color Vowel Chart Wall Sheets 2014 English Language Training Solutions LLC, Santa Fe NM. http://www.colorvowelchart.org
All rights reserved. You may store, print and/or copy this document for educational purposes only.

gray day

Color Vowel Chart Wall Sheets 2014 English Language Training Solutions LLC, Santa Fe NM. http://www.colorvowelchart.org
All rights reserved. You may store, print and/or copy this document for educational purposes only.

red dress

Color Vowel Chart Wall Sheets 2014 English Language Training Solutions LLC, Santa Fe NM. http://www.colorvowelchart.org
All rights reserved. You may store, print and/or copy this document for educational purposes only.

black cat

Color Vowel Chart Wall Sheets 2014 English Language Training Solutions LLC, Santa Fe NM. http://www.colorvowelchart.org
All rights reserved. You may store, print and/or copy this document for educational purposes only.

turquoise toy

Color Vowel Chart Wall Sheets 2014 English Language Training Solutions LLC, Santa Fe NM. http://www.colorvowelchart.org
All rights reserved. You may store, print and/or copy this document for educational purposes only.

purple shirt

Color Vowel Chart Wall Sheets 2014 English Language Training Solutions LLC, Santa Fe NM. http://www.colorvowelchart.org
All rights reserved. You may store, print and/or copy this document for educational purposes only.

a cup of mustard

Color Vowel Chart Wall Sheets 2014 English Language Training Solutions LLC, Santa Fe NM. http://www.colorvowelchart.org
All rights reserved. You may store, print and/or copy this document for educational purposes only.

olive sock

Color Vowel Chart Wall Sheets 2014 English Language Training Solutions LLC, Santa Fe NM. http://www.colorvowelchart.org
All rights reserved. You may store, print and/or copy this document for educational purposes only.

blue moon

Color Vowel Chart Wall Sheets 2014 English Language Training Solutions LLC, Santa Fe NM. http://www.colorvowelchart.org
All rights reserved. You may store, print and/or copy this document for educational purposes only.

wooden hook

Color Vowel Chart Wall Sheets 2014 English Language Training Solutions LLC, Santa Fe NM. http://www.colorvowelchart.org
All rights reserved. You may store, print and/or copy this document for educational purposes only.

rose coat

Color Vowel Chart Wall Sheets 2014 English Language Training Solutions LLC, Santa Fe NM. http://www.colorvowelchart.org
All rights reserved. You may store, print and/or copy this document for educational purposes only.

brown cow

Color Vowel Chart Wall Sheets 2014 English Language Training Solutions LLC, Santa Fe NM. http://www.colorvowelchart.org
All rights reserved. You may store, print and/or copy this document for educational purposes only.

white tie

Color Vowel Chart Wall Sheets 2014 English Language Training Solutions LLC, Santa Fe NM. http://www.colorvowelchart.org
All rights reserved. You may store, print and/or copy this document for educational purposes only.

auburn dog

Color Vowel Chart Wall Sheets 2014 English Language Training Solutions LLC, Santa Fe NM. http://www.colorvowelchart.org
All rights reserved. You may store, print and/or copy this document for educational purposes only.

orange door

Color Vowel Chart Wall Sheets 2014 English Language Training Solutions LLC, Santa Fe NM. http://www.colorvowelchart.org
All rights reserved. You may store, print and/or copy this document for educational purposes only.