5. What's a COLORFUL Classroom - When it Comes to Literacy

Literacy in Color: A Science of Reading Aligned Podcast for Educators

In this episode of The Literacy in Color Podcast, Michelle shares the story and inspiration behind her platform, The Colorful Classroom. From her background in color and design to her passion for literacy, Michelle explores what it means to have a "colorful" classroom. She introduces the acronym COLORFUL: Captivating Our Learners on Reading Fluently and Understanding Language, and dives into three powerful ways to bring color—both literally and figuratively—into literacy instruction. Discover how intentional use of color, language, and energy can create a vibrant, engaging learning environment for students.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The backstory behind The Colorful Classroom and how Michelle’s journey in color design influenced her teaching.
• What it truly means to have a “colorful” classroom in literacy instruction, beyond just the visual aspect.
• Three strategies to create a COLORFUL classroom:

1. Color Coding for Clarity: Using color to organize information, such as marking phonics patterns, morphemes, or even text comprehension cues.
2. Using Colorful Language: Modeling rich, descriptive language to enhance listening and reading comprehension.
3. Infusing Lessons with Joy and Energy: Captivating students with expressive read-alouds, songs, and movement to make literacy come alive.

Resources Mentioned:

• Carla Siravo from IMSE, known for fun phonics songs on YouTube: We Don’t Talk About Bruno Parody