Schools - ELTS

When teachers integrate Color Vowel strategies across the curriculum, they create a school environment in which learners discover word curiosity, sound awareness, and academic English language confidence.

Color Vowel® COMPLETE is a month-long program that combines 6 hours of asynchronous study with four live training sessions led by a Color Vowel Trainer. Participants submit technique demonstration videos and receive feedback from their Practicum Coach. Upon completion, participants receive their Level 1 Certificate and become eligible for our Level 2 workshops.
Color Vowel® FAST is our accelerated on-demand training program for everyone– content area teachers, reading specialists, instructional support staff, and ESL teachers, of course– to establish a school-wide foundation for English Learner engagement and academic language mastery in face-to-face and online settings. Upon completion, participants receive a certificate of completion that can be applied toward completion of their Level 1 certificate at a later date.
Color Vowel® for SCHOOLS is a comprehensive training and support package for ESL instructional teams and school systems. We start with a live informational session to promote teacher interest and commitment to sustained Color Vowel training and implementation. Then, with a combination of Level 1 and Level 2 training options, we work with you and your budget to create a professional development and curriculum implementation plan that promotes unmistakably positive learner outcomes.
Blue Canoe® is our pronunciation app for English Learners. Infused with the Color Vowel® methodology, Blue Canoe provides learners with easy access to daily pronunciation practice with intelligent feedback. Teachers can track student engagement through an educator’s dashboard.

Volume pricing is available for instructional teams of 6 or more. Complete the form below to receive a quote.

Blue Canoe promotes practice and builds confidence

Color Vowel® bridges the gap between spoken and written English, providing teachers and learners with a simple yet powerful way to talk about how spoken English works. Blue Canoe® transforms learning into doing by making practice fun and accessible to learners. Learn more about Blue Canoe’s Free for Classrooms program.

Request a quote for training.

ELTS is the exclusive provider for Color Vowel® Chart and Color Vowel® Approach training. We provide online and on-site professional development for ESL/EFL faculty at K-12 schools, colleges, universities, and non-profit organizations around the world.

A Teacher’s reflection

“I use the Color Vowel Approach in all my classes because it really helps my students with their vocabulary. I recommended that my students use Blue Canoe for further support, and they were all very impressed. The beauty of Blue Canoe is that it instantly starts helping learners to improve their pronunciation.”

– Kelly Mendonça, ESL Instructor
Montgomery College, MD

A student’s praise

“Teacher, the Blue Canoe app you told us about is amazing!

I can’t believe how many easy words I found that I wasn’t pronouncing correctly– it is mind-boggling!”

Kazuko Yasutake
ESL Student, Montgomery College (MD)

What Teachers Say

“Blue Canoe and its Color Vowel methodology is brilliant and incredibly effective with my students. I’ve been teaching English to Japanese students for more than a decade, and had never imagined a pronunciation approach could be this good.”

William Keith, Managing Director of Keith Industries, Tokyo, Japan

“We saw that teachers love using the Color Vowel Chart, so Intercambio now includes it in all curriculum we produce. For many English learners here, the CVC has led to life-changing breakthroughs around pronunciation! ”

Lee Shainis, Founder • Intercambio Uniting Communities • Boulder (CO)

“The Color Vowel System is such a fundamentally innovative and effective methodology that we built our company, Blue Canoe Learning, on it. Now anyone with a smart phone can play the Blue Canoe app and leverage the Color Vowel System to improve their English pronunciation. We are making such a wonderful impact on people’s lives, and ELTS and Color Vowel are an integral part of why we are successful!”

Sarah Daniels, CEO of Blue Canoe

“I find the way the elements of your training sessions weave themselves together genuinely elegant. It isn't just a "bag of tricks to deal with different problems" … there’s a sense of integrality and completeness in what you have developed overall.”

Brock Brady, U.S. Peace Corps Specialist (Washington DC)

“I can't thank you enough for an amazing experience at Color Vowel Basics. The Color Vowel Approach provides the strategy and structure I was looking for on behalf of my students. The work you have done is truly remarkable. It's true that simplicity lies at the far side of complexity.”

Amy Reavey, Literacy Volunteer (NJ)

“I love using the Color Vowel Chart because it works! Student feedback on the system is so positive. I have students who tell me how helpful it has been not only for pronunciation, but also for spelling, specifically for students for whom the Roman alphabet is new. English spelling and pronunciation is challenging, and I am so thankful to have this resource!”

Vanessa S. ESL Teacher, WA

“I don’t think I’ve ever been with a more skillful presenter [in Karen Taylor]. It was like watching a high-wire artist, but with NO misgivings: you know she’s totally secure up there. We were in the palm of her hand!”

Laurel Pollard, Author of "Zero Prep" and "Wow!"

“Interesting, fun, and I met people I look forward to keeping in touch with. So many 'Ah ha!' moments. Loved it.”

TESOL PCI Participant, Toronto (2015)

“The Color Vowel Chart allows my actor, broadcaster and executive clients to instantly see the color of the sound they are mispronouncing or mixing. The visual cuing speeds up the recognition time of the sounds! I think the Color Vowel Chart is the most brilliant thing I have ever seen. It has really changed the way we work at the Speech and Accent Academy!”

Lisa Jeffery, Director, The Speech and Accent Academy (FL)

“Who doesn’t love card games? My middle school students find Color it out! extremely engaging and I find it a powerful tool to introduce and review complicated sounds and spellings in English. In fact, I used Color it out! to introduce my students to the Color Vowel Chart before ever "teaching" them about it. I found it a very natural point of entry for the Chart. Since then, we have been exploring additional ways to use the Color it out! cards, such as Dominoes and Go Fish. A fantastic, fun, and very powerful resource!”

Michael Connors, E.L. Haynes Middle School, Washington DC

“The Color Vowel Chart brings attention to the differences among the English vowels--differences that students may not be able to hear. I also like how the Chart has allowed me to incorporate pronunciation into other aspects of my classes. While students are working together on any task, if I hear a major pronunciation problem I can say, "change your vowel from OLIVE to MUSTARD" and the student is able to self correct.”

Jody Gabler, ESL Teacher (NY)

“Color Vowel Basics was phenomenal. I learned an innovative but easy way to teach students about the many different sounds that vowels can make. The Color Vowel Chart is easy to learn and uses the different modalities of learning to reach every type of learner.”

K-12 ESL Teacher, Pueblo City Schools (CO)

“Wonderful session. Stellar presenters. Great activities. Best session I've been to. They were on fi-yur!”

TESOL PCI Participant, Toronto (2015)

Our professional development clients include:

American University TESOL Program (DC)
Arlington Education & Employment Center (VA)
Berlitz (Brazil and Japan)
Bryant University, Zhuhai Campus (China)
Carlos Rosario International Charter School (DC)
Charlotte Mecklenberg Schools (NC)
Chemeketa Community College (OR)
Christina School District (DE)
Department of Education, Costa Rica (Costa Rica)
District of Columbia Public Schools (DC)
E.L. Haynes Public Charter School (DC)
Edmonds College (WA)
El Instituto Culturál Peruano Norteamericano, Huancayo (Peru)
Fairfax County Public Schools Adult and Continuing Education (VA)
Florida Atlantic University (FL)
Hardin County Schools (KY)
Intercambio Uniting Communities (CO)
Kaplan International (DC)

LADO International Institute (DC)
La Mariposa Montessori School (NM)
Lotus School of Excellence (CO)
Literacy Volunteers of Santa Fe (NM)
Mason Crest Elementary School (VA)
Montgomery Coalition for Adult English Literacy (MD)
Montgomery College ESL Program (MD)
Prince George’s Community College (MD)
Prince George’s Public Schools (MD)
Pueblo City Schools (CO)
Santa Fe Community College (NM)
Tokyo International University of America (OR)
The University of Akron (OH)
University of Delaware English Language Institute (DE)
U.S. Dept. of State, Office of English Language Programs (online)
U.S. Embassy, Manama (Bahrain)
Washington Area TESOL Association (DC)
Washington English Center (DC)
We Education (NY)
Worcester County Public Schools (MD)

Professional development that transforms English language learning

Blue Canoe promotes practice and builds confidence

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