It’s no secret that the English language is confusing for learners when it comes to the vowel sounds. Teachers have struggled for years to form their lessons in a way that students at all levels could grasp easily. That’s exactly why the Color Vowel® Chart was created—it’s a tool that flexes and grows with the students throughout their language learning journey.
The chart was originally designed for international teaching assistants (physicists, engineers, biologists, etc.) at the University of Maryland. The assistants’ English levels were very high, but they struggled when it came to using their vast vocabularies in spoken language. With the Color Vowel Chart, these advanced learners were able to organize their spoken lectures so that the most important words in their lectures were comprehensible to native speakers. Given the fact that they were teaching American undergraduates, this was a big win.
Advanced learners of English have to cope with saying long words, and without some way to understand how that long word is supposed to sound, their confidence is diminished. As a quick example, look at what happens to the words “molecule” and “photograph” when used in spoken English, and how they translate to the colors used in the chart:
Without the Color Vowel Chart as a way to organize the way these related words sound, students would have great difficulty remembering how to pronounce them comprehensibly.
For adult ESL learners, gaining confidence is their biggest challenge. Consistent use of the Color Vowel Chart throughout all levels of English instruction provides the students with a consistent learning thread that leads them toward an ever-evolving confidence. That’s what we want!
The Color Vowel Chart benefits beginning learners the same way it benefits advanced learners. It’s simply a matter of identifying the vocabulary that your learners need most, then organizing those words with the Chart.
Try it out for free with our Color Vowel Memory Game: CLICK HERE for your free download and discover a life-changing tool for your students.
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