Color words are probably one of the funnest units to teach in kindergarten! However, finding resources that enable you to differentiate and reach your English language learners with vocabulary support is not always the easiest to find. Kids will be building vocabulary, sight words, and writing simple sentences while they practice color words and reading with these color word resources!

I stopped teaching whole group some time back. Now I don't mean I stopped teaching whole group on everything because some things everyone needs and sometimes it just may be impossible to just NOT teach a lesson whole group. Anyhow, below you can read about how I scaffolded and differentiated instruction for my WIDE RANGE of learners I have this year. I usually do a variety of different type of activities to reach different learning styles (it just isn't differentiation in the type of sheet I give them). There are also a handful of FREEBIES for you to grab along the way!

COLOR WORDS FREEBIE

This year we worked on color words using Dr. Jean's Color Farm song. You can purchase her song HERE (and it is worth EVERY PENNY)! The kids love singing the song and reading their song book. Read further to grab the song book for FREE. Most my kids can read and spell their color words now. YIPPEE!

We always sang the song after the color words activities for the day. I gave different color word activities to different groups of kids and these color word units made it really easy to do that!

I had 4 separate levels going because in kindergarten, especially at the beginning of the year and especially when you have kids from TK and kids that have never been in school . . . you have a WIDE RANGE of ability and there is NO WAY they can or should be doing the same thing! You'll drive yourself crazy and you might even get some kids crying if you do that! There is another FREEBIE to check out since you stayed with me this long. It is the RED color Unit just so you can see how it can make your life easier with differentiation in KINDER and hopefully it will save you a lot of time too.

First,
I read the "flip books" to the entire class and modeled how to track the words and flip the pictures. They all needed this and the vocabulary building was useful for all my kids. I needed ALL the kids to see how the words repeated too. This helped with sight word recognition and fluency. These were put in the writing center for kids to practice reading and to write sentences using color words. I also used the flip books with my lowest performing kids 1 on 1. They loved it but partly I think because they are bright (the books) and they (the kids) were moving when they flipped the pages and touched the circles on the books. It''s not a worksheet and it's like a toy to them. Make anything resemble a toy and you've got their attention.

Level 1

These color word units simplified teaching for me. Rather then thinking my kids needed to do every activity in each unit, I used the sheets to scaffold instruction. Here is how I did that.

My kids who barely had any skills and needed practice cutting, gluing, and identifying the colors, colored the pictures and glued them on the circle map. They practiced orally saying the color word and the picture together. Ex: black cat, black yak, or I see the black cat, I see the black yak but I modeled that for them too. I also have color tubs with objects in them which I will will post about later.

Level 2

My next level of kids are just learning to understand that letters make up words and they have a few sight words under their belt. They understood the sentences have a repeating pattern. We used the "flip books" and I showed them how the sheets have the exact same words and pictures as the flip book. I also reminded them they could sing the color word to write the color words in the blanks, use the color posters, or use the color words in their charts to write the color words. Their job was to track and read the sentences after they wrote the color words. They had to color a book for each time they read the sheet. I had many kids shouting, I CAN READ!" It was the cutest thing ever. They were excited to take the sheet home and read to their parents (this sheet would also be great homework). This activity is great for centers after you teach them how to do it. There'is even a really simple "poster" the kids followed when they forgot.

Level 3 & 4

This group of kids are well on their way to reading and are either writing simple sentences independently and are in no need of support or learning to write simple sentences on their own and need the support with traceable words. So these two groups I put together. They had to read the sentences and color the book after they read it. We worked on how to use a word box and how to cross check (look at the word box - do you see a word that begins with the same letter as the word in your sentence)? to read the word in the sentence that was not a sight word. I gave the sheet with the traceable simple sentences to some of my students who were capable of reading the sentences but lack fine motor or who are just beginning to understand how to compose a simple sentences. My kiddos who can write were challenged to use the word and connect 2 words from their word box. They also had to use the color word to describe the word they chose. AND . . . here it all is in a nutshell.

I have a special treat for you since you hung in there this long. You can grab the RED color UNIT FREEBIE by clicking on the picture or clicking HERE.