I must be watching too much HGTV lately because I’ve started to think about color when I’m creating my charts. In the past, when I’ve sat down on a weekend to make my charts for the upcoming week, they usually all have the same color scheme (e.g., bold markers one week, pastels the next, Flip Chart markers the week after, etc.). However, this week I began thinking about using a different color scheme for each subject area. I’m contemplating keeping the same color scheme for each subject area for the rest of the year, but that seems a bit overboard. However, I realized that there’s something to be said about kids knowing that the blue-green charts are all writing-related, the being ones are all reading-related, etc. Thoughts?
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Published by Stacey Shubitz
I am a literacy consultant who focuses on writing workshop. I've been working with K-6 teachers and students since 2009. Prior to that, I was a fourth and fifth-grade teacher in New York City and Rhode Island.
I'm the author of Craft Moves (Stenhouse Publishers, 2016) and the co-author of Jump Into Writing (Zaner-Bloser, 2021), Welcome to Writing Workshop (Stenhouse Publishers, 2019), and Day By Day (Stenhouse, 2010).
I live in Central Pennsylvania with my husband and children. In my free time, I enjoy swimming, doing Pilates, cooking, baking, making ice cream, and reading novels.
View all posts by Stacey Shubitz
TWO WRITING TEACHERS 
I, too, organize many of my folders and papers that I pass out in certain colors. I like the idea of color coding the writing and reading posters…hmmm…thoughts to think about for next year!
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I haven’t yet color coded charts (I will) but I have used specific colors for subjects in my fourth grade classroom. It adds one more descriptor for my students when I give oral directions “Get out your red math spiral and red math folder”. Great for those messy desks. I also use similar colors in my own planning and organization.
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I’ve used a similar idea with great success in my middle school writing classes by assigning a color to each trait. The consistency is key. Any poster, handout, or other activity assigned to say, organization, stays in one color all year. It’s super helpful.
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I think the color coding is a great idea especially for special education students.
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I like your idea, and I am going to consider it for next year. This year I had color coded signs for English/Spanish since I am in a dual immersion setting. Students knew that green signs or words were Spanish and blue were English. Even though you said your idea may be overboard, it seems like it would be nice visually and consistent for students, especially if you post your signs around the room for later reference. It might make it easier to locate information.
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