Colour-coded phonics
Every phoneme in English is assigned a unique colour. Spelling variations of the same sound share a colour, so learners see structure instead of memorising disconnected rules.
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Words in Colour - phonics you can see.
Developed by Caleb Gattegno, Words in Colour is a colour-coded phonics methodology that gives every sound in the English language its own colour. It is the methodology behind every Reading Adventure Room.
The chart
One sound, one colour.
Below is an illustrative sample. The full Fidel chart maps every phoneme in English to a single, distinct colour, including the dozens of spellings that share a sound.
a
e
i
o
u
sh
ch
th
Illustrative chart only. Colours shown are representative and not the official Fidel chart palette.
Four pillars
Why the methodology works.
Visual learning first
Children decode by sight before they decode by rule. This shortens the path to reading fluency, often from years to weeks.
Reading Adventure Rooms
Bright, immersive classroom environments designed around the methodology. Wall charts, word cards and the Fidel chart turn the room itself into a learning tool.
Educator training cycle
We train, supervise and support partner-school educators for a full school year so impact persists long after our facilitators leave.
Outcomes
What the data tells us.
- 80%+ measurable literacy lift inside a single school term in Reading Adventure Rooms.
- Educators trained by LTL retain and re-teach the methodology autonomously after one full year.
- Foundation-phase learners can catch up by one to two grade levels within twelve months of joining a programme.
- Children who would otherwise have fallen behind become independent, confident readers.
Bring Words in Colour to your school.
We train and support partner-school educators through a full academic year.