3 Tips for Differentiating Center Work with Color

Managing center time can be tricky. Students are off working independently on a variety of skills, with a variety of students. We want to make sure that students are working on skills that they need so that this time is as purposeful as possible. But, differentiating this work can lead to some logistical issues. What if students are embarrassed that their work is so different from everyone else’s? What if the work they need to do gets confused with another level? I found that color was the secret to keeping thing organized, grouped appropriately, and easy for my students to navigate! Here are three of my favorite ways to color code your work stations!

1. Use colored folders/bins/boxes.

Take different levels of student work and place them in colored folders, task card boxes, etc. The colors should match the students’ small group colors so students know that they always grab the blue folder, since they are in the blue group, etc. I like this method because it’s highly visual while also being discreet. If you have a group working on a completely separate set of skills than the rest of the class, this isn’t on display for all to see.

2. Print different tasks on different colored paper.

Printing work that looks similar, but targets different depths of complexity, on colored paper is another great way to differentiate work with color! I have an entire reading response task card system that you can read about here. Essentially, a colored dot inside each student’s reading notebook tells them which colored reading response cards to grab. This method works best with work that otherwise looks identical. Students just have to focus on grabbing the right color, and their work targets their developmental level!

3. Color-Code Your Rubrics

Making different rubrics for the same task is a great way to differentiate an assignment. On the surface, the students are working towards mastering the same standard. But, when you break it down the rubric, you can target different areas that students need to improve upon in order to reach that mastery. I like to print different rubrics on different colors of paper to be able to see at-a-glance what I’m having students work on. This makes reading and writing conferences so much simpler. I like to put rubrics stapled to the front of a writing packet, or inside a reading/writing notebook for students to see as soon as they start working. This makes it easy for me to see immediately what a student is working on, too!

Try Differentiating with These!

Want to apply these ideas to an already differentiated assignment? Check out the items below!