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November
November is a colourful month, with different shades of green, orange, yellow and red
colouring the landscape. This month’s activities deal with the topic of colour from different
perspectives. Our B2 First, C1 Advanced, and C2 Proficiency students can reflect on the
connection between colour, psychology and society while they improve their English. We have
designed a fun activity for our B1 Preliminary and B2 First students to learn and use colour
idioms. Finally, our A1 Movers and A2 Flyers can practise all four skills while they practise
their colours. Happy teaching!
1. What’s behind colour?.....................................................................................................................2
2. Guess the colour..............................................................................................................................6
3. Colours in the city ............................................................................................................................8
4. References......................................................................................................................................10

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1. What’s behind colour?
Level: B2 First / C1 Advanced / C2 Proficiency
Skills: speaking, reading and writing
Interaction: whole class, in groups and individual activity
Time: 70 minutes
Warm up! (15’) – whole class activity
• What’s your favourite colour?
• Do your colour preferences change depending on whether the colour applies to your
clothes or to furniture at home?
• Do you choose to wear a particular colour depending on your mood? Why (not)?
• Do you see a connection between your personality and your favourite colour? Why
(not)?
Reading (15’) – individual activity
Students should read the text and answer the questions.
What’s your personality color?
Here is a simple test for you: If you had to
pick one favorite color what it would be?
We are not talking about your clothes or
paint in your living room. The question is:
What color appeals to you the most? Don’t
overthink this, answer this question
spontaneously. It’s okay to have two or
three favorite colors. This is the key to your
personality color. While most people think
that colors don’t have any impact on our
choices, feelings, and behaviors, a closer
look into this matter proves the opposite.
The issue is 1. we all perceive colors quite
differently and trying to figure out general
rules is very hard. There are warm shades
and cold shades to each color, and you
may feel differently about each version.
Besides, we see some colors inappropriate
for specific purposes, even though we may
love them. For example, while you may
absolutely love the color red, it doesn’t
mean you want to have red shoes and a red
handbag. You may dislike the color brown,
but when it comes to shoes and handbags,
the color brown would be your color of
choice.
As we said earlier, the same color can be
perceived very differently by different
people. Let’s take the color black, for
example. A lot of people love the color
black. They find it classy, fashionable. It
can also make you look slimmer. On the
other hand, some may have a bias against
this color: They associate it with mourning
and sadness. What you think is cool and
fashionable is perceived as depressing by
these people.
Given the impact of colors on our choices,
one would expect color psychology to be a
well-studied subject, but it isn’t. Very little
research has been done, and most
information you find on this subject has
only anecdotal evidence if any. Let’s look at
what self-proclaimed color psychologists
are saying. 2. Take this with a grain of salt.
Any information on personality colors
provided on this site is for entertainment

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purposes only and is not backed by any
serious research unless otherwise noted.
So what about personality colors?
According to proponents of color
psychology, your favorite color (or colors)
define your personality color. Yes,
it’s that simple! 3. According to them, the
colors you choose say a lot about your
physical, mental, and emotional states.
Similarly, the colors you dislike say a lot
about your weaknesses and vulnerabilities.
4. Moreover, a change of color preference
is thought to be triggered by changing life
circumstances. According to this theory,
your new color preference may help you
develop new qualities necessary to deal
with your new circumstances.
Adapted from: Psychologia (n.d.)
Questions
1. Why is it difficult to establish a clear connection between personality and colour?
2. According to the text, how should the information about personality and colour be
treated?
3. What can colour say about you?
4. How can a change in colour preference be interpreted?
Speaking (15’) – groups of 3 / 4
Students should read the information on the colour they most identify with and then have a
conversation with their partners expressing whether they agree or disagree with the
information provided and reacting to their classmates ideas and opinions.
Personality colour and character traits
People with a white personality
type are all about looking for
simplicity, openness, and purity.
It is a very confident personality
type.
People with a black personality
type are independent and strong-
willed.
Having a blue personality type
suggests a tendency towards
having a fixed set of principles
and a desire to live according to
these principles. It is also a
peaceful personality type.
Having a red personality type
suggests a strong will, ambition,
and energy.

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Adapted from: Psychologia (n.d.)
Reading into Writing (25’) – individually
Students should write an essay explaining the relation between society and colour and
expressing their view on the topic. They should incorporate ideas and information included in
the text below and in the previous reading and speaking tasks.
[...] The notion that colour is bound up with the fate of Western culture sounds odd,
and not very likely. But this is what I want to argue: that colour has been the object
of extreme prejudice in Western culture. For the most part, this prejudice has
remained unchecked and passed unnoticed. And yet it is a prejudice that is so all-
embracing and generalized that, at one time or another, it has enrolled just about
every other prejudice in its service. It is, I believe, no exaggeration to say that, in the
West, since Antiquity, colour has been systematically marginalized, reviled,
diminished and degraded. Generations of philosophers, artists, art historians and
cultural theorists of one stripe or another have kept this prejudice alive, warm, fed
and groomed. As with all prejudices, its manifest form, its loathing, masks a fear: a
fear of contamination and corruption by something that is unknown or appears
unknowable. This loathing of colour, this fear of corruption through colour, needs a
name: chromophobia.
Chromophobia manifests itself in the many and varied attempts to purge colour from
culture, to devalue colour, to diminish its significance, to deny its complexity. Colour
is regarded as alien and therefore dangerous, and it is perceived merely as a
secondary quality of experience, and thus unworthy of serious consideration.
David Batchelor (2000)
“Brown” people enjoy a simple
life, and it’s good friends and
close relationships that make
them happy.
People with an orange
personality type can be
described as social butterflies.
They sincerely love people and
like to be around others.
People with this personality type
are perfectionists and dreamers.
According to color psychology,
people with a strong preference
for the color green strive for
safety, security, and
acknowledgment. They need to
love and be loved.
You have attended a series of lectures about social change and psychology. To receive a
certificate of attendance you need to submit an essay on the relationship between society and
colour and how this impacts our perception of it. You have found the texts above and the text
below. Use some of the ideas and information included in both texts to explain the relation
between society and colour. Be ready to express your views on the topic. Write your essay in
220-260 words.

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KEY
What’s your personality color?
Here is a simple test for you: If you had to
pick one favorite color what it would be?
We are not talking about your clothes or
paint in your living room. The question is:
What color appeals to you the most? Don’t
overthink this, answer this question
spontaneously. It’s okay to have two or
three favorite colors. This is the key to your
personality color. While most people think
that colors don’t have any impact on our
choices, feelings, and behaviors, a closer
look into this matter proves the opposite.
The issue is 1. we all perceive colors quite
differently and trying to figure out general
rules is very hard. There are warm shades
and cold shades to each color, and you
may feel differently about each version.
Besides, we see some colors inappropriate
for specific purposes, even though we may
love them. For example, while you may
absolutely love the color red, it doesn’t
mean you want to have red shoes and a red
handbag. You may dislike the color brown,
but when it comes to shoes and handbags,
the color brown would be your color of
choice.
As we said earlier, the same color can be
perceived very differently by different
people. Let’s take the color black, for
example. A lot of people love the color
black. They find it classy, fashionable. It
can also make you look slimmer. On the
other hand, some may have a bias against
this color: They associate it with mourning
and sadness. What you think is cool and
fashionable is perceived as depressing by
these people.
Given the impact of colors on our choices,
one would expect color psychology to be a
well-studied subject, but it isn’t. Very little
research has been done, and most
information you find on this subject has
only anecdotal evidence if any. Let’s look at
what self-proclaimed color psychologists
are saying. 2. Take this with a grain of salt.
Any information on personality colors
provided on this site is for entertainment
purposes only and is not backed by any
serious research unless otherwise noted.
So what about personality colors?
According to proponents of color
psychology, your favorite color (or colors)
define your personality color. Yes,
it’s that simple! 3. According to them, the
colors you choose say a lot about your
physical, mental, and emotional states.
Similarly, the colors you dislike say a lot
about your weaknesses and vulnerabilities.
4. Moreover, a change of color preference
is thought to be triggered by changing life
circumstances. According to this theory,
your new color preference may help you
develop new qualities necessary to deal
with your new circumstances.

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2. Guess the colour
Level: B1 Preliminary / B2 First
Skills: speaking, writing
Content: idioms
Interaction: whole class and group activity
Time: 50 minutes
Warm up! (10’) – whole class
• What’s your favourite colour? Why?
• Is colour a useful tool in your life?
• Do you associate some ideas or concepts with colours? If so, can you give an
example?
• Do you know any colour idioms in English? If so, can you explain them to your
classmates?
Vocabulary (15’) – groups of three / whole class activity*
With this matching-cards game, students need to match the idiom with its definition and guess
the colour to fill in the gap. Go to Flippity and start playing.
*If you are teaching online and using Zoom, students can work in groups of three (Student A, Student B and moderator) in
breakout rooms. If you are teaching face-to-face and you have computers or tablets, students can also work in groups of three.
If you are teaching online but not using Zoom or you are teaching face-to-face without computers, you can do this as a whole
class activity but you will need to number the cards so that students can clearly identify them when playing.

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Follow up! (10’) – whole class activity
Listen to the song White Flag and ask students to fill in the gaps.
Homework (15’) – individually
Students should write sentences using the colour idioms they have learned. They can use
Padlet.

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3. Colours in the city
Level: A1 Movers, A2 Flyers
Skills: writing, speaking and listening
Interaction: whole class, in pairs and individual activity
Content: city vocabulary, colours, prepositions
Time: 40 minutes
Warm up (10’) – whole class activity
• What things do you see on your way to school?
• Look at the picture below. What’s the weather like?
• You have one minute to write down as many words as you can for the grey things
you can see.
• You have one minute to write down as many words as you can for the green things
you can see.
• You have one minute to write down as many words as you can for the blue things
you can see.
• Can you see any animals? Where are they?
Listening and Speaking (10’) – whole class activity
Ask students about the flashcards, then put the flashcards in different places on the poster
and ask students to tell you where they are e.g. next to the bus, on the mountain, etc. Once
your students feel confident using the different prepositions, ask one student at a time to
choose another student and ask them to put one of the flashcards below on the picture.

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Listening and Speaking (10’) – in pairs
Get students to work in pairs (Student A and Student B). Give each pair two copies of the
same picture (below). Students will work on each copy individually. They need to colour five
things and write something on the picture.
Then, they will work together without showing their partner their picture. They need to describe
their picture and identify the differences between the two pictures.
Student A Student B
Writing (10’) – whole class and individual activity
Ask students about the activities that the people in the pictures are doing. Get them to work
individually and write some sentences about one of the people in the picture. (A1 Movers)
Get them to work individually and write a short story about one of the people in the picture.
(A2 Flyers)

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4. References
Batchelor, D. (2000). Chromophobia. Available at:
https://davidbatchelor.co.uk/books/chromophobia/ [Accessed 21st October 2020].
Ehlers, M. (2018). Color Text. [image/jpeg]. Available at: https://www.pexels.com/photo/color-
text-1279813/ [Accessed 21st October 2020].
Flippity (2020). Matching Game. Available at:
https://www.flippity.net/mg.php?k=1UovXKGdabQpyD0Y3DqZtRXUr_drmmFOSbL31
hLNEaUM [Accessed 21st October 2020].
Juraja, M. (2018). Bridge of Sighs Venice, Italy. [image/jpeg]. Available at:
https://www.pexels.com/photo/bridge-of-sighs-venice-italy-970519/ [Accessed 21st
October 2020].
Koval, A. (2018). Person's Left Hand Holding Green Leaf Plant [image/jpeg]. Available at:
https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-s-left-hand-holding-green-leaf-plant-886521/
[Accessed 21st October 2020].
Lyricstraining (n.d.). White Flag. Available at: https://es.lyricstraining.com/ [Accessed 21st
October 2020].
Monicore (2016). Brown and Black Hedgehog Standing on Brown Dry Leaved. [image/jpeg].
Available at: https://www.pexels.com/photo/brown-and-black-hedgehog-standing-on-
brown-dry-leaved-134061/ [Accessed 21st October 2020].
Psychologia (n.d). What’s Your Personality Color? Available at:
https://psychologia.co/personality-color/ [Accessed 21st October 2020].
UCLES (2018). A1 Movers Wordlist picture book. Available at:
https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/Images/351850-a1-movers-word-list-2018.pdf
[Accessed 21st October 2020].
UCLES (2020). Your New English Classroom. Going Back to the Classroom. Lesson Plans.
A2 Flyers. Available at: https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/your-new-classroom/back-
to-class/ [Accessed 21st October 2020].