I get the following question A LOT: what do you actually teach FIRST, when you have ESL beginners? After all, they speak (know) no English…
Before I go into my tips, I wanted to share a simple story with you.
It was a bright late August morning when I came to one of the schools that I work at. Right as I walked in the door, the secretary exclaimed: “Thank goodness, you are here! We have a new 6th-grade student, and it does not look like she understands what we are saying nor can she say anything much in English herself!”.
A familiar situation, I find my way to where the students are waiting right before they go in the building. There is the usual chatter of 5th and 6th graders, girls squealing, boys roughhousing to an extent and duty teachers walking around, attempting to ensure some sort of a line-up system before the students enter the school and the day begins.
There she was, her body posture hunched. She was looking around timidly, not entirely sure what was expected from her but very obviously uncomfortable. I walked up to her, uttered her name and she immediately perked up – maybe I was someone who could help her out? Maybe even speak a language she understood?
I still remember that day as vividly as it was yesterday. And I could probably tell stories of the first encounters with all of the new ESL students, beginners, newcomers, you name it!
Long story short, I took her to a classroom where we could spend some time to get to know each other, explained to her – as well as I could, with lots of gestures, pictures, but most importantly, confidently and with a smile, – who I am, what I do and what will happen next.
It turned out that she had taken English classes in her native country and needed a bit of a jump start. She may have qualified as a “false” beginner, but an ESL beginner nonetheless. It also turned out that she was a fantastically smart, had fabulous work ethic, and just an all-around a joy to teach.
And while each student is different, the beginning of their school career, so to speak, in America, may be similar – uncertainty, insecurity, and overwhelm.
Which brings me to the point of this article – what DO you teach your new ESL students first?
Introductions 101 for ESL beginners
In one of my most popular blog posts, What to Teach Complete ESL Beginners, I share a simple checklist of all the information your new English learners need to learn in the first year.
But it does not provide any information on when to teach what. So in this blog post, I will break down three simple items every ESL teacher needs to cover RIGHT AWAY when they get a new ESL student in their classroom.
Remember, your ESL beginners need to know what’s going on around them all day every day at school. They also need to be able to express their basic needs.
I saw a fantastic slide posted by someone of what networking is. If you’ve ever watched the moie The Princess Bride, you know the character Inigo Montoya, who is seeking to avenge his father’s death by looking for a six-fingered man. He would rehearse his sword-fighting skills and how he will introduce himself, which went something like this:
Hello, My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.
Genius, if you ask me. First, the man introduced himself. Then he provided a personal connection (you killed my father). Finally, he announced what is going to come next, i.e. what the expectations for the further development were.
Now, this may be just a funny example, but it brings up quite a good point. An initial introduction only goes so far. Hello, my name is… What is your name? It is one and done, basically. But for a student who does not speak English to remember the name of the hundredth person they are meeting that day, it may take a bit to sink in.
Therefore, here are a few tips on what you can do with your ESL beginners.
- Give them the relevant phrases they can reuse after they have introduced themselves, i.e. make a connection.
- I am a student in your class.
- I am new here.
- I am from ______ (country).
- Can you repeat, please?
- Nice to meet you.
- Can you say your name again?
- Etc.
- Teach them to continue a conversation
- I don’t speak much English yet.
- Tell me, please
- Show me, please
- I am going to … (a location in the school)
- Thank you.
- Teach them a variety of greetings
- Hello, how are you?
- How is it going?
- What’s up?
- What’s happening?
- Etc.
- Teach them a variety of responses
- I’m well, thank you.
- I’m doing well, thank you.
- I’m fine
- I’m all right
- Nothing much
- All is well
- Etc.
- Teach them a variety of ways to say good bye to someone:
- Bye
- See you later
- Until next time
- See you at 5 (or whatever time)
- Catch you later
- Etc.
This can be easily incorporated into every single lesson since day one. Explain a bit, role play with someone in the class or with the new ESL student and practice for a few days before moving on to the next.
School objects and places
Now there are a A LOT of school objects and MANY places in a school for someone new to remember.
Therefore, sticking to the basics is really important.
Look around your classroom. What do you see? That is what you teach your ESL beginners. Simple concrete nouns like a book, a pen, desk, chair, whiteboard, notebook will suffice at the start.
In order for the students to remember it better, show the objects as you say their names, of course, but also give them a sentence starter or two. For example: I have a pen; I see a book. Take out your pen. Open your book.
Words like protractor, microscope, and astrolabe will come later.
Help them express their basic needs
This means actually walking around the school with them, if at all possible and showing where the nearest bathroom is, where the nurse’s office is and what a locker is.
Here is what you can do:
- Pick three items a day (or every few days), provide the words, say those words together, have them take you there or show you a picture and go from there.
- For example, the word bathroom/restroom/washroom (whichever is most widely used where you are). Add a phrase: May I use the bathroom/restroom/washroom, please? Or even simpler: I need to go to the bathroom. Done!
- Teach simple verbs like eat, go, take, open, have, want and need and provide sentence frames for your students so they can express their basic needs.
– I am going to eat.
– I take my book.
– I have a pencil, etc.
– I need ……
- Teach simple adjectives such as hungry, thirsty, hot, cold, tired, sleepy, etc. These work well with visual cards that represent those states and feelings, so having them handy will help your ESL newcomers as well.
And that is all for starters.
ESL beginners are overwhelmed with all they have to learn. And we teachers really want to help them to learn and know EVERYTHING.
Picking small pieces every day, building on what they have learned the day before.
To learn more about how you can teach ESL newcomers/beginners and for ready-made resources and personalized support in all you do, check out The ESL Teaching Roadmap!
