ESL Newcomer Curriculum for Grades 2–6: The First Weeks in English
If a student who speaks little or no English joins your elementary class this week, the ESL Newcomer Curriculum Bundle gives you nine ready resources for the first weeks: words for places in town, everyday sentences in the present and past, pronouns, time and calendar, and vocabulary and grammar practice. It is a digital download, so the first pages can be printed tonight.
See the newcomer bundleThe ESL Newcomer Curriculum Bundle costs $79.99 and holds nine resources for students in Grades 2–6 who are new to English: In the Town: Places & Directions, Simple Present, Simple Past, Pronouns & Possessive Determiners, Exploring Word Families, Time & Calendar, a vocabulary trainer set for Grades 1–4 and two grammar and punctuation packs. Bought separately the parts come to $159.91. It is not tied to any state's English language proficiency standards.
The resources
ESL Newcomer Curriculum Bundle, Grades 2–6
9 resources in one download: $79.99 instead of $159.91 bought separately.
Start with the first resource; the others are optional add-ons. Open any cover for the full contents and price.
ESL Newcomer Curriculum Bundle | Everyday English, Grammar & Vocabulary | 9 Resources | Grades 2–6
Grades 1–6 Literacy Skills Curriculum | Grammar, Writing, Phonics & Reading Packs for Every Grade
Grade 3 ELA Pack | Grammar, Creative Writing, Phonics, Reading & Vocabulary
Learning at Home Bundle | Parent Guides & Workbooks for Reading, Math, English & Motivation | Grades 1–4
The real problem
What makes the first weeks with a newcomer hard
A newcomer rarely arrives at a convenient time. Often it is a note from the office on a Tuesday morning, a child at the door who knows a handful of English words, and a full class that still needs its reading groups. The ESL teacher may see that student for a short pull-out block a few times a week, or not at all while screening is arranged. The rest of the day the child sits with you. What helps most at this stage is not grade-level text with a word bank. It is the survival language of a school day: where things are, what time it is, what happened yesterday, who owns what. The second problem is time. Writing parallel lessons for one student while teaching everyone else does not last. You need material the child can work on with a buddy or alone for ten or fifteen minutes, enough of it to carry past the first week, and grammar in small pieces, starting with the simple present.
Why it fits
How the nine resources fit a newcomer's first weeks
Each part covers a piece of everyday English a new student needs early.
- In the Town: Places & Directions builds the words for places and directions a child needs outside school.
- Simple Present: My Everyday Life starts grammar where newcomers need it, with sentences about everyday life.
- Simple Past: Stories About Yesterday comes next, so students can tell what they did.
- Time & Calendar gives the language of the class schedule a child sees every morning.
- Pronouns & Possessive Determiners and Exploring Word Families build the small words that hold sentences together.
- A vocabulary trainer set and two grammar packs, Grades 1–3 and 4–6, let you match the level.
Getting started
A possible plan for the first four weeks
One way to sequence the bundle for a student with very little English. Adjust it once you see what the child knows.
- Day one: words for getting aroundStart with In the Town: Places & Directions and pair the student with a classmate. Print a few pages for the first days so the child has something concrete to work on while you teach the rest of the class.
- Week one: daily vocabulary practiceUse the vocabulary trainer set for Grades 1–4 for short daily practice, even with older students who simply need basic words first. Ten minutes at the start of a lesson is a reasonable amount.
- Week two: present tense and pronounsMove to Simple Present: My Everyday Life together with Pronouns & Possessive Determiners. The student can now say what they do each day and whose things are whose, which covers a lot of classroom talk.
- Week three: time and the past tenseAdd Time & Calendar and then Simple Past: Stories About Yesterday. Monday mornings are a natural moment for the past tense, when the class talks about the weekend.
- Week four on: word families and grammarUse Exploring Word Families and the grammar and punctuation pack that fits the student's grade, Grades 1–3 or Grades 4–6, as the child begins to join regular class writing.
What to buy
Which bundle to buy for a newcomer
For a child who is new to English, buy the ESL Newcomer Curriculum Bundle at $79.99; the nine parts cost $159.91 separately. If the student already speaks everyday English and needs grade-level grammar, phonics and writing, the Grades 1–6 Literacy Skills Curriculum at $49.99 fits better. A third grader close to grade level may only need the Grade 3 ELA Pack at $13.99. For parents who want to help at home, the Learning at Home Bundle ($79.99) has parent guides with workbooks for Grades 1–4.
Honest limits
What the bundle does not do
The bundle is general English practice. It is not written for any one state and carries no codes from any state's English language proficiency standards, so check it against what your district uses. Home-language support and placement testing are not part of the description; screening stays with your ESL program. The licence covers your own teaching; if the ESL teacher and the classroom teacher want to share it, send Teach Lessons a short message first. If it is not a fit, you can exchange it within 7 days for store credit of equal value.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Is it aligned with my state's English language proficiency standards?
No. The bundle is not aligned with, endorsed by or approved under any state's English language proficiency standards or framework, and it contains no standards codes. It is everyday English practice for newcomers in Grades 2–6. Look at the part titles on the product page and compare them with what your district expects, or ask your ESL coordinator before buying.
Can a classroom teacher use it without ESL training?
Yes, that is one of the situations it was put together for: a classroom teacher who receives a new English learner mid-year. The topics are concrete, such as places in town, everyday life and the calendar, and grammar starts with the simple present, so no separate course design is needed.
My newcomer is in fifth grade. Is the material too young?
The bundle spans Grades 2–6, and the grammar packs are split into Grades 1–3 and Grades 4–6, so an older student can work at the upper level. The vocabulary trainer set is labeled Grades 1–4; for a fifth grader with very little English, basic words are still the first need, so present them as quick catch-up work.
How fast can I start?
Right after checkout. The download link arrives by email and also sits in your customer account under Orders. Print the first unit and some vocabulary trainer pages so the student has work on day one, then read through the remaining parts that evening at home.
Does it work for several newcomers at different levels?
Yes, as long as you group them sensibly. A child with no English can start with places, vocabulary and the simple present, while a student with some English moves on to the simple past, word families and the matching grammar pack. Keeping both groups on parts of the same bundle makes planning simpler.
Can I send pages home for practice?
You can send printed pages home with your own student as part of your teaching. Posting the files online or passing them to other families is not allowed under the licence. For parents who want their own structured guide, the Learning at Home Bundle includes parent guides and workbooks for Grades 1–4.
Have something ready before the next newcomer arrives
Open the product page, check the nine part titles against your student's level, and print the first pages before the child walks in.
See the newcomer bundle