What should newcomer ESL students learn first?
What should newcomer ESL students learn first?
Teach the language they need today before the language a textbook says comes next: survival phrases, classroom instructions, numbers, time and the names of everyday things. Then add a few sentence patterns they can reuse, such as I have, I like and Where is. This page explains how to set priorities, which mistakes to avoid, a suggested teaching order and a newcomer bundle that follows it.
Explore the newcomer resourcesNewcomers should first learn survival language: greetings, asking for help, the bathroom, yes and no, and the names of people and rooms. Next come classroom instructions, numbers, colors, days and times. Then teach reusable chunks like I like, I have, Can I and Where is, built around everyday vocabulary. Grammar such as the simple present, pronouns and the simple past follows once students can communicate basic needs.
Ready-made material
ESL Newcomer Curriculum Bundle, Grades 2–6
9 resources in one download: $79.99 instead of $159.91 bought separately.
The first cover is the main resource; the others are related options. 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
Why it is hard
Why the order matters so much
Many newcomer plans are borrowed from foreign-language textbooks, which often start with the alphabet, the verb to be and long topic lists. A child sitting in a U.S. classroom has different needs. They have to understand the teacher's instructions and get through lunch before a list of farm animals is any use. A second mistake is teaching grammar as rules too early. Explaining that the third person adds an s means little to a child who cannot yet say a full sentence. Chunks they can use whole, such as Can I go to the bathroom?, give them a voice right away and teach grammar along the way. Teachers also forget to check literacy. Some newcomers read well in their first language and mainly need to transfer those skills to English. Others have had interrupted schooling and need basic literacy alongside English. The same worksheet will not work for both. Finally, vocabulary is often taught once and dropped. Newcomers need to meet the same words many times, in different activities, before the words stick. Without spaced review, last week's words are gone by Friday.
What works
How to set priorities for a new learner
Use these moves to decide what comes first for each student. The answer differs between a child who reads in their home language and one who does not.
- Ask the family or check records to learn whether the student reads and writes in any language.
- List the ten phrases the student needs most this week and teach those first.
- Teach sentence chunks as whole phrases before naming the grammar inside them.
- Choose vocabulary from the student's real day: lunch, recess, the bus, homework and class subjects.
- Recycle each word set across at least three different activities within the same week.
- Add one grammar point at a time once the student uses chunks with confidence.
Step by step
A suggested teaching order
Treat this as a starting order, not a fixed rule. Move items earlier or later depending on what the student already knows.
- Survival languageGreetings, please and thank you, help, bathroom, water, I don't understand, and the names of the teacher, buddy and key rooms. Practice through role play until the student uses each phrase without prompting.
- Classroom language and numbersCommon instructions, classroom objects, numbers, colors and shapes. Use them in games such as Simon Says and sorting tasks so the student acts out meaning before having to say it.
- Time and calendarDays, months, the school schedule and telling time. Tie each lesson to the class routine so the language gets used every morning, beyond the English block.
- Me and my daySimple present sentences about daily life, plus pronouns and possessives: I, you, he, she, my, your. Students build short texts about themselves, their family and their routine.
- Town, past events and word familiesPlaces and directions in the neighborhood, the simple past for talking about yesterday, and word families for decoding and spelling. Begin short reading texts as soon as decoding allows.
Ready-made option
Materials that follow this order
The nine resources in the ESL Newcomer Curriculum Bundle ($79.99, parts $159.91) map onto the order above: Time & Calendar, Simple Present: My Everyday Life, Pronouns & Possessive Determiners, In the Town: Places & Directions, Simple Past: Stories About Yesterday and Exploring Word Families, plus a vocabulary trainer set for Grades 1–4 and two grammar and punctuation packs. You can teach them in sequence or pull the one a student needs next. If your newcomer already reads English fairly well and sits in third grade, the Grade 3 ELA Pack ($13.99) adds grade-level grammar, writing and phonics practice.
Honest limits
What you still decide
The bundle gives you content in a workable order, but it does not assess the student or tell you where to start. You judge which phrases come first, how much literacy support is needed and when to move on. Survival phrases specific to your school, such as bus numbers or room names, are yours to add. Compare the materials with your state's English language proficiency standards and your district's ELL plan. Ask Teach Lessons first if an ESL team wants to share them. A 7-day exchange for store credit of equal value is available; refunds in cash are not.
Good to know
More teacher questions
Should newcomers learn the alphabet first?
Only if they do not yet read in a language that uses the Latin alphabet. Students who read Spanish or Portuguese, for example, already know most letters and mainly need English sounds and spelling patterns. Students coming from Arabic, Chinese or other scripts, or with limited schooling, need letter work early, taught alongside survival phrases rather than instead of them.
How many new words a day is reasonable?
Keep it small and repeated rather than large and rushed. A handful of new words a day, practiced in several activities and reviewed later in the week, usually sticks better than a long list. Choose words the student will hear and use right away, and leave the rest for later.
When should I start teaching grammar?
Start when the student uses chunks on their own and you hear errors a simple rule would fix. The simple present for routines is usually the first useful point, followed by pronouns and the simple past. Teach each with plenty of examples from the student's own life before naming the rule.
Are these resources aligned to ELD standards?
No alignment is claimed by Teach Lessons. The bundle addresses common newcomer topics in everyday English, basic grammar and vocabulary, but you should check it against your state's English language proficiency standards and the expectations of your ELL program before writing it into a student's plan.
What about academic vocabulary for science or math?
Add it soon, in small amounts tied to what the class is doing that week. Words such as add, compare, measure and describe appear in many subjects and are worth teaching early. Pre-teach the key words of a lesson with pictures before the newcomer joins the class activity.
How do I know when a newcomer is ready for regular class work?
Watch for independent use: following instructions without a buddy, asking questions in short sentences and reading simple texts with pictures. Move into class work gradually, subject by subject, with supports such as word banks and sentence frames. Your ESL specialist or district placement process will have its own criteria to check as well.
Choose this week's ten phrases
Write down the ten phrases your newcomer needs most right now and teach those first. The textbook order can wait.
Explore the newcomer resources